The pseudo-metaphysics of Russian Cosmism. A review of “Lenin Walked on the Moon”

One looks to the stars and may wonder how long it may take to reach them and what lies far beyond what we can see from planet earth. Space, the new frontier, has yet to be fully conquered by man. Our explorations of this dark void only began at a time of ideological confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, arguably with the disintegration of the latter, the space race has lost the excitement many might have felt during the 20th century. The wind is changing and developments in space exploration ranging from India’s space program to the triumphs of Elon Musk have given new life to focus on the realm above us. Yet little has been discussed on a metaphysical level on what drives us to space – is it pure curiosity or driven by the inherent need for man to pursue conquest? With the advances in technology that would enable space exploration of such a scale, will there be a need to redefine what humanity is? 

The French philosopher Michel Eltchaninoff ruminates on Russia’s own answers to these questions in his latest book Lenin Walked on the Moon as he presents the so-called “mad history” of Russian Cosmism, a philosophical theory emerging from 19th century Russia that seeks to reconcile religion and science while redefining man’s relationship with the earth and the space. Nikolai Fyodorov, the presumed founder of cosmism, believed that life extension, the conquest of death and the resurrection of the dead, would open a new era of Transhumanism for mankind. The exploration and colonization of space, therefore, would be a necessity for the progress of humanity. Other Russian thinkers have contributed to the philosophy such as Vladimir Vernadsky and Nikolai Tsiolkovsky, but all, as Eltchaninoff argues, “were in agreement on two major ideas. First, human actions have the power to change the entire cosmos… Second, the physical phenomena of cosmic provenance and cosmic dimension have far more influence on human activity than we realize.”

Though seemingly an esoteric theory that seems to give a strange justification for the exploration of space, Cosmism’s legacy and philosophical influence on the Soviet Union and contemporary Russia is worth highlighting as it gives some, perhaps partial, answers to understanding the “Russian mind” and the ideological roots of Putinism today. Russian identity remains a boundless subject of study for researchers, but one can draw the general consensus that the Russian people have been on this seemingly endless quest to discover who and what they are: European, Asian or Eurasian? Despite having freed itself from the “Mongol Yoke,” Russian civilizational identity seems to remain stuck in this unresolved distinction between East and West, on top of the contested history of the Soviet Union and its many triumphs and tragedies. 

Eltchaninoff quotes Dostoevsky, “I say, gentlemen, hadn’t we better kick over the whole show and scatter rationalism to the winds, simply to send these logarithms to enable us to live once more at our own sweet foolish will?” Though himself not a Cosmist, Dostoevsky’s words perfectly capture the essence of Cosmism, that Western rationalism has removed the mystery of the natural world thus alienating humanity from “truer being.” This is reminiscent of the current rhetoric of the Putin regime’s anti-Western language, asserting Russia as a separate and unique state-civilization yet somehow claiming the role of protecting traditional Christian values.

Fyodorov, the father of Russian Cosmism, believed that the true task of Christianity is not to wait for the resurrection of the dead but rather to use humanity’s technological advances to resurrect the dead. This, he claimed, was the greatest duty of Christians, to form the “union of the living, of all sons in order to resuscitate their fathers.” There is something chilling about these words especially when observing the developments of historical memory in Russia. While Eltchaninoff does not draw this connection, Putin’s treatment of Russia’s history does reflect aspects of Cosmism. In the summer of 2023, the Russian president presided over a ceremony in St. Petersburg where the flags of the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union and the Imperial flag were raised near the Lakhta Tower, Russia’s tallest building.

As jarring as it may seem, these acts have become increasingly commonplace in Russia where the contradictory aspects of the country’s history are being melded into a single continuous narrative. In its instrumentalization of history, the regime is – in some sense – “uniting” Russia’s sons and fathers, alive and dead, to create the “Russian Idea.” 

Lenin Walked on the Moon is an informative read for those who are curious about Russia’s esoteric philosophies, it may well be the only recent publication on Russian cosmism. Eltchaninoff shares the narratives of Cosmism engagingly, but this strength does find itself lost in falling into wild conjectures like whether Elon Musk is in fact a Russian Cosmist since he visited Russia, “Did he meet any Cosmists then?” Eltchaninoff asks, “Did someone tell him about Tsiolkovsky?” At that point, it may be difficult for the reader to take Eltchaninoff seriously but not doing so would leave one less knowledgeable about a philosophy that undoubtedly has a spiritual sway in the minds of notable Russians today. This mistake for Russia’s adversaries, as was the case with Communism, is to assume that ideology was a set of dismissible talking points. No, the legacy of Russian Cosmism and its influences on the “Russian Idea,” the very metaphysical justification of Russia’s war with Ukraine, is alive and slowly seeping into the minds of Russians. 

Prepared by Nigel Li, September 14, 2023.