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Philosophy and Culture
Reference:

The idea of «eternal life» in the work of V.I. Vernadsky

Popova Liana Vladimirovna

ORCID: 0000-0002-9766-7535

PhD in Cultural Studies

Senior Lecturer; Department of Philosophy; State University of Management

109542, Russia, city, Moscow, ave. Ryazansky, 99, office. 463U

pliana@mail.ru
Other publications by this author
 
 

DOI:

10.7256/2454-0757.2025.3.73638

EDN:

XQUJPC

Received:

10-03-2025

Published:

03-04-2025

Abstract: The subject of this study is the idea of «eternal life» in the worldview of V.I. Vernadsky, which is associated with the doctrine of «living matter». The purpose of the study is to show that the ideas of V.I. Vernadsky has deep historical, philosophical and historical-scientific roots, which can be understood as an integral consequence of the general process of cultural evolution of mankind, within the framework of which the initiative to give a historically defined and integral characteristic of worldview can proceed from one form or another spiritual culture (religion, morality, art, philosophy, science, etc.). The tasks of the study include: consideration of the most significant ideas and concepts (primarily from the point of view of V.I. Vernadsky) in the history of philosophy and science, which played an important role in the formation of the doctrine of «eternal life». In this study, a comprehensive cultural approach was applied, combining comparative, phenomenological and psychoanalytic research methods. The scientific novelty of this study is determined by the author's approach to the analysis of the selected object, the involvement of new sources in the scientific research. The author pays attention to the analysis of the connection between the «logic of natural science» and the doctrine of «living matter», the characterization of the concepts of «living matter», «eternity of life» and «noosphere» as the most characteristic expressions of the naturalistic worldview of V.I. Vernadsky. The main conclusion of this study was that the idea of «eternal life» was the main idea in the worldview of V.I. Vernadsky. Vernadsky raised an important question about the «logic of natural science» in connection with the doctrine of the «eternity of life».

Keywords:

Vladimir Vernadsky, eternity of life, living material, natural science logic, biosphere, noosphere, Édouard Le Roy, Teilhard de Chardin, Aristotle, Democritus
This article is automatically translated.

The question of the eternity of life became a deeply fundamental, truly philosophical question for Vernadsky, which is connected with both his religious experiences and the experience of clinical death. The question of the eternity of life, for Vernadsky, is inseparable from the question of the mystery of death. He first came into contact with death in 1874, when his half-brother died. In the diary of V.I. Vernadsky in 1884, there are notes close to the views of the Stoics and Epicureans: "The final phenomenon in the life of every person, including me, will be death. After it, I will cease to exist and there will be nothing; I don't know if such a feeling is scary, it's more strange, and death seems scary only when you adjust the cessation of life to a currently existing living person.… I am afraid of the torments that I may be subjected to during destruction, but only because I can feel and understand them; destruction–death ― cannot be terrible for me, because then I will not be able to feel or understand. Without acknowledging either the soul or the afterlife, I don't see any deprivation happening here. I agree that maybe there are similar pleasures provided by faith, and a person who sincerely believes and has hope for an afterlife has some pleasures that I cannot have" [15, pp. 477-478].

The human idea of immortality is born from the consciousness of the frailty of life, it came to V.I. Vernadsky in Germany when he visited museums. Vernadsky noted that their main idea is precisely the idea of immortality, it is a person's desire to find satisfaction and an explanation for life and death, it is a song about the ideal, about something better and higher, about something that surrounds a person, but, undoubtedly, the most bodily, the most painful, The most tragic thing in our lives is the inability of our mind and feelings to come to terms with personal destruction, with the lack of personal immortality. The creation of art, religious customs, all the monuments that a person encounters ― all this was done by different people at different times with the same purpose. And that goal is immortality. All this is driven not only by the fear of death, but also by the beautiful dream of perpetuating life. A person finds a good side in everything, in every phenomenon, in every decision, this is one of the sides of a healthy body [5, p. 49]. It is human nature to seek the "highest", but in what way can this "highest" be found? He is insufficiently encompassed by both the Christian and, in general, the religious ideal in its highest manifestation. The latter's strength lies in deep experiences, and this experience must be connected, one way or another, with the human (narrower side of religion) or "cosmic conciliar feeling" [5, p. 57]. The recognition of the immortality of the soul is possible with atheism. It is more necessary for man than the recognition of the existence of God [13, p. 208]. Christianity, according to Vernadsky, is a very strong and destructive principle, as it destroys consciousness, setting limits to it and convincing believers of its completeness.

The main defining moment for a person is the awareness of his personality. This is a consequence of the basic Cartesian proposition "cogito ergo sum". Science does not contradict religion, just as it does not refute the divinity of Christ, the existence of a Christian God, Apollo or Venus. The strange thing is that she cannot serve as the basis for their existence in the field of her study of the world.

A deep turning point in Vernadsky's views occurred in 1919 after suffering from an illness. For a long time, he was in a state between life and death. The recordings made by his wife, N.E. Vernadskaya, under "dictation" have been preserved. We can trace the changes in views based on the diary entries of the scientist of the 1920s, where the idea of immortality is finally confirmed. In 1923 Vernadsky wrote that for him the whole old cult of service to science and creative search, a clear mystical sense of the world enhances the sense of life. The old respect for the human person remained, he recognized the immortality of the personal spirit, but without a single god [7].

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The relevance of the research is determined by the modern interest in interdisciplinary approaches to the study of life and the role of human consciousness in the evolution of the biosphere. Vernadsky's teaching on the biosphere and the noosphere is of particular importance in the context of modern environmental problems and the search for ways of sustainable human development. In addition, the philosophical understanding of the idea of the "eternity of life" contributes to the development of modern philosophy of science and methodology of natural science. Scientific novelty The scientific novelty of the research lies in the author's approach to the analysis of the selected object and the involvement of new sources in scientific circulation. The author presents an original interpretation of V.I. Vernadsky's views on the problem of the eternity of life, tracing the evolution of his ideas from early diary entries to mature scientific works. It is especially valuable to analyze the correlation of scientific, philosophical, and religious-mystical aspects of the scientist's worldview, as well as to establish links between his concept of the "logic of natural science" and the doctrine of living matter. Style, structure, content The article has a clear structure, including an introduction, a main part with several subsections, and a conclusion. The introduction provides an overview of the research on V.I. Vernadsky and formulates the goals and objectives of the work. The main part consistently reveals the evolution of Vernadsky's views on the problem of the eternity of life, analyzes his concept of living matter, the biosphere and the noosphere, and also examines his proposed "logic of natural science." The style of presentation is scientific, characterized by logic and reasonableness. The author often refers to quoting primary sources, which increases the reliability of the analysis. The diary entries of V.I. Vernadsky, reflecting his personal reflections on life, death and immortality, are considered in particular detail. The disadvantages include some overload of quotations, which sometimes makes it difficult to perceive the author's position. The article also does not clearly distinguish the scientific, philosophical, and personal-worldview aspects of V.I. Vernadsky's teaching, which creates the impression of some eclecticism. The bibliography of the article is extensive (42 sources) and includes both the works of V.I. Vernadsky himself and studies devoted to various aspects of his scientific heritage. The author uses archival materials (Vernadsky's diaries), which increases the value of the research. The bibliography covers the works of domestic and foreign authors from different years, which indicates the depth of study of the topic. At the same time, it can be noted that there are no recent studies on this topic (after 2013, only two sources dated 2023 are presented). The inclusion of more modern works on the philosophy of science and natural sciences could enrich the research context. Appeal to opponents The article presents various points of view on the evolution of V.I. Vernadsky's views on the idea of the "eternity of life". The author examines in detail the controversy between G.P. Aksenov and F.T. Yanshina. If Yanshina claims that Vernadsky abandoned the idea of "eternity of life" by the end of his life and recognized the possibility of abiogenesis, then Aksenov insists that the scientist remained faithful to this idea until the end of his days. The author of the article critically evaluates Yanshina's argument, noting that her quotations from Vernadsky's works do not confirm her assumptions. The author's position is closer to Aksenov's point of view, but he admits that the problem of the "eternity of life" in Vernadsky's legacy remains open for further research. Conclusions, interest of the readership The author comes to the conclusion that the idea of "eternity of life" was the main one in the worldview of V.I. Vernadsky, who remained faithful to the Redi principle "all living things come from living things". The connection of Vernadsky's philosophical ideas with the ideas of ancient thinkers is shown and emphasis is placed on his call for the creation of a new "logic of natural science", which should move from the "logic of concepts" of Aristotle to the "logic of natural science" of Democritus. The article is of interest to a wide readership: historians of science, philosophers, naturalists, cultural scientists. It contributes to a deeper understanding of the integral nature of V.I. Vernadsky's scientific work, which combined natural science, philosophical and ideological elements. The problems posed in the article actualize the legacy of an outstanding scientist in the context of modern searches for a holistic understanding of life and its cosmic role. Conclusion. Based on the analysis of the article "The idea of the "eternity of life" in the philosophical worldview of V.I. Vernadsky", I recommend publishing this work. The article is a holistic and in-depth study of an important aspect of V.I. Vernadsky's philosophical legacy. The author draws on a wide range of sources, including diaries and the epistolary legacy of the scientist, conducts a critical analysis of various points of view on the evolution of his views on the "eternity of life" and offers a well-founded interpretation of the author. Despite the noted drawbacks (some overload of quotations, insufficient use of the latest research), the article has undoubted scientific value and will be of interest to a wide range of specialists in the field of the history of science, philosophy and natural sciences.
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