Fragmentation as a Generational Strategy

The article represents the authors reflection on the key features of the philosophical generation that was formed in the Russian-speaking space in the 10s of the 20th century. The author believes that a relevant theoretical lens for considering the specifics that distinguish young people who began their journey in philosophy during these years could be an appeal to the sociological typology of generations. According to the authoritative sociologist Vadim Radaev, the designated philosophical generation belongs to the “millennials.” The key characteristics that distinguish these young people include isolation, passion for gadgets and everyday digitalization, lack of desire to build a career, and inability to integrate into large hierarchical structures. Based on his personal experience, presented in the form of brief notes on key topics shaping the intellectual generation – magazines, people, books, places – the author invites the reader to consider some circumstances of his personal intellectual biography that could serve as evidence confirming the hypothesis. Without hoping to be able to “capture” the essence of his generation, the author hopes that his memories may be useful for subsequent comparative analysis.