Issue of Moral Justification in I. A. Ilyin’s Work “On Resistance to Evil by Force”

The aim of the study is to shed light on the issue of justification in I. A. Ilyin’s work “On Resistance to Evil by Force” in the light of criticism written by the Russian philosopher’s contemporaries and his polemic with L. N. Tolstoy. The paper shows that I. A. Ilyin sees the way to the well-being and greatness of the homeland through spiritual and moral revival, through the planting of good moral foundations based on the centuries-old Russian cultural and religious tradition. Scientific novelty of the study lies in determining the place that I. A. Ilyin’s moral approach occupies with regard to the relevance of the moral justification concept in modern Russian historical and philosophical science. As a result of the study, it has been found that the philosopher’s approach to solving moral antinomy was formed in response to his concerns about Russia’s future. I. A. Ilyin puts forward morally acceptable ways of fighting evil in the world, talks about the permissibility of fighting evil by way of physical resistance.