“Reasonable Faith” and the Justification of Morality: Tolstoy’s Lessons for the Contemporary Ethical Theory

Abstract

The choice of the most convincing way to explain the source of moral requirements and jus­tify their universal character is the core of the ethical discourse. The constant relevance of this problem is considered as a prerequisite for raising the question of which of the interpre­tations of the value-normative nature of moral duties proposed by thinkers of the past and present can be truly instructive both for the academic community and a wide range of re­sponsible thinking and acting people. In this context, the Leo Tolstoy’s ethics is of un­doubted interest. His understanding of morality is a unique, it combines the intentions of ex­plaining and justifying the absolute priority of the moral law: the first intention is carried out by Tolstoy in the framework of building his own model of “true religion”, and the second one is made up by creating an original design of “reasonable faith”. The both concepts, con­sidered in their inseparable connection, are in the focus of the author’s research interest. The article attempts their logical reconstruction and systematic analysis to identify the fea­tures of the Tolstoy’s strategy of moralistic justification of the human existence. Its key prin­ciple is formulated by in the paper as the identity of truth and good. The latter is realized in the course of overcoming natural doubts by the moral figure that the importance of moral precepts really exceeds the significance and attractiveness of all other life preferences. The author’s intention also includes revealing the specifics of the proposed Tolstoy interpre­tation of the autonomy of the subject of morality and assessing its heuristic potential for the development of contemporary ethical theory.