Early V.V. Bibikhin

Review on: Bibikhin V.V. Selected Writings of 1965–1989. St. Petersburg: Vladimir Dal’, 2022. 816 p.

Abstract

The review offers an analysis and evaluation of the collection “Selected Notes of 1965–1989”. In the book we meet not so much diary entries as a collection of multi-genre notes, not united by a common plot or strategy of authorial intention. Due to the fact that V. Bibikhin is a Socratic philosopher, his personal notes are permeated with philosophy: the collection demonstrates that V. Bibikhin’s private life is an underside of his philosophical project, the continuation of philosophizing beyond academic texts. Therefore, the personal writings are, among other things, of research interest. In our assessment, the collection reveals subjects fundamental to Bibikhin’s philosophy, widely known to his readers and often found in the corpus of already published texts: the themes of event, language, childhood, ancient philosophy, intuitive cognition, and other related ones. The fragments of “Selected Notes” considered in the review can easily be compared with quotations from later, more academic works. Therefore, in our opinion, the publication of “Selected Notes” provides an opportunity to trace the genesis of the central themes of V. Bibikhin’s later works, introducing for the first time a conceptual distinction between the thinker’s “early” and “late” works. Thus, V. Bibikhin’s “Separate Notes” represent a rich material with source study, biographical and historical-philosophical potential. All this suggests that further publication of V. Bibikhin’s legacy is absolutely justified and legitimate.