ABSTRACT
The most distinctive feature of Soviet science in general is the refusal to accept dualistic theories as a basis for the explanation of behaviour. Soviet psychologists adopt a partisan position. They assume that science emerges in the struggle against idealism, dualism, and subjectivism. They perceive their present position as originating with those Russian thinkers who propounded the basic principles of materialism and monism. Although initiated by the ‘westernizing’ Tsars (Peter I, Catherine II), these views were anathema to the orthodox, servile, and autocratic régime. In its origins, Russian psychology is inextricably entangled with philosophical programmes and counter-programmes as well as with the sociopolitical movement.
It is possible to recognize the development of the scientific tendency in psychology along the line: Lomonosov, Radishchev, Belinsky, Chernishevski, and Dobrolyubov. This constellation made a distinctive contribution parallel to, but independent of, the line in West-European thought which runs from Bacon, through Locke, Holbach, and Feuerbach to Marx.
