Vladimir Solovyov

Vladimir Solovyov was the first major Russian systematic philosopher and the figure who created Russian religious philosophy as a distinct tradition. Deeply influenced by German Idealism, Neoplatonism, and Orthodox Christianity, he developed a philosophy of "Godmanhood" arguing that the goal of history is the progressive spiritualisation of matter and the union of humanity with the divine.

Solovyov's concept of Sophia—divine wisdom as a feminine principle mediating between God and creation—proved enormously fertile for Russian symbolism and religious thought. His moral philosophy stressed the unconditional value of every person; his political philosophy called for a universal theocracy grounded in moral rather than coercive authority. He influenced Berdyaev, Florensky, and the whole tradition of Russian religious philosophy of the twentieth century.