The concept of enlightenment in Russian philosophy of the 18th century

Since the end of the 19th century, the scholarly view of Enlightenment in Russia has been constantly changing. By the end of the 20th century the dominant view was that the Enlightenment is regarded as a pan-European socio-historical, philosophical, cultural phenomenon, the attributive, but peculiar element of which was the process of Enlightenment in Russia. The special features of the Russian Enlightenment were explained by the peculiarity of the economic development of Russia. The researchers proceeded from the existence of a certain standard of the Enlightenment, which most often was France of the 18th century. The very concept of enlightenment, through the prism of which Russian thought of the 18th-19th centuries was considered, turned out to be a late research construct, post factum turned to the object of study. The own understanding of enlightenment and the shades of this concept, expressed by the thinkers of the so-called Enlightenment, were almost completely ignored or even ostracized. Contrary to the established research practice, the author tries to reveal the original Russian meaning of the concept of Enlightenment in the 18th century and the importance attached to it by Russian thinkers of that era. As a result, several key meanings are outlined, not constructed post factum, but existing in the 18th century: the concepts of Enlightenment (shining with light, enrichment of the mind with knowledge, the feast of the Epiphany and Baptism), and its deep religious and moral connotations are shown.