Chapter ID: CBB405548252

Tsiolkovskii and the Invention of ‘Russian Cosmism’: Science, Mysticism, and the Conquest of Nature at the Birth of Soviet Space Exploration (2016)

unapi

The rhetoric of the early years of the Soviet space program was rooted in a long and enthusiastic discourse about the transformative role of modern science and technology in the socialist context. Yet, it has become evident that ‘Russian Cosmism’, a mystical and occultlike worldview with Orthodox Christian overtones continues to animate Russian interest in the cosmos. The goal of this essay is to dispel some fundamental misconceptions, especially about the embellished historical importance of ‘cosmism’ in the lived historical context of twentieth century Russia. By doing so, I hope to position the philosophical foundations of Soviet space activities as part of a broader aspirations for ‘modernity’ and a concomitant ideology of conquering the natural world.

...More
Included in

Book Paul Betts; Stephen A. Smith (2016) Science, Religion and Communism in Cold War Europe. unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB405548252/

Similar Citations

Book Iina Kohonen; (2017)
Picturing the Cosmos: A Visual History of Early Soviet Space Endeavor (/isis/citation/CBB291787050/)

Book Treadwell, Terry C.; (2010)
Stepping Stones to the Stars: The Story of Manned Spaceflight (/isis/citation/CBB001032661/)

Book Sparrow, Giles; (2007)
Spaceflight: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Shuttle---and Beyond (/isis/citation/CBB001032658/)

Book Siddiqi, Asif A.; (2003)
The Soviet Space Race with Apollo (/isis/citation/CBB001032672/)

Book Andrews, James T.; Siddiqi, Asif A.; (2011)
Into the Cosmos: Space Exploration and Soviet Culture (/isis/citation/CBB001211733/)

Article Volland, Nicolai; (2014)
Comment on “Let's Go to the Moon” (/isis/citation/CBB001214667/)

Book Gallentine, Jay; (2009)
Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft (/isis/citation/CBB001032660/)

Book Jörg Matthias Determann; (2018)
Space Science and the Arab World: Astronauts, Observatories and Nationalism in the Middle East (/isis/citation/CBB074723221/)

Book Dreer, Francis; (2009)
Space Conquest: The Complete History of Manned Spaceflight (/isis/citation/CBB001032657/)

Book Colin Burgess; (2021)
The Greatest Adventure: A History of Human Space Exploration (/isis/citation/CBB522094008/)

Book Andrew Jennks Andrew Jenks; (2021-11-02)
Collaboration in Space and the Search for Peace on Earth (/isis/citation/CBB262469655/)

Book Hardesty, Von; Eisman, Gene; Khrushchev, Sergei; (2007)
Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race (/isis/citation/CBB001231463/)

Book Mary-Jane Rubenstein; (2022)
Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race (/isis/citation/CBB879511970/)

Book Zimmerman, Robert; (2003)
Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel (/isis/citation/CBB000640458/)

Book Collins, Martin J.; (2007)
After Sputnik: 50 Years of the Space Age (/isis/citation/CBB001032663/)

Book Johnson, Stephen B.; (2002)
The Secret of Apollo: Systems Management in American and European Space Programs (/isis/citation/CBB000302278/)

Book Compton, William David; (2010)
Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of NASA's Apollo Lunar Expeditions (/isis/citation/CBB001032667/)

Book Johnson-Freese, Joan; (2009)
Heavenly Ambitions: America's Quest to Dominate Space (/isis/citation/CBB001032643/)

Authors & Contributors
Siddiqi, Asif A.
Determann, Jörg Matthias
Rod Pyle
Mary-Jane Rubenstein
Zimmermann, Robert
Volland, Nicolai
Concepts
Space travel; space flight
Space programs
Space research and exploration
Astronautics
Space
Space shuttle
Time Periods
20th century, late
21st century
20th century
19th century
Places
United States
Soviet Union
Middle and Near East
North Korea
Ukraine
Russia
Institutions
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Project Apollo (NASA)
European Space Research Organisation
European Space Agency
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment