The Philosophy of the “Late” Era of the UkrSSR: Specificity of Criticism of Bourgeois Theories (a Case Study of the Books by Larysa Levchuk)

Abstract

The article examines the specifics of philosophical criticism in the period of the “late” UkrSSR Western concepts of philosophy, psychology, and arts using Larysa Levchuk’s books “Art in the Struggle of Ideologies” and her “Psychoanalysis: From the Unconscious to ‘Fatigue of Consciousness’”. The specific involvement in the Soviet philosophical discourse of the theoretical achievements of psychoanalysis in all its forms is shown, as well as the acquaintance of the Soviet reader with the ideas of the cult artists of the West with the help of these books. Among the representatives of “neorealism”, which played a significant role in the development of art, especially in Italy and France, L. Levchuk focuses on the works of R. Guttuso, C. Levy, V. Pratolini, R. Rossellini, V. de Sica, A. Fougeron, and others.The book “Art in the Struggle of Ideologies” was published in 1985, when at the official level it was not so much about “perestroika” but “acceleration of socio-economic development”. The book is written from the standpoint of “philosophical socialistic realism”, when the presentation and conclusions are adjusted to the externally set ideological pattern, although it differs in professionalism and breadth of coverage. The author’s application of the theory of psychoanalysis in the study of the phenomena of Western art deserves special attention. The book “Psychoanalysis: From the Unconscious to ‘Fatigue of Consciousness’” was published in 1989, at the peak of perestroika. It is built on the same typological material (only with the involvement of a much wider range of ideas and sources) and testifies the author’s free possession of this material, its statement introducing the readers to the range of problems stated in the book.The conclusions indicate that the introduction of concepts of Western philosophical thought and the names of Western artists in the intellectual circulation of society of the UkrSSR expanded its worldview, creating a sense of richness and diversity of artistic and philosophical life abroad. The removal of ideological pressure in the midst of perestroika showed that some philosophers of the Soviet era were freely oriented in the global philosophical, culturological, and psychological thought.The study of the past, including the philosophy of the USSR, is a necessary condition for creating a holistic picture of that era and clarifying a number of current trends.