Konstantin Leontiev’s personality as a basis for his creative heritage: from aestheticism to the monastic ideal

Abstract

The article reveals the connection of the features of Konstantin Leontiev’s philosophical reflections with the traits of his creative personality. Leontiev’s aestheticism, as the most important among those traits, has a pronounced anti-egalitarian and anti-liberal nature. At the same time, the philosopher deliberately subordinates his «Hellenistic» aestheticism to religious faith or «church principles». He points out the need to strengthen the role of monasticism in public and church life, and recognizes the eldership as a source of holiness and fidelity to Orthodoxy.