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286 a profession, or an opportunity for the display of academic learning, but was an attempt to understand life and to solve the problems of life. Congenial minds have endeavoured to clarify even his mysticism epistemologically (S. Trubeckoi). Critical historians of Russian philosophy have raised a memorial of their friendship and appreciation in the form of detailed criticism (E. Radlov), I will merely add the opinion of a personal friend and associate of Solov'ev, to whose judgment I attach importance because he is himself an academic philosopher, a professor. Professor Lopatin of Moscow wrote: "He was the first among us Russians to undertake a direct investigation of the problems or objects of philosophy, the first who was not content to discuss the opinions of western philosophers concerning these problems. Thus it was that he became the first Russian philosopher."

Solov'ev lamented that he had no school, no successors.