Batı Uygarlığının Krizi ve Rus “Ruhu”: The Crisis Of The Western Civilization And The Russian Spirit

The term “Russian spirit” denotes both the unique characteristics of Russians that make them different from Europeans and the idea of uniting the humanity under the leadership of the Russians, the latter we might also call the idea of uniting Europe. Not only the Western question and the tension between universality and rootedness in Russian thought but also the Russian question in the Western thought is in fact part of the broader discussion on the possible future of the Western civilization. For West, Russia is both a problem and a possible solution to the problem. The same applies to Russia. Just as the fact that the Germans who destroyed the Rome also planted the seeds of regenerating it with a barbarian vaccination, Russians have been considered by Europeans “the barbarian at the gate” as well a savior