Lev Nikolaevich Gumilev (09/18/1912 - 06/15/1992) was engaged in various kinds of activities: he was a historian and ethnologist, and archaeologist, and writer, and translator, etc. But Lev Nikolaevich was remembered in the Soviet Union as the author of the passionate theory of ethnogenesis . Gumilyov with her help was able to answer many questions asked by ethnologists and philosophers.
Biography
L. N. Gumilyov was born into a family of famous poets, which influenced the choice of his type of activity in his youth: in the 30s and 40s he wrote prose and composed poems. But in his youth, the future author of a well-known theory felt a craving for historical science. Lev Nikolaevich began to take part in various geological expeditions and archaeological excavations.
In 1934, the famous ethnologist graduated from Leningrad State Institute with a diploma in historical specialty. In 1948, he received a Ph.D.
The ethnologist historian was arrested 4 times by the Soviet authorities for speeches directed against the state policy that existed at that time.
In 1961, L.N. Gumilyov managed to defend a dissertation, and he received a doctorate in historical sciences, and in 1974 he presented a work on geography, but the Higher Attestation Commission did not accept it.
In the 60s, he began to work hard on the passionate theory of ethnogenesis. Using this hypothesis, the philosopher tried to explain the structure of the historical process. But Gumilyov’s views were unusual for scientific ideas of that time. Therefore, they were censured among many historians and scholars.
Gumilev's Passionary Theory of Ethnogenesis
This theory is a detailed description of historical processes, which reveals the structure of ongoing events. She explains what is the dependence of eras on the interaction of different ethnic groups among themselves and with the landscape surrounding them.
This theory has been presented in various articles published in scientific journals. Based on this work, Lev Nikolayevich tried to get a doctorate in geography, but, unfortunately, the Higher Attestation Commission did not approve it. The historian in his dissertation was able to characterize a large number of concepts, as well as give detailed definitions of phenomena in the field of historical processes.
Gumilyov’s passionary theory of ethnogenesis did not meet with support from Soviet and foreign scientists, who believed that this hypothesis went beyond the established scientific concepts. Currently, this work is part of the main course of teaching in higher schools in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union.
In order to comprehend the ideas described by L. N. Gumilev, one should familiarize oneself with the basic concepts of the passionary theory of ethnogenesis.
Ethnic systems
Lev Nikolaevich defined this term using a number of characteristics. So, ethnic systems are:
- biological human communities similar to related animal groups;
- a way to adapt humanity to the world;
- united groups of people who are connected by the realization of their unity and which distinguish themselves from other ethnic systems;
- a set of individuals whose distinctive feature is the general stereotypes of behavior;
- people who have a common origin and, accordingly, one story;
- systems subject to constant evolution;
- structure folded in a hierarchy system.
According to L. N. Gumilyov, there are three types of ethnic systems:
- Superethnos is the largest species, which consists of a set of ethnic groups. The activity of its members is driven by a worldview, which is a stereotype of their behavior and determines the attitude of these people to life in its main issues.
- Ethnos is a system that is lower in the hierarchy than superethnos. In everyday life, it has the name "people". Its members have stereotypical behavior, which is based on a connection with the place of development of this group, this concept includes: religion, language, economic and political structure.
- Consortia is a type of ethnos that has a strong connection with its place of residence, people from this group are in close relationships due to a common life or destiny.
As a rule, the higher the ethnic system in the hierarchy, the longer the period of its existence. So, the consortium very often breaks up during the lifetime of its founders.
Passionarity
Passionarity is the excess energy of living matter, which has a biochemical nature. It is an impetus that generates sacrifice, which is most often aimed at achieving lofty goals. This term also refers to an internal desire to carry out any kind of activity aimed at changing one's destiny or improving the surrounding world. Representatives of passionarity perceive this goal more important than their own happiness and life, and this activity is of more value to them than the interests of their compatriots and contemporaries. The concept of indifference is alien to this group, but it should be understood that the dominant does not necessarily act with good goals. So, under the influence of biochemical energy, not only feats, but also crimes, as well as aspirations, can be directed both for the good and for destruction. Owing to passionarity, a person does not become a hero and leader of a crowd, but only enters into its composition. Thus, the excitement of the collective in any era of the ethnic group is determined.
According to Lev Nikolaevich, passionarity is also inherited features of a person, which are responsible for his ability to super-efforts or to super-tension. The author of the theory believed that this phenomenon has a psychological explanation and that cosmic radiation affects the degree of passionarity.
The arguments of L. N. Gumilyov on this topic in the work "The End and the Beginning":
What is the nature of this radiation? Here we can only build hypotheses. There are two of them. The first is about the possible connection of passionate shocks with the long-term variation in solar activity discovered by D. Eddy. The second hypothesis is about a possible connection with supernova explosions.
In his works, L. N. Gumilev says that the socio-historical phenomenon can be characterized by the appearance in a limited sphere of a large number of passionaries (people with increased activity). There is also a measure of this biochemical energy, which is calculated due to the attitude of passionaries to society.
The author of the theory examined the interaction of ethnic groups, trying to explain what causes good neighborly relations and what generates military relations. The answer to this question was ethnic complementarity.
Complementarity
Lev Nikolaevich defines the term “complementarity” as an impression independent of the individual about another person, which is the basis of further unconscious sympathy or antipathy. According to the author of the theory, this phenomenon is the main reason for establishing friendly or hostile contact between representatives of any race, which may have a different level of development and cultural ties.
Levels of Passion
In the passionary theory of ethnogenesis, there is a basic and detailed classification of the excess energy of living matter.
Basic classification of passionarity
| room | Level of passion | Sign | Description |
| 1 | Above norm | Recessive | The carrier’s behavior shows enterprise, willingness to make sacrifices of any scale for the sake of the ideal, the desire to change the world |
| 2 | Norm | Harmonious | The medium is in idyll with the environment. |
| 3 | Below normal | Sub passionary | The carrier is prone to laziness, parasitism, and he is also capable of committing treason |
Detailed classification of passionarity
Transition
| Level | Title | Explanation | Description |
| 6 | Sacrificial | Highest level | The carrier is able, without hesitation, to sacrifice his own life for the sake of achieving his goal, which coincides with the interests of ideals |
| 5 | | | The bearer has a greater desire for the ideal of victory, which is expressed in his ability to take great risks in order to achieve his goal (in this case, superiority over other passionaries), but such a person is not able to sacrifice his own life |
| 4 | Transition | | The characteristics of the medium coincide with the fifth level, but they are not of such a large scale (the desire is not for victory, but for the ideal of success) |
| 3 | Breaking | | The carrier strives for the ideal of knowledge, beauty, etc. |
| 2 | | | The internal aspiration of the wearer is based on a constant search for happiness or good luck |
| 1 | | | Carriers who seek life-saving improvement |
| 0 | Common man | Level zero | Passionary is a temperamentally quiet person who is fully adapted to the landscape |
| -1 | Subpassionaries | | Such carriers are capable of the most minor actions; they are adapted to the landscape |
| -2 | Subpassionaries | | Passionaries who are not capable of any actions or changes; gradually they are destroyed or replaced by the townsfolk |
L. N. Gumilev repeatedly drew attention to the fact that passionarity does not correlate with the abilities of the individual, and called the passionaries “people of long will”. There may be a smart layman and a rather stupid “scientist”, a strong-willed sub-passionary and a weak-willed “altar”, as well as the other way around; all this does not exclude and does not imply each other.
Forms of Ethnic Contacts
These are the ways in which ethnic groups interact. They determine the level of passionarity and complementarity. There are three types of them, more about them will be discussed below.
Symbiosis
This is such a system in which each ethnic group occupies its own specific territory and landscape. Symbiosis suggests that the passionaries of each group are isolated from each other, so they retain their national characteristics. With this form of ethnic contacts, nations interact with each other, enriching themselves.
Kseniya
This is the so-called "guest". One who does not live in his ethnic system. The main condition for the carrier to obtain such a status is isolation from the "owners".
Chimera
This is a "guest" without isolation from the "host". Most often, participants in the chimera are two superethnos that have negative complementarity with respect to each other. This leads to bloodshed and destruction, which will lead to the death of one of the ethnic groups or immediately to the destruction of two systems.
Ethnic Antisystems
If we describe the passionary theory of ethnogenesis in simple terms, then it should be said that there is an ethnic antisystem that is determined by a group of people who are interconnected by their negative worldview. They treat the world in a special way, striving to simplify systems and their connections.
Passion shocks
Lev Nikolaevich believed that mass mutations periodically occur in the world caused by cosmic forces, which entail an increase in the level of passionarity. He introduces the term "passionate jerks" for this phenomenon.
The historian-ethnologist suggests that their duration is several years. Mass mutations occur, in his opinion, along geodesic lines that are several thousand kilometers long.
L. N. Gumilev writes that this process causes the simultaneous emergence of new passionary populations in different corners of the Earth. The epicenters of passionate jerks are located in places that can be determined using a stretched thread on the globe, if it is in a plane passing through the center of our planet. Lev Nikolaevich considered possible the connection of mass mutations with periodic strong radiation from formations located along the edge of the solar disk.
Critique of the Passionary Theory of Ethnogenesis
After the theory of Lev Nikolaevich was published in a series of scientific journals, it was criticized by the scientific community. His colleagues, well-known scientists and historians, felt that she deserved strong condemnation, since they did not, in their opinion, rely on a sufficient number of arguments. They came to the decision that to draw private conclusions, starting from unreasonable ideas, is a sign of incompetence and unprofessionalism of the author. So, A. L. Yanov openly declared:
The absence of an objective criterion for the novelty of an ethnos not only makes the Gumilyov hypothesis incompatible with the requirements of natural science, but also generally takes it beyond the boundaries of science, turning it into an easy prey for "patriotic" voluntarism.
Critics point out the main weak points of Lev Nikolaevich Gumilyov in the passionate theory of ethnogenesis in the journal Skeptic. They argue that he does not support his ideas with facts, relying only on "observations of ethnologists", while refusing to give an example of specific empirical conclusions made by them.
Some public figures accuse Lev Nikolayevich of veiled anti-Semitic views, reinforcing their suspicions with Gumilyov’s words about Jews:
Penetrating into an alien ethnic environment, {they} begin to deform it. Unable to lead a full life in an unusual landscape for them, the aliens begin to relate to it in a consumer way. Simply put - to live at his expense. By establishing their system of relationships, they forcibly impose it on the natives and practically turn them into an oppressed majority.
L.N. Gumilyov is now called one of the predecessors of folk history. This term defines literary journalistic works and ideological theoretical concepts written on a historical topic, which claim to be called "scientific", but in fact they are not; they are usually written by lay people.
This article briefly examines the passionary theory of ethnogenesis. How to relate to this work, whether to believe it or to question it, is up to everyone to decide.