Abstract
<jats:p>The research aims to identify the evaluations of the phenomenon of pride within F. M. Dostoevsky’s worldview, as presented in his novel “Demons”. The scientific originality of the study lies in its attempt to develop a comprehensive and multidimensional philosophical and religious approach based on an authorial synthesis of the philological, historical, and theological aspects of the words and concepts “pride” (Rus. “гордость”) and “hubris” (Rus. “гордыня”). In Russian culture, these terms are typically distinguished, yet the author of the novel could not only draw them closer but even equate them. Further originality is found in the interpretation of the novel’s title, which is viewed in a symbolic sense; since pride – treated in church theology as one of the Christian passions – can also be interpreted as possessing a “demonic” nature in terms of folk Orthodoxy. The study establishes that a synthesis of alternative interpretations of pride is essential, including the philosophical representation of it as a natural manifestation of the human self, which, however, carries the potential for dangerous and destructive threats to both the individual and society.</jats:p>