On June 22, the Library on Gazetny hosted a presentation of the new book by Boris Guryevich Kapustin, one of Russia’s leading contemporary political philosophers and the founder and first dean of the Faculty of Political Science at Shaninka. Realism and Utopianism: The Case of Machiavelli, recently published by Gaidar Institute Press, sparked keen interest among both the professional community and the general public.
The discussion centered on the metamorphoses of the concepts of utopia, realism, and morality in the context of rethinking Machiavelli’s legacy and contemporary political theory. Boris Kapustin emphasizes that his work is not just another exegesis of the Florentine thinker’s writings, but rather aims to introduce and test the concepts of “performative utopia,” “utopian realism,” and “political ontology of morality.” According to the author, Machiavelli’s legacy remains an inexhaustible resource and a powerful stimulus for reflection on these topics.
Leading experts took part in the discussion: Boris Kapustin (Doctor of Sciences (Phylosophy), professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics), Irina Dudenkova (Candidate of Sciences (Philosophy), dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Shaninka, editor-in-chief of the journal Puti Rossii), Ilya Inshakov (Candidate of Political Sciences, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, NRU HSE), and Artem Zemtsov (Candidate of Political Sciences, member of the editorial board of the journal Puti Rossii).
The event took the form of a lively discussion: attendees raised numerous questions regarding both the theoretical aspects and the practical application of the book in today’s political reality. The author and panelists thanked the audience for their interest and substantive feedback. The book was in high demand: attendees purchased copies immediately following the event.