The one returns to itself: “The dialectical construction of multiplicity” and the mathematical mysticism of V.N. Muravyov. Appendix. V.N. Muravyov. The dialectical construction of multiplicity (ed. and comments by A.M. Kuksyuk)
Alexey Kuksyuk
Philosophy Journal December 2, 2025 DOI: 10.21146/2072-0726-2025-18-4-184-204 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key points | Argues that Muravyov's philosophy of mathematics, centered on the dialectical construction of plurality, represents a significant contribution to Russian thought, with numbers serving as the basis of both thinking and being. |
Abstract
The article focuses on the exploration of the under-researched area of the philosophy of mathematics, as presented by Valerian Nikolaevich Muravyov (1885–1930). The article focuses on concepts related to set theory, Pythagoreanism, and mathematical mysticism, with a particular emphasis on Muravyov’s concept of dialectical construction of plurality. Muravyov developed this concept based on the ideas of Pythagoreans, Neoplatonists, Leibniz, and Cantor. The article explores questions about the nature of numbers and their relationship to the dialectics of the one and the many within Muravyov’s work. For Muravyov, numbers are not just abstractions or bare schemes assumed by reason. Instead, they are the basis of both thinking and being, and they represent unity as a set that includes all subsets. This leads to paradoxical conclusions about the identity of elements within a set and the set itself. The article also discusses the influence of Georg Cantor’s set theory on Muravyov’s philosophy, including his desire to create a new logical system to resolve paradoxes within naive set theory. It emphasizes that Muravyov’s work represents an important contribution to Russian philosophy of mathematics and analyzes a number of archive materials from the philosopher. The chapter “The Arithmetical Grounds” from his work “Formation of Plurality” is published for the first time in this article.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |