Предисловие

The article presents an analytical review of the book “The Sociological Legacy of A.S. Lappo-Danilevsky: Research and Materials” by A.V. Malinov. The author evaluates this monograph both in the context of the history of sociology and in the perspective of contemporary problems of sociological science, which is important for understanding of the relevance of the scientific legacy of A. S. Lappo-Danilevsky. The purpose of the article concerns, on the one hand, drawing the attention of Russian sociologists to a new study on the history of Russian sociology, and on the other, actualizing of the important component of the still significant legacy of Russian philosophical and social thinking. The article points out that although A.S. Lappo-Danilevsky left only one published work related to sociological topics, his contribution to the history of Russian sociology should be recognized as extremely significant. The author shows that A.S. Lappo-Danilevsky’s scientific-organizational and pedagogical activity contributed to the formation of sociology in Russia as an independent science and fostered the creating of the basis for its further professionalization. In the context of discussion of the monograph by A.V. Malinov, the research notes the affinity between Lappo-Danilevsky’s historical and scientific project and the concept of the Russian history proposed by G.G. Shpet. An important task of the article is to problematize the viewpoint concerning Lappo-Danilevsky's Neo-Kantianism. The author notes that although the Russian historian often uses neo-Kantian methodology in his methodological research, his sociological doctrine remains within the framework of positivism. Lappo-Danilevsky’s sociological project is a positivist in its essence, which is expressed in the desire to identify social laws that can be mathematized. The author shows the relevance of this approach for modern sociology. The paper also underlines the significance of the study by A.V. Malinov for clarification of the character of Russian philosophy of the late XIX–XX centuries. The author of the paper notes that the study by A.V. Malinov shows that Russian philosophy of this period cannot be reduced to religious problematics. At the beginning of the XX century, Russian university philosophy was focused on scientific philosophizing with its tendency to understand philosophy as a strict science.