The Series of Lectures focused on the topic "The Future of Europe", that was organized by the Europe Commettee chaired by Silvana Sciarra, has just ended at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei with the lecture of Massimo Cacciari, who addressed the complex topic of historical and cultural relations between the European peninsula and the Russian continent. The lectures are part of the preparatory process leading up to the international conference scheduled for 2027.
In his analysis, Cacciari explored the historical roots of Western Russophobia, tracing its key moments from the Napoleonic era to the writings of Astolphe de Custine, whose 1839 work crystallized the image of Russia as an anti-civilization and an insurmountable barrier to Europe. The philosopher highlighted how this perception has been fueled by various currents of European thought, from liberal to reactionary, often based on stereotypes and a profound ignorance of the Russian soul. The core of his reflection focused on the need to overcome mutual hostility through the rediscovery of great Russian culture, featuring authors such as Tyutchev, Soloviev, and Dostoevsky. Cacciari invoked the metaphor of Eastern and Western Christianity as the two lungs of a single organism, arguing that the impossibility of coordinated breathing foreshadows the decline and possible suicide of the European project. Dialogue with Russia is not an ideological option