Bakhtin, Kant and Neo-Kantianism –On the Context of the Early Bakhtinian Thought in the Intellectual History

It is well known that early Bakhtinian thought was deeply influenced by Kant, especially Neo-Kantianism which prevailed in the beginning of 20-th century in Europe. Bakhtin was all aware of Neo-Kantianists philosophy through Matvei Kagan, a friend of Bakhtin circle who studied in Marburg. But it was Kant that appeared as Bakhtins real rival in his genesis of thought, because Bakhtins Philosophy of act and other early essays actually oriented to the ethical problematics of Kant. I think this kind of research belongs to the study of the intellectual history. This article aims to show the intellectual contexts between early Baktin and Kant, Neo-Kantianism. I tried to inquire the unspoken context of Bakhtins first essay Art and Answerability in which Bakhtin declared the unity between Life and Ethics in Modern world. In this regard, Bakhtin is thoroughly counted as an epigonen of the Kantian philosophical problematics, because Kant was the very man who justified the division of the Modern cultural areas. The later development of Bakhtinian thought was characterized as a kind of answer to the Kants problems, including the period of the Philosophical Aesthetics in 1920-s. In result, Individuality(Lichnost) and Answerability were the key concepts in this phase of young Bakhtin