The paper deals with the idea of a symbol which was formed in the works of original Komi
writer and philosopher K. F. Zhakov who was the mouthpiece of the culture of Russian Silver
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Age. The following works of Zhakov are analyzed: «The theory of variable and limit in the epistemology
and history of knowledge» (1904), «The principle of evolution in epistemology, metaphysics
and morality» (1906), «The basics of the evolutionary theory of knowledge (limitizm)»
(1912). At first, Zhakov called his doctrine an evolutional symbolism and presented a symbol as
a certain general scientific and general philosophic category in which is conveyed a specific character
of human cognition and thinking. Afterwards, he names his doctrine as «limitizm», but the
basic ideas were laid in his works of 1900’s. The metaphysics of Zhakov is based on
the gnoseological problematics which was central for a number of Russian philosophers and poets-
symbolists of that time. The actualization of the problems of cognition and language of science
was connected with the movement of neo-Kantianism, in the course of which Zhakov
worked although he did not accept Kant’s philosophy. The paper shows the closeness of ideas
about the symbol and cognition between Zhakov and E. Cassirer – the German Neo-Kantian philosopher,
creator of the new «philosophy of symbolic forms». These ideas demonstrate the tendency
to the universal system of knowledge and the universe based on understanding the special
nature of human thinking, the fixation of continuous process of cognition and its symbolism in
relation to the reality, handling with the mathematical concepts «function», «variable», «limit»,
that is attempting to bring a language of exact sciences to philosophy. Zhakov’s gnoseological or
evolutional symbolism becomes a mythological symbolism in his works. All these moments determine
the pathos of artistic work of Zhakov and make him close to Russian symbolism. The
interaction of philosophy and artistic creativity is examined in the poems «The songs of Pam-Bur-
Mort» published in «Green collection of poems and prose» of symbolists (1905). These poems
were also presented in the book «To the North in search for Pam Bur-Mort» (1905) in more enhanced
form. Zhakov synthesizes the images and ideas of different world religious and philosophical
systems such as Hinduism, Christianity and paganism, resulting in original lyricalphilosophical
opinion related to «evolutional symbolism» of the author but much more vivid and
passionate.
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