could not research and which we can now reject as an 

 entirely useless product of imagination, but only as 

 a material which is a definite cause of these 

 manifestations . 77 



Formulating a materialistic ideology free from any 

 compromises, Diadkovskii approached idealism in its several 

 forms. He objected to Erasmus Darwin's animism and Schel ling's 

 philosophy of the general animation of nature, and to their 

 dualism. Considering that his statement came at the time of 

 the "Treaty of the Holy Alliance," his own words should be 

 reproduced. 



There is no . . . need to agree with Darwin^ to 

 animate matter with such a life spirit, or, following 

 transcendental philosophy, to reanimate it with the 

 idea of universal life, or to divide it into objective 

 and subjective parts. ^9 as matter [51] is, in our 

 opinion, alive, matter contains in itself the 

 beginning and the basis of all its actions? matter 

 itself acquires the capability of all those actions 

 which we observe in it, because it is not homogeneous 

 but variable. And, particularly from this variation 

 of its properties, we can explain the different 

 manifestations of affinity and striving, the different 

 types of hardness, viscosity, and heaviness of the 

 material, and also the differences between the kingdoms 

 of nature. These are the differences between individual 

 classes, genera and species in relation to their method 

 of birth or development, construction, conditions of 

 life, properties, etc. We explain the main difference 

 between individual organic bodies and their organs in 

 relation to their structure and properties. 80 



77. Lebedev ed., p. 176. 



78. Present in the opinion of Erasmus Darwin. 



79. Diadkovskii referred to Vellanskii's BIOLOGICAL 

 INVESTIGATIONS OF NATURE IN ITS CREATING AND 

 CREATED QUALITIES (1812). K. Lebedev omitted to 

 mention that Diadkovskii ' s objection to the national 

 Schellingians do not appear to be addressed to anybody 

 in particular. 



80. Lebedev ed., p. 176. 



197 



