of man and animals, he concluded; "We do not underestimate 

 man if we say that beasts have the capability of reflecting 

 or meditating; and there is not in man any inclination or 

 any virtue which we do not find in animals. "18 For Radishchev, 

 man's mental activity did not constitute any difficulty when 

 compared with animal behavior because he held a materialistic 

 view about the unity of body and mental features, based on 

 the view that the appearance of spiritual activities represent 

 the functions of the brain. ^ 



Using Bonnet's idea about the graduation of creatures 

 and materialism, Radishchev rejected the preformation idea 

 of the Swiss naturalist and joined the epigenetic opinion 

 about individual development which had been established by 

 the Petersburg academician K. F. Wolff. 



The basic philosophical question about the nature of man 

 and his mental (spiritual) activities Radishchev proposed 

 solving through the study of human development. "Previously 

 (as though a certain new prophet) I said that man will be or 

 could be present before birth .... Where were you until 

 your organs were formed; before you reached daylight?"20 



Man is conceived in the uterus of woman. This is the 

 essential event. He is conceived in the uterus of the 

 wife; in it he grows, and ripens in nine months in 

 the uterus of the mother, goes out to light provided 

 with his organs of sensation, action and thinking, 

 which can improve gradually? this is known to everyone. 

 But before birth the embryo is formed, grows, improves; 

 there is a secret motivation. Our curiosity to know 

 this secret is satisfied by the possibility that we 

 can see how gradually the animal grows after its 

 conception. The happy coincidence was that, by 

 unquenchable curiosity, the observations were 

 scientific. In Russia we have a wonderful collection 

 of embryos from almost the first day of conception 



18. Ibid ., p. 48. 



19. Ibid ., pp. 88, 89. 



20. IfaLd., pp. 39 - 40. 



137 



