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Institute of Philosophy
of the Russian Academy of Sciences




  Alexey Gaginsky
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Alexey Gaginsky
Гагинский Алексей Михайлович



 

 ORCID: 0000-0001-9412-9064 

 ResearcherID: F-4957-2017 

 Scopus Author ID:57195989428 

 RSCI Author ID: 681781



Date of birth

1982


Education

2005-2009 - The Russian Orthodox Institute of St. John; philosophy and theology faculty.

2009-2012 – Postgraduate in Institute of Philosophy of Russian Academy of Sciences

 

 

Degrees

Ph.D., Institute of Philosophy of Russian Academy of Sciences, May 2012


Professional 
appointments

 

Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2013 – present


Scientific interests


History of philosophy, Philosophy of religion, Patristics, Ethics, Ontology, Epistemology, Postmetaphysical theology.

 


Publications




Гагинский книга


Books


Philosophy of unconditional principles. Moscow: Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2018. 193 p.

 

Keywords: Being, beings, essence, the one, God, ontological difference, energy, ἐπέκεινα

 

Abstract: In the book, I examine three major topics: Being, the One and God. On the one hand, they might be considered independently, as they are of interest for the respective fields of philosophy. On the other, each chapter is a part of the whole, a step in realizing the book’s plan.

In the first chapter, I consider the concept of Being and the ontological vocabulary of Greek philosophy. The main aim of this chapter is to clarify the difference between Being (τὸ εἶναι) and beings (τὸ ὄν) (ontological difference), to try to grasp the elusive and unbearable lightness of Being. Historical and philosophical material, which was traditionally used in navigating in the area, though often lead to wrong results, is of a great help. Here I would like to note that the Being is anarithmical, or anarithmological (ἀν-άριθμος), i.e. beyond and without number. Although this does not yet bring us to the solution of the ontological problem, it allows us to see from a different point of view the Neoplatonic henology, which I discuss in the second chapter.
In fact, the doctrine of the One was developed in ancient philosophy in the context of a certain ontological model, which constituted a framework for analyzing Being in terms of ‘one-many’ (ἓν-πολλά), i.e. arithmologically. In the light of the first chapter, it becomes clear that this is an incorrect approach, since Being is neither one nor many. Therefore, I argue that the deconstruction of classical henology is needed. For this purpose, I analyze the relevant texts from Parmenides to Proclus. As a result, I conclude that the One of Neoplatonism is a conceptual idol, whereas a more correct understanding is to consider Being and the One not as two hierarchically different levels, but as Aristotle – as the same nature. This statement need a refinement: Being is transcendent, but the One is immanent (i.e. the first appears as a condition of existence, and the second – as a condition of knowledge).
In the third chapter, I reconstruct the idea of God, which is interpreted in light of Neoplatonic henology and criticism of metaphysics as onto-theology. I believe that the idea of God was reduced to the realm of beings. For this reason, we make such ontological demands, which do not correspond to it. In other words, the idea of God was understood as a conditioned being (οὐσία), which depends on Being. However, as the texts of Christian authors show, the status of God is by no means reduced to the level of ‘one-many’, i. e. beings, but already in the pre-secular epoch is interpreted as a superior to any statements and negations. This allows us to take seriously the thesis of God’s incomprehensibility and mystery, and helps to prepare the conditions for the experience of the presence of the Divine. Although the last one is the least you can be sure.

 

Articles


  • The wicked tales of A.G. Dugin, or Heidegger for dummies. In The Great Dream of Logos. Alexander Dugin's Philosophy Between Mythos, Pathos, and Chaos. Saint Petersbourg, 2025. Pp. 124-175.
  • Heidegger, Nothingness and the overcoming of the fear of death. In Philosophy Journal, 2023, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 85–102.
  • Heidegger’s Methodological Atheism: Biography and Philosophy. In History of Philosophy. 2023, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 67–81.
  • Dasein in Russia: Revisiting the Issue of Translation. In Proceedings of the Department of Theology of the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy, 2022, no. 4 (16), pp. 110–133.
  • Theoaesthetics in the Context of Orthodox Theology. In Khristianskoye Chteniye. 2022, no. 2, pp. 182–197.
  • Transcendentalia Entis as an Currently Relevant Philosophical Project. In Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Sviato-Tikhonovskogo gumanitarnogo universiteta. Seriia I: Bogoslovie. Filosofiia. Religiovedenie. 2021. Vol. 95. P. 67-87.
  • Prolegomena to metatheodicy. In The Philosophy Journal. 2020, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 67–81.
  • Philosophy as the Language of Gods: Plato and the Question of the Correctness of Names. In History of Philosophy. 2020, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 5–15.
  • The Ways of Patristic Philosophy in the Context of the Arian Disputes of the 4th Century. In Christian Reading (Khristianskoye Chteniye), 2020, no. 4, pp. 109–123.
  • Philosophical Theology of Boethius: The Paradigm of Identity. In. Christian Reading (Khristianskoye Chteniye,). N. 1, 2019. Pp. 12-23.
  • Hume’s Guillotine in the Context of the Medieval Doctrine of the Transcendentals. In Voprosy Filosofii, Vol. 10 (2018), pp. 189–200.
  • Philosophical categories in the Palamite disputes. In Theological Bulletin. 2018. N. 24–25. P. 173-198.
  • The hidden premises of rational theology. In Philosophy Journal, 2018. Vol. 11, no. 1. P. 111-124.
  • Essence-Energy Distinction in the Light of Byzantine Ontology. In St. Tikhon's University Review. Theology. Philosophy. Religious Studies. 2018. Vol. 76. P. 23-39.
  • Testimonial knowledge: some problems. In Epistemology & Philosophy of Science. 2017. Vol. 53, no.3. P. 68-75.
  • The Impact of the Exegesis of Origen on the Argumentation of Arius in the Context of Ancient Philosophical Theology. In Christian reading, 2017. no. 4. P. 67-84.
  • Post-metaphysical Theology in the Context of the History of Ontology. In History of Philosophy. 2017. Vol. 22, no. 1. P. 53-67.
  • “On the sense of Being and the meanings of beings”. In The Philosophy Journal 2016. Vol. 9 (3). P. 59–76.
  • Aristotle and Transcendental Ontology. In Problems of philosophy (Voprosy Filosofii). 2016, no. 12. P. 150-160.
  • “Energies of simplicity or simplicity of energy? Two paradigms of patristic philosophy”. In St. Tikhon's University Review. Theology. Philosophy. Religious Studies. 2016. Vol. 71. P. 21–28.
  • “Rationality and its boundaries in patristic philosophy (A case of Augustine)”. In Journal of Christian Reading 3 (2016), 33–48.
  • “The background of the doctrine of transcendentals in Antiquity: Pre-Aristotelian period” . In Bulletin of Moscow State University 2 (2016), 3–16.
  • “Onto-theology and the overcoming of metaphysics: Heidegger, Marion and Christian tradition”. In St. Tikhon's University Review. Theology. Philosophy. Religious Studies. 2015, Vol. 60. P. 55–71.
  • “Being and the One in Plato”. In Πλατωνικα ζητηματα. 2014. P. 89–107.
  • “Criterion, Knowledge, Truth”. In Epistemology & Philosophy of Science. 2013. Vol. 37 (3). P. 129–140.
  • “The name of God and being: Philo of Alexandria and Saint Justin Martyr”. In Eurasia: the spiritual traditions of the peoples. 2012. Vol. 2. P. 26–33.
  • “Ontological Status of God in Gregory of Nazianzus”. In History of Philosophy Yearbook. 2011. P. 33–52.
  • “God and Being in Basil of Caesarea”. In Bulletin of St Tikhon’s Orthodox University. 2011. Vol. 36. P. 20–30.
 

Conference Presentations
  • "Deconstruction of henology: Heidegger and Neo-Platonism." 86th session of the Scientific and Methodological Seminar Faculty of Theology of St Tikhon’s Orthodox University. March 29, 2013
  • "Ethics and the overcoming of ontology." XXII International Christmas Educational Readings. 28 January 2014, Christ the Savior Cathedral.
  • "Being and the One in Plato." 2nd international conference on Plato. Russian State Humanitarian University, 18-19 September 2014.
  • "God and predicates." Annual Theological Conference of St Tikhon’s Orthodox University. November 11 - December 2, 2014.
  • "God and predicates (Part 2)" - Conference: "How should we speak and write about God according to the Holy Fathers." Dmitry Pozharsky University 18.02.2015.
  • "Onto-theo-logy: pro et contra» - regular seminar philosophy of religion department of Institute od philosophy of RAS, 26.02.2015.
  • "The background of the theory of transcendentals in antiquity: Pre-aristotelian period» - XV Holy Trinity annual international academic reading, 27-30 May 2015, Saint-Petersburg.
  • "The metaphysics of the Exodus and the outcome from the metaphysics: two paradigms in patristic philosophy." - Conference: "Metaphysics in intercultural space: History and Modernity", December 18, 2015 Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences.
  • "Energy simplicity or ease of energy? Paradigms patristic philosophy of the East and the West " - International Conference: The opposition East - West in the cultural traditions of the Christian world. Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University, 10-13 May 2016.
  • "Aristotle and transcendental ontology» - XVI Holy Trinity annual international academic reading, 25-27 May 2016, Saint-Petersburg.
 
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Russian Academy of Sciences
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