Man — Science — Humanism: A New Synthesis

What are the problems and dilemmas that confront man in the age of science? Will he be able to control the rapid course of scientific and technological progress or will he become a victim of scientistic manipulations? How does science relate to humanistic principles. The author examines the problems of the ethics of science and the socio-ethical and humanistic principles governing man’s scientific cognition with reference to modern biology (especially genetic engineering, experiments on man and psychophysiology). The moral and philosophical meaning of human life, death and immortality constitute a distinct theme. Aside from considering scientific evidence the author also examines the relevant traditions in the history of Russian culture in approaching these “eternal” questions (Lev Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Vladimir Soloviev, Nikolay Fedorov). He anticipates a new synthesis of man, science and humanism within the culture of the human race in the future.