Of Spirituality

This article is a condensed translation of a philosophical study by M. S. Kagan, published in 1985 in the Soviet journal *Philosophical Questions*, translated from Russian by Serge Morosov. The author undertakes a categorical analysis of the notions of "spirit" and "spirituality" within the framework of Marxist materialism. His central thesis is that Marxist philosophy cannot do without the concept of "spirit," which is irreducible to the notions of "consciousness," "psyche," or "ideal," since it alone designates the totality of human psychic activity in its socio-cultural specificity. The contribution of the article lies in the philosophical rehabilitation of the spiritual within an officially materialist framework: by distinguishing knowledge, valuation, the ideal, and intersubjective exchange as constitutive dimensions of spirit, Kagan opens up, despite his Marxist vocabulary, a conceptual space for interiority and the person, which makes it a significant document for Orthodox theology attentive to dialogue with Soviet thought.