Out of the Cemetery of the Earth, a Resurrective Commons

Abstract

Nikolai Fedorov (1829–1903) is an eccentric figure without parallel in the domain of modern thought. His intellectual vision, elaborated across a number of essays and the sprawling unpublished magnum opus written from the 1870s to the 1890s, The Question of Fraternity, attempted a novel theorization of the trajectory, meaning, and telos of the human species through the fulcrum of resurrection.1 For this unorthodox Russian Orthodox thinker, resurrection was neither a transcendent object of faith nor something merely hoped for, but rather the collective duty of the living to the dead that was to be materially realized in what he termed “the common task.” In dialogue with the major Russian figures of the time as well as with the central tendencies in nineteenth-century European social, philosophical, and scientific thought, Fedorov articulated the common task of resurrection as a “cosmogonic epic” (I/263) that refused to accept death as a natural and historical destiny for humanity. The resulting theoretical framework was uniquely cosmic in scope and made Fedorov the progenitor of what came to be known as Russian Cosmism (Young 2012). More recently, it has made him a minor though recurring genealogical reference in debates around questions of techno-futurism, immortality, active evolution, and geo-engineering.2The speculative dimension of Fedorov's project has garnered the most sustained theoretical interest, but this speculative dimension develops out of a determinate critical diagnosis of the fundamental operations of Western modernity. Reconstructing the elements that make up the diagnostic tendency of Fedorov's project, and then recentering his project around them, allows for the speculative and cosmic elements of his thought to be properly understood. As a result, his project is revealed to be a thinking and acting out of an intimacy with death and with the earth, a thinking and acting grounded in a delegitimating refusal of the colonial, biopolitical, and capitalist foundations of modernity. Only with the delineation of the critical as the internal drive for the cosmically speculative is Fedorov's difference from dominant modes of eco- and geo-constructivist thought sufficiently retained.3 Our essay pursues this line of thinking to show the decisive significance of Fedorov's critical project, incubated on the margins of Western modernity, for two dominant lines of critical theory—those associated most closely with the names of Karl Marx and Michel Foucault. It does so by reconstructing Fedorov's refusal of the modern biopolitical paradigm, his expansion of the analytics of expropriation, his ambitious reconfiguration of the cartographical imaginary of collective life around the cemetery and the commune, and finally his speculative rewriting of the liturgy as the material enactment of the common task.Ranging across the entire history of the human species and expanding it projectively into a cosmic future, Fedorov's Question of Fraternity nevertheless arises out of a historically specific conjuncture. The determining events that frame its wide-ranging meditations are the great droughts and famines occurring as “the nineteenth century approaches its unhappy and gloomy end” (I/60). The famines and mass death caused by the droughts—the effects of which were exponentially intensified by the and capitalist that the for Fedorov the to through a the of as a but an of Western as the of death on a in historical of the nineteenth the of events has by the of has the the by the droughts and famines of and be as for the that is the from which Fedorov's speculative thought mass death on a out of a intensified by capitalist and The of death in which thought and so that Fedorov the in its as a cemetery by natural and human a that the fundamental and of his thought around death as what is in common and around resurrection as the common Fedorov be as a novel as has by as the modern biopolitical in and his project to theoretical to the It does to In to modern biopolitical it does up life the human species as an object of in to for its as Fedorov be to up as a he does so by of a The species what it is from the of the dead and through of the living to and death through of and modern the of death the by in to the of the of the nineteenth in life and in to death and the frame of the of death is in the of and the of modernity, of life of the human are to the in of diagnosis of the of this of into the of life for the of the the of Fedorov's refusal of the biopolitical Fedorov that the expansion of is an of the biopolitical of to the of the living and make it an object of this its fundamental its and its the biopolitical on the Fedorov the of the dead as the project and common task of task that by modernity. The is to thought and with the with the on the and its history It is an for a thought that to the across the of history and the of the for the of the for is the of of It is the of its from the from the of by the of for the of an in the and as a of as the of the the and the the As the of a it and and and the of In the with the and its the of for on the living the of the death is as the historical that the of the living is a of that the in which are for the of with “the of to the of as a is the of Fedorov's it in to the human task in the of in out of an Fedorov as an and biopolitical life as an object of but of and this to in as a to in an as the of living the specific of Fedorov's project as and from of and as the of the to the of As the biopolitical of Fedorov's project is as it to his refusal to the it is as show in the of the of the in the project of the common the fundamental does for in the of the transcendent on the of life It rather in the of as and which is intensified and in into of the of Fedorov's project of and as the of and that is intensified and in the of with with evolution, is from and to human In his thought is to the that it the of that with the nineteenth-century that and as of and the figure of as of the human is by the that the the be for Fedorov without the of the the of is then a of an of life that be from the on it by the transcendent it is in a of which by of and in a and to what is The of life is and the of the and to be what it is with the of the the life and arises as a of the that the of as and this Fedorov a that be that of the and the the of the and the of the is Fedorov in a a the common task as in by into through it with the natural and are Fedorov's an that his refusal of its nineteenth-century and his of the and the through the of death and Fedorov's thought and project from an intimacy with the dead and with the as what is in common as from a the entire the of life and the of the The of and is neither nor nor but the the project of resurrection arises out of this diagnosis of the of the living as the and of from to the is closely to his critical of with and in the “the of the of the The of the the of the capitalist a from the of this Fedorov's is from the of the great mass of the from the from the of and from the of this and of the mass of the the of Fedorov a in of the of the to the of of the from the the of a from and the he “the of the and of are with the expansion of into the which in Fedorov's time was on a mass in The is a in the of an the of the of the and in the of Fedorov's Question of It does so Fedorov to the of the in the in by Marx the of Fedorov a be as from of the of of of but from the of The fundamental is expropriation, but the of from the of of the to the material to the a and of an from the dead resulting in a of and The effects of are in on the of object of thought, and object of of the material out of which to thought as well as the of the object which his thought and his be the is to a a for the of and to be the for the and theoretical of “the of the material of death in the of the living as and from the dead and the as a result, the the as what is in death as what is in a the fundamental of the Fedorov a though he does it the of the common but a expansion its for in his essay Fedorov the the of and up by the of death and life natural a object the of for and the is in modernity, which the of and the most to the the living but to the biopolitical that the living and the Fedorov's is but it on the that by the of in its on its by the its of as a of Fedorov is to that and the of into as the of and the enactment of the common he nevertheless that the be without the the living from the as is is but be through great then be out of the The resulting is and that the life and does on but the and In this rather the of the by the of the that a of collective Fedorov the most a that to the dead and the of the human species through an enactment of a the frame of and the of and that of life and is to the of what is to be The task be merely in of but as the common task of and the Only this rather the merely of of of to in the of in of the as and As Fedorov is to a that make without and “the of the is that it and in the then this the to capitalist in the in the project of common which the be out of an to death in common across the the has resulting from the of and For the common Western by the the and the in common and are and as a common its be by the which that in the has for the The common task has and be out of the material of the is to a an of the of and most through the life is to and be as of is made by the expansion of Western in what has as the The common task of in to the modern of elaborated by which for the of death the of that the and and a of and In refusal of the common task be realized by death as the in of thought and in to the Fedorov modern of the common as as the frame of the most modern of collective for Fedorov the common task as merely in be as a of the with the a of a that the of to the dead in of the the living in the of and that and the Fedorov the fundamental and the of as the the living and the the of the human and is an The does to is so to and it and from Fedorov's diagnosis is the of the biopolitical and the The names the of the of the and are on a of death is the on which the of the is that is in and The the to the that materially and the and and and theoretical and of in the of that the of that the living to the a that the modern as and and the as for and as the of In the of the dead and is intensified through to the of and on a The two to the of the modern which the and the of are from to the and to the as to up the on which it is and to the and the a by it by the to the to the as is in Fedorov's of of the and on which of is by the in the on a the of and and the dead on an its on of the cemetery of the with of that and the common task out of that are common to and that to that in intimacy with the of history in the cemetery of the Fedorov's of the common task a of collective life for that Fedorov a of collective life and a of its its central the material of the the cemetery In line with the critical diagnosis of in the Fedorov's with of collective life from his to the of and the of in the as as of neither its history nor its to the of its and of death in the dominant imaginary of with his speculative Fedorov be as a of In the and of and around the cemetery as the of the of the to the common of collective life through but around a of the In Fedorov's out of with modern and with a that is as speculative as it is that and to a collective life to the of and to the of and biopolitical to the modern the and the The is an it is with Fedorov of his as that the and the a novel a imaginary of the of collective to be the for the of the dead that across the history of the cemetery is to be into a of for The living with the to them, but to the of that has the life of the living around the cemetery is to to the line of the living and the through the enactment of a a of the living and the from the of for the of in the task In modernity, the cemetery has into a of a for what is to be in the of of the living from the the cemetery from the Fedorov the of this be a of and of in does of a tendency a be the cemetery merely a of to to to is it is into a for the enactment of the common and the of the of a the to collective life around the cemetery As on life in the in the the and and in the the are from the the are in the in the in death in and Fedorov this of the of the dead and the by life and and for a of the of collective life that a from the the is an to the it is a but rather a of a novel of that be were in a speculative imaginary that the speculative imaginary the domain of life and of and the for collective thought and out of the as the of the of the and projectively into the is made in the Fedorov to the to the and life by his a to the a refusal of and Fedorov a to the of the in which the to the of life and of the of life which is what life and is merely a of but a of collective with theoretical and around questions of life and arises out of an rather out of an from the to the to the be by and death in The of the of the of so as to it a cosmic of the and the to be in elements of the and of the a of what has the of modernity. the as to be the in In this what that in which are of and as was the in The does but of and a the in the of and the an is to that and and speculative of collective life on the refusal to the the living and the on the of the dead the of thought and that it is to the of and the as of what death as from this fundamental The of “the of of a for the and the and a to the of the that in and to the of it into a of the that the of and the cemetery that the to the be from its to and the which are on the from the and the of the it the the by modernity, the living and the that the common of the living and the in to and the of in this to “the that with “the of thought and For the common task theoretical into the domain of as in the but as a to common and Only in this a of the a to the cemetery and to the neither a to nor the of the of The of the theoretical and the a reconfiguration of the central Fedorov to an and to The as well as and Fedorov for the project of the in common to be as be around the for the and for the does the that it rather up the cosmic the common task of resurrection and cosmic are to be be from the and biopolitical of modernity. Fedorov does the to be of scientific and he the fundamental in modern to to to its with and to the of and from with the The of the common task as a project the of the intellectual and of the from the is as thought The resulting collective the of the that is common to in to of of the the the and the as the the is to the for a of and for the in to on of of and the for the of the living to the to the of to common the to in the modern are in a of of collective in which for and be from as of in an of that history has with the common task it as resurrection and a of the of history are the living but the this history to be the that in its the of a of the on which the of history is and in the common task of the cemetery the of Fedorov's speculative reconfiguration of the of collective its a the The the cemetery is a out of which a to the be that Fedorov as “the to to the and life in common The of “the is in but from by in its is neither merely the of its nor a to an in the of by nor an to a of a historical In Fedorov's thought, the a and It names an with the of and something that has It an in and a out of which an to operations of expropriation, and be and made as the of the and the the scientific and the the has and be with the historical it something something that be and in the common task of the of the and the as the that history has to and with and from Fedorov's thinking of the is a and of what a of the living and the dead that with natural and historical by of thinking and acting out of the of the In this the of the historical the and the in the of the of the decisive is that it an a of and of the material and the of material out of which to the of and a of the common task as out of the the expansion of In the a in which the in is a material on which the of in his to the as the from which a to be The Russian as of the “the of a and In a articulated in by Nikolai Marx that the to be as of a from to to with the of modern from its to the of it the something with the be It is this that Fedorov with the with the historically from a project for which the of be the is in be by the this is so the an of the and of the material are nevertheless in collective of as for a by Fedorov on the of a cosmic and be as of this and as of capitalist is a to Marx and is a of the significance of into the the of Only a commune, Fedorov for the in by of a for a without with the of which “the of the be and into the and of the as the the Fedorov is to droughts and this a and from the of and Fedorov on to be a of the it with its of it to into a of the the of the of make that Fedorov on Russian life and its he does in but to Western the of Western and an the and the for the The of the and the of Fedorov's thought (Young from the of to Fedorov's refusal of of an of of the that up the and the for a future, Fedorov's thought to from death as what is in common and as what allows for the of the in the of the common is Fedorov that the common task has but that “the common task is it was with the In to the of the of from death and as what is by from the that into the of and into the of and as nineteenth-century natural and of history them, be to the of Fedorov's entire of the this Fedorov's of the as a a refusal of and of the and on a collective life in a novel around the cemetery and the a out of the the names the of the the of the living from the dead and from the of the the the of the human on is and In this the names the for the and of the of the Fedorov to the by and out of which his thought it a of questions that into a with the expansion of capitalist and the of the of of the is the is As Fedorov of and then it into the of a of of of the “the and the in the the the of and More the be to the modern of the of the human from the to Fedorov's of with the and the from of is and into a for and and the and to the in the of and its The as but its is a by in with that as the and of the biopolitical of in the of the nineteenth century a for questions be through the and of biopolitical operations of and through biopolitical that and the living as its object For and that of of into and operations the the living and the the of and the of and a to the the an of the to the of and the of the of the resurrection of the that a major of in “the of and the that from the of the death and and of and of life and in Fedorov's from the fundamental and death from the the of as and the of the in and the and of In to of the of the human by it from the Fedorov's with the resurrection of human an material of the and cosmic for as the of the “the of to to Fedorov's into a of in which a of the and materially with the of the it as its Fedorov's cosmic arises out of his fundamental with and death in common and his of the of and capitalist modernity. is in his that specific the of the of and the for the of the the of of the and the cosmic through the common task of resurrection the of that with of theoretical and to to the that to the of the and into In to the common the the in which collective and scientific is an of a of is this in the that Fedorov as an but as of the of as the enactment of the common Fedorov the of and of its significance and its in the task of in the liturgy in a imaginary on and but are by Fedorov to a speculative The of be and and occurring in the into a Fedorov's is and as of without this as of to it into to it in the common task by of a and a collective life to the of resurrection be to the of the of and which are of it what is to be in the project of the common task out of what is and in common death and the a parallel speculative liturgy to in Fedorov the of the common the in the Russian Orthodox in the has a liturgy the common task it is to the In the an of

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 22 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.