Russia: the Components of the Cultural Code

Abstract

The article presents the author's concept of Russia as a civilization, which has a unique cultural code. Attention focused on the essential parts of this code. We believe that the cultural code of Russian civilization consists of the following basic components: (1) In terms of energy, Russia, unlike Western civilization, used the energy of space, not time energy, which allowed extensive development over several centuries, transferring the basic cultural archetype to the vast newly developed spaces. (2) The second essential element of Russian self-standing was the ethnic component. Initially, Russia, Russians are a super-ethnos that synthesized different ethnicities and cultures, united by a single language and state, while preserving the customs and language of the peoples with whom the leading Slavic ethnos came into contact. Ethnically, Russians are Eurasians who genetically combine Western and Eastern peoples.(3) Finally, the third essential component of the cultural code of Russia is the so-called “numerical code” of culture. The numerical code of culture connected with the numerical interpretation of the Absolute, it determines the nature and speed of the movement of culture in relative or historical (in the words of N.A. Berdyaev) time. The specificity of Russia lies in the fact that three world religions have historically existed on its territory: Christianity (Orthodoxy), Islam, and Buddhism. In terms of cultural codes, Islam and Buddhism (if we consider Nirvana as the highest existential goal) are religions whose ontological code is equal to one, which at the cultural level corresponds to statics and traditionalism. Although the code of the Orthodox version of Christianity is “binary”, but the recognition of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, as it were, suspends the movement of historical time, which contributes to harmonization with two “single” religions, this ensures their relatively harmonious existence.