The Problem of the Meaning of Life and Death in Russian Machism

Abstract

The article assesses the heuristic potential of Russian Machism with regard to the problems of the meaning of life, death, and immortality. It is argued that the significance of this current in the history of Russian philosophy is primarily attributable not to its attempts to develop a monistic theory of knowledge or to reconcile Marxism with the doctrines of E. Mach and R. Avenarius, but to its capacity to articulate and address fundamental existential issues that retain contemporary relevance. Special emphasis is placed on A.V. Lunacharsky’s treatment of suicide. The analysis demonstrates that Lunacharsky conceptualizes suicide not as an indication of individual weakness but as a philosophical protest and a logical consequence of the collapse of anthropocentrism. The resolution of this existential impasse, according to Lunacharsky, is to be found in a novel “philosophy of pure activity”, which integrates Marxist and Machist principles. Within this framework, human existence is ascribed meaning through transformative practice, labor, and collective creativity; the principle “I act – therefore I am” is posited as foundational. The study further examines A.A. Bogdanov’s approach to the same set of problems, drawing on the novels Red Star and Engineer Manny and the short story The Feast of Immortality. It is shown that Bogdanov employs literary means to model various strategies for “overcoming death”. The paper analyses key Bogdanovian concepts, including the “comradely exchange of life”, collective immortality, and the individual’s right to voluntary death. A comparative analysis of Lunacharsky’s and Bogdanov’s positions reveals a common orientation away from abstract metaphysics and towards an engagement with concrete human experience, combining socio‑philosophical ideals with existential concerns.