The Heart of the Matter
Ilyenkov, Vygotsky and the Courage of Thought
A groundbreaking examination of the life and work of two of the Soviet psychology's most important thinkers.
The Heart of the Matter explores the legacies of Ilyenkov and Vygotsky, two Russian theorists who marshaled their passion for truth, enlightenment and independent thought to understand the human mind, not for the sake of knowledge alone, but to help create the conditions in which human flourishing can become a reality for all. Bakhurst renders their theories intelligible against the dramatic social and historical background in which they lived and worked, bringing their ideas into dialogue with themes and thinkers in Western philosophy to reveal how they illuminate philosophical issues of enduring significance.
David Bakhurst is George Whalley Distinguished University Professor at Queen's University, Canada. His writings include Consciousness and Revolution in Soviet Philosophy and The Formation of Reason. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
