<i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant Distinctions

The phenomenon of the miraculous cannot be removed from human existence, no matter how much its presence contradicts the arguments of reason, legislation, or common sense. Its attractiveness for philosophical reflection has been evident since the ancient classics (4th century BC), when the very phen...

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Main Author: M. S. Lyutaeva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MGIMO University Press 2023-06-01
Series:Концепт: философия, религия, культура
Subjects:
Online Access:https://concept.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/769
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author M. S. Lyutaeva
author_facet M. S. Lyutaeva
author_sort M. S. Lyutaeva
collection DOAJ
description The phenomenon of the miraculous cannot be removed from human existence, no matter how much its presence contradicts the arguments of reason, legislation, or common sense. Its attractiveness for philosophical reflection has been evident since the ancient classics (4th century BC), when the very phenomenon of admiration was considered the root cause of knowledge by Plato and Aristotle. The miraculous turns out to be semantically interconnected with religious communication, understood as the observation of the unknown, inexpressible, inaccessible within the familiar (N. Luhmann), including its naming and classification. This study is devoted to identifying the basic sociocultural differences and their dynamics associated with the lexeme miracle in the Russian context of the 11th–18th centuries based on the analysis of written sources. Tracing the evolution of the semantics of the miraculous, identifying the criteria for assigning such a characteristic to a certain phenomenon and the value assessment of what was called a miracle, the following trends are revealed. On the one hand, it is a differentiation from religious communication, which distinguishes between true and false miracles depending on the origin (for example, the Christian God or the Magi, fortune tellers, sorcerers, etc.). On the other hand, there is an increase in the complexity of the phenomenon itself, acquiring by the end of the 18th century various communication features. These are true/false miracles in religion; legal/ illegal in the field of state regulation of public life (starting with the legislation of Peter the Great); miracle as superstition, deceit and quackery for selfish purposes, i.e. marginal communication, contrary to science, morality, law and the ideals of the Enlightenment as the worldview of the elites; as a historical and cultural phenomenon (in works related to the history, ethnography and folklore that are emerging in Russia); as an artistic mean (functional element) in literature.
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spelling doaj.art-d698a0bf0530470da3c11ba9e1e6dbc32024-04-01T11:29:29ZengMGIMO University PressКонцепт: философия, религия, культура2541-88312619-05402023-06-017212413710.24833/2541-8831-2023-2-26-124-137548<i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant DistinctionsM. S. Lyutaeva0Vladimir State UniversityThe phenomenon of the miraculous cannot be removed from human existence, no matter how much its presence contradicts the arguments of reason, legislation, or common sense. Its attractiveness for philosophical reflection has been evident since the ancient classics (4th century BC), when the very phenomenon of admiration was considered the root cause of knowledge by Plato and Aristotle. The miraculous turns out to be semantically interconnected with religious communication, understood as the observation of the unknown, inexpressible, inaccessible within the familiar (N. Luhmann), including its naming and classification. This study is devoted to identifying the basic sociocultural differences and their dynamics associated with the lexeme miracle in the Russian context of the 11th–18th centuries based on the analysis of written sources. Tracing the evolution of the semantics of the miraculous, identifying the criteria for assigning such a characteristic to a certain phenomenon and the value assessment of what was called a miracle, the following trends are revealed. On the one hand, it is a differentiation from religious communication, which distinguishes between true and false miracles depending on the origin (for example, the Christian God or the Magi, fortune tellers, sorcerers, etc.). On the other hand, there is an increase in the complexity of the phenomenon itself, acquiring by the end of the 18th century various communication features. These are true/false miracles in religion; legal/ illegal in the field of state regulation of public life (starting with the legislation of Peter the Great); miracle as superstition, deceit and quackery for selfish purposes, i.e. marginal communication, contrary to science, morality, law and the ideals of the Enlightenment as the worldview of the elites; as a historical and cultural phenomenon (in works related to the history, ethnography and folklore that are emerging in Russia); as an artistic mean (functional element) in literature.https://concept.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/769miracleadmirationreligious communicationanalysis of differencessuperstitionrussian literaturerussian folklore
spellingShingle M. S. Lyutaeva
<i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant Distinctions
Концепт: философия, религия, культура
miracle
admiration
religious communication
analysis of differences
superstition
russian literature
russian folklore
title <i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant Distinctions
title_full <i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant Distinctions
title_fullStr <i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant Distinctions
title_full_unstemmed <i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant Distinctions
title_short <i>Miraculous</i> in Russian Semantics of the 11<sup>th</sup>-18<sup>th</sup> Centuries: the Evolution of Socially Significant Distinctions
title_sort i miraculous i in russian semantics of the 11 sup th sup 18 sup th sup centuries the evolution of socially significant distinctions
topic miracle
admiration
religious communication
analysis of differences
superstition
russian literature
russian folklore
url https://concept.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/769
work_keys_str_mv AT mslyutaeva imiraculousiinrussiansemanticsofthe11supthsup18supthsupcenturiestheevolutionofsociallysignificantdistinctions