What is harmony in human life. What is harmony

Harmony? Have we lost this concept in the frantic pace of modern life? And what to do if you lose it?

Harmony lives in everything - art, pure faith, nature. It initially lives within us. Harmony is in truth, harmony is truth itself.

The words of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, known to us from childhood, come to mind: “Everything in a person should be beautiful: face, clothes, soul, and thoughts...”. And their true meaning is not as simple as it seems, and it is not as complicated for a wise person who knows how to live in peace with himself and in harmony with the creatures around him.

The ancient thinkers already knew that there is harmony in life. How many meanings and shades this word has! A truly harmonious person is one who is able not only to look, but also to see and feel the bottomless sky and stars, to rejoice in the quiet beauty of sunrises and sunsets, to observe the life of a newly blossoming flower and a moth landing on it. What happiness it turns out to be - to dissolve in all this splendor, to become part of it!

But for some reason we have forgotten how to be surprised at such things as life and death, day and night, spring and autumn. Of course, science has long provided explanations for all these phenomena. But their deep meaning is revealed only to those who really want it and are ready to accept it.

We take life for granted, and often don’t think in the hustle and bustle of everyday problems that we need to slow down and just listen to the quiet rustling of leaves and the chirping of grasshoppers in the grass. People, why are you so blind and deaf?!

And yet not everyone is so hopeless. Children know exactly what harmony is.
The word itself may not be familiar to them, but its meaning is absolutely clear. They live in harmony with themselves and their feelings, they know how to enjoy seemingly simple things. How much delight (quiet or loud) a simple insect gives them, hurrying about its insect business. Where, tell me, does all this disappear with age and why does it so rarely stay with us for the rest of our lives? After all, then this life would definitely be the happiest!

What is a whole world of bright colors, this is a quiet summer child's smile, this is life itself, in the end. The word “harmony” includes everything that gives peace of mind - a volume of Shmelev in the shade of an old tree, the sound of rain walking on the roofs, the subtle aromas of May and the bright sadness of September... The hand of a grandmother in the hand of a grandfather is also harmony. The opportunity to sit all evening on the rickety roof of a barn, swim and enjoy the rays of the hot sun, watch how funny a week-old puppy rolls from side to side... Harmony spreads throughout the body from one touch to a small hungry kitten, from the mere thought that you saved him for no one unnecessary life, fed and warmed this helpless ball of fur. Life gives us true pleasure for our kindness, because what faith and love this little lump will reward us with later!

There is no need to hide your face from the rain, otherwise you will never know what harmony with nature is. Without knowing the warmth of your beloved hands, you will not know the harmony of love. Without helping those who need it, you will not feel harmony with yourself. Without loving those who gave you life, you will not become a person and you will not understand what it means to become a real parent. And this is perhaps the most terrible punishment of the Lord.

And let these arguments resemble the romantic delirium of a teenage schoolboy from the outback. Let be. Harmony also lies in not thinking about such trifles. Only we ourselves can give ourselves freedom of spirit. Give warmth and kindness to the world around you, and it will repay you in kind!

from Greek harmonia - connection, harmony, proportionality) - proportionality of parts, the merging of various components of an object into a single organic whole, as well as consonance, agreement, in aesthetics as an essential characteristic of beauty. In the philosophy of Pythagoras - the organization of the cosmos, as opposed to chaos.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

HARMONY

from Greek ??????? - connection, harmony, proportionality of parts) - a category reflecting the natural nature of the development of reality, internal. and external consistency, integrity and proportionality of the content and form of the aesthetic. object. In the history of philosophy, the category of G. has received a variety of interpretations, being associated with problems of ethics, cosmology, and epistemology. Nevertheless, all these teachings about G. were based on certain definitions. aesthetic ideals in ideas about man, nature and society. In Ancient Greece the term "G." directly contacted the person. practice. In Homer, G. means either fastenings for boards like nails or beams, or “consent,” “agreement,” “peaceful cohabitation” of people. In ancient Greek. G.'s philosophy meant the organization of the Universe, opposed to chaos. Thus, according to the Pythagorean Philolaus, “everything happened out of necessity and in accordance with harmony” (“On Rhythms and Measures”). The world, according to the Pythagoreans, is a series of hollow transparent spheres concentrically located around the Earth, to which the celestial bodies are attached. The distances between the spheres correspond to the numerical ratios of the muses. octaves (G. spheres). Heraclitus deepened the concept of “G.”, understanding it as the unity of opposites: “The warring unites, the most beautiful harmony among the divergent, and everything happens through struggle” (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, VIII 2, 1155 in 4). In Heraclitus, G. is not an external unification of disparate parts, but their internal one. unity based on an essential connection: “Hidden harmony is better than obvious” (Hippolytus, Ref., IX, 9). The Pythagorean doctrine of cosmic geology was developed by Plato in the dialogue Timaeus. In addition, he gave the concept of "G." social, moral meaning, understanding it as the totality of the virtues of a human citizen, manifested in his physical. appearance, actions, speeches and works created by him (“State” III 400 E). Aristotle viewed humanity as the unity and completeness of the whole, as unity in diversity, applying this concept to all areas of reality. He uses this concept primarily in music (Probl. XIX, 917 v17 - 923a3). Various G., i.e. different kinds of sequence of tones have, according to Aristotle, different ethical. and societies. meaning; therefore, for the education of certain societies. Aristotle recommends using specific groups. G. (Polit. VIII 7). Aristotle constantly connected his theory of imitation with rhythms and geometry (ibid., I5, 1254 a 33), but he did not limit geometry to formal mathematics. relationships, came out with a refutation of the Pythagorean theory of the soul as G. bodies (De an. I4). In antiquity G.'s aesthetics was a reflection of the immature social relations of antiquity. policy, in which societies have not yet developed sufficiently. antagonisms. In subsequent eras of G. Greek. classic The lawsuit was often perceived as an example of G. in general. Means. place concept "G." occupied in the aesthetics of the Renaissance. The search for humanity and attempts to scientifically formulate its laws were characteristic of Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer, and others. The Renaissance put forward the concept of a harmoniously, comprehensively developed person, which became the banner of humanism. The aesthetics of the Renaissance saw the foundations of sculpture in ideal plasticity. human organizations bodies, in the interpenetration of external and internal, in the coordination of parts and the whole, light and shadow, in mathematics. the accuracy of the laws of perspective, etc. Geography was considered an essential feature and even a source of beauty. According to Leonardo da Vinci, “...harmony does not develop otherwise than when a general contour embraces individual members, from which human beauty is generated” (Izbr. prod., vol. 2, M.–L., 1935, p. 76) . In the 18th century concept "G." was intensively developed by rationalist metaphysicians (Leibniz, Wolf, Baumgarten, Bijfinger, G.F. Meyer). Leibniz taught about “pre-established” G., arguing that all monads correspond to each other, and this correspondence is established by God (“Monadology”, § 51 ff.): in particular, soul and body correspond to each other (ibid., § 78) . Leibniz developed this doctrine into a whole philosophy. system, which influenced the materialists of the 18th century, for example. on Condillac (see "Treatise on Systems", M., 1938, part 2, § 5). Enlightenment materialists explained consistency in nature and in life as an objective necessity, and attributed the idea of ​​G. to the subjective fabrications of man (Holbach, System of Nature, M., 1940, part 1, chapter 5; Helvetius, God, Nature and Man, Kharkov, 1923, chapter 5; Robinet, On Nature, M., 1936, part 1, chapter 1). The aesthetics of the Enlightenment, having adopted the ancient. G.'s understanding, emphasized her education. meaning. English the philosopher Shaftesbury believes ch. The task is to educate a person harmoniously. balance of various affects. This G. is achieved not by cold-blooded reflection, but by the fullness of humanity. feelings; what is beautiful is harmonious and proportionate; what is harmonious and proportionate is true (A. A. S. Shaftsbury, Characteristics of men, manners, opinions, times, v. 1–3, 1711). The concept of "G." was widely used in the aesthetics of bourgeois classicism. enlighteners (Winckelmann, Goethe, Schiller). Kant, transferring the source of G. into man. subject, understood G. primarily as a consistency between reason and sensuality (“Critique of the Power of Judgment”). In the 19th century Hegel created the most comprehensive theory of gravity. “Harmony is... the relationship of qualitative differences and, moreover, the totality of such differences, as it finds its basis in the essence of the thing itself” (Soch., vol. 12, M., 1938, p. 143). G., according to Hegel, characterizes the external senses. certainty of the claim material. G. internal and external, man and environment, reality and fantasy is characteristic of the relatively early stages of history, for the “heroic age” and especially for Ancient Greece. According to Hegel, G. is not capable of expressing the richness of spiritual life, which carries within itself “romantic art,” i.e. claim in modern times. It gives way to collisions, which are an expression of disharmony, discord and antagonism. Recognizing the disharmony of the bourgeoisie. society, Hegel perceived it as the inevitable outcome of history, as it will end. and irretrievable loss by man and claim G. Opposing fatalistic. Hegel’s concept of the loss of art by G., Marxist-Leninist aesthetics proceeds from the fact that antagonistic. bourgeois contradictions society can be overcome through socialism. revolution and building communism - non-antagonistic. society, which ensures a free and harmonious human development. The problem of G. as an aesthetic problem. raising a comprehensively developed person. personality acquires great importance during the period of extensive construction of a communist society, which “opens up unprecedented scope for the most complete and comprehensive disclosure and identification of all creative possibilities and talents of a person” (Khrushchev N.S., On the target figures for the development of the national economy of the USSR in 1959–1965, 1959, p. 67). This creates real ground for G. in art. Rejecting the normative interpretation of G. as external consistency of parts, as conflict-free, Sov. aesthetics understands art as a reflection in art of the unity of opposites and the laws of development of reality. In the works of the socialist. G.'s realism does not contradict the dramatic. conflicts of life, but follows from the necessary revolution. their resolution and struggle owls. people for building communism. society. See Art. Ideal, Measure, Symmetry. Lit.:

Incomplete definition ↓

If we try to answer the question: what is harmony, briefly, then it is a certain external and internal balance of a person, the consistency of his heart and mind, and the balance between life goals and real actions. As a rule, there are two types of personal harmony – internal and external.

What is inner harmony

This term refers to the balance of a person’s inner world, which provides vitality and peace in the soul. Internal harmony manifests itself in the coordinated interaction of the subconscious and consciousness. People who have achieved inner harmony understand perfectly well what they want deep down in their souls. This means that an internally harmonious person’s thoughts correspond to his deepest beliefs; for him there are no accumulated negative emotions or internal contradictions. Such people have a pure consciousness that supports a balanced subconscious, as well as inner peace.

Unfortunately, this consistency does not exist in the lives of most people. And if people do something with which they do not agree deep down, they create disharmony and internal imbalance within themselves. If the mind and subconscious do not work together, then a person lives against his own truth. As a result, you can enter the realm of complete disharmony, and as a result, physical ailments.

What is external harmony

These words “hidden” a person’s balance in relationships with the world, that is, in different areas of life - relationships, work, finances, hobbies, personal and spiritual development. External harmony presupposes equal satisfaction of a person in every area of ​​life.

If you live in harmony with your own values ​​and inner beliefs, you can easily achieve peace in your soul, which will provide inner strength and the opportunity to achieve everything - success, happiness and material well-being.

Very rarely do modern people understand what harmony is, and this just means that it is necessary to live and act in accordance with both the mind and the heart. A harmonious person is aware of and believes in everything he does and understands perfectly what he wants. She not only listens to her deepest beliefs, but also improves them all the time.

Nowadays, it very rarely happens that people on their own or as a result of upbringing become completely harmonious individuals. Various spiritual techniques and practices, which have become increasingly popular over the past 50 years, help achieve this goal.

What is harmony?

Harmony is balance of feelings, emotions, physical strength and social events in a person’s life.

Positive emotions and events bring harmony to life. Negativity in any area of ​​life causes imbalance and dissatisfaction with life, which unsettles a person. It is worth thinking and rethinking some of the nuances of your life and returning to a harmonious existence.

All the answers are usually hidden in the safest place, in plain sight. But people, due to their busyness and reluctance to engage in introspection, prefer not to look for these answers, but to simply turn a blind eye to problems. But no matter how much you want to hide from troubles, you shouldn’t do this. They need to be resolved and harmony restored to life.

To do this you only need to go through three steps.

It is generally accepted that human life is divided into the following areas: home, work, family, friends, etc. In order to get to know yourself better, you need to slightly change your understanding of the spheres of human life. So, psychologists say that human life consists of four spheres:

1. Physical – this includes all the physical components of life: sports, food, sleep, sex, health.
2. Spiritual is fantasies, dreams, creativity, plans.
3. Social – contacts with people around you: friends, relatives, colleagues.
4. Material – all events in life that are related to money, work, career, hobbies.

All four spheres take part in a person’s life at home, at work, while communicating with friends, and in the family circle. For example, you can daydream at work or chat with friends in yoga class. And these are only small examples of the contact between spheres of activity, because they are constantly present in a person’s life.

Step No. 2 Counting the components of a harmonious life.

Harmony is an equivalent set of the spheres of human life described above. If there is an equal balance in these areas, then a person’s life becomes harmonious and happy.

Psychologists recommend assessing all four areas on a piece of paper as a percentage. During the assessment, you need to weigh the amount of effort spent on a particular area, the level of self-satisfaction from the results obtained in this area. Complete harmony in these calculations is equal to one hundred percent.

First, you should take a short period of time, a week or a month. And in the future, such calculations must be made once a year.

As a result, a person lives a harmonious life if the indicator of each area approaches twenty-five percent. In this way, you can clearly see in which area you need to invest more effort and energy, and where you need to slightly change your behavior strategy.

Step #3 Problem solving

After simple mathematical calculations, the result is clearly visible. And you can plan measures to improve indicators in the problematic area of ​​human life.
Actions for improvement can be varied, for example, to improve the material sphere, you can change jobs, find a part-time job, or get a license. In the physical sphere, you can take a day off and go to the bathhouse, sauna, attend massage sessions, or buy a gym membership. In the spiritual sphere, it is worth thinking about your creative development: singing, drawing, writing. Not only to dream, but also to make your dreams come true. And finally, in the social sphere, you need to devote more time to family and friends, spend time with friends or make new pleasant acquaintances.

There is no universal advice. How to improve your life and make it harmonious. It all depends on life situations and the characteristics of a person’s character.
But with a little effort and finding the cause of the imbalance, everything can be solved. You just need to not give up and look at the world through a positive prism.

Harmony is one of the forms of beauty, a concept that means the orderliness of diversity, integrity, which has the consistency of its parts and the balance of their tension.

Historical sketch

The word "harmony" is found in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

The philosophical interpretation of harmony (without the word “harmony”) among the Greeks was first noted by Heraclitus (first half of the 5th century BC):

Syllables: voiced and unvoiced [letters], consonant, dissonant, consonant, dissonant, from all - one, from one - everything.

The author of the treatise “On the World,” known as Pseudo-Aristotle (1st century BC), relying on Heraclitus, found the agreement of opposites in all natural entities, in human activities (occupations, “art”) and in the Universe itself:

Nature is attracted to opposites, and from them, and not from the like, forms a consonant (ancient Greek. τὸ σύμφωνον ). Thus, she brought a man together with a woman, and not with a same-sex creature (as well as a woman) and combined the first consent of opposite, and not similar, creatures. It seems that art (ancient Greek. τέχνη ), imitating nature, does the same. Painting, mixing white and black, yellow and red paints, creates images that match the originals. Music, by simultaneously mixing high and low, long and short sounds in different voices, creates a single harmony (ancient Greek. ἁρμονίαν ). Grammar, mixing vowels and consonants, made up the whole [verbal] art from them.<...>So the entire universe, that is, heaven and earth, and the entire cosmos as a whole, was ordered by a single harmony through a mixture of the most opposite principles.

This understanding of harmony among the Greeks became widespread - especially among the Pythagoreans (and neo-Pythagoreans). For example, in the treatise “Arithmetic” by Nicomachus of Gerasa (2nd century AD):

Harmony is always born from opposites, because harmony is the unity of multi-mixed [entities] and the agreement of discordant ones (ancient Greek. Ἁρμονία δὲ πάντως ἐξ ἐναντίων γίνεται· ἔστι γὰρ ἁρμονία πολυμιγέων ἕνωσις καὶ δίχα φρονεόντων συμφρόνησις ).

Nic. Arithm. II, 19

In Latin science, the same definition is first recorded in Boethius' Arithmetic (c. 500):

Everything that consists of opposites is connected by a certain harmony and put together with its help, because harmony is the unity of many things and the agreement of discordant things (lat. Est enim armonia plurimorum adunatio et dissentientium consensio ).

Boeth. Arithm. II, 32

In classical artistic In literature, harmony (without the word itself) was described as concordia discors(literally “dissenting agreement”) in Horace (in the Epistles, 23-20 BC) and Lucan (Civil War, 48-65 AD):

Cum tu inter scabiem tantam et contagia lucri
Nil parvum sapias et adhuc sublimia cures:
Quae mare conpescant causae, quid temperet annum,
Stellae sponte sua iussaene vagentur et errent,
Quid premat obscurum lunae, quid proferat orbem,
Quid velit et possit rerum concordia discors,
Empedocles an Stertinium deliret acumen.

Horat. Epist. I,12

Temporis angusti mansit concordia discors
Paxque fuit non sponte ducum<…>

Lucan. Bell. civ. I, vers.98-99

Since antiquity, harmony (without the word itself) has been described not only as concordia discors (discordant agreement), but also in inversion, as discordia concors (consonant disagreement), for example, in the “Astronomy” of Marcus Manilius (1st century AD). Four elements of the universe

…faciuntque deum per quattuor artus
Et mundi struxere globum prohibentque requiri
Ultra se quicquam, cum per se cuncta crearint:
Frigida nec calidis desint aut umida siccis,
Spiritus aut solidis, sitque haec discordia concors
Quae nexus habilis et opus generabile fingit
Atque omnis partus elementa capacia reddit:
Semper erit pugna ingeniis, dubiumque manebit
Quod latet et tantum supra est hominemque deumque.

Manilius. Astronomica, I.137-146

In the era of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque, harmony continued to be described by those other clichés - and how concordia discors, And How discordia concors. For example, on the frontispiece of F. Ghafuri’s treatise “Work on the Harmony of Musical Instruments” (1518), the author is depicted on the lectern, telling students the “ancient truth” about harmony, in the second (inverted) formulation: Harmonia est discordia concors(for a digital facsimile of the frontispiece, see Ghafouri's article). The same formulation in A. Banchieri’s epistolary “Harmonic Letters” (1628, p. 131) is accompanied by an engraving designed to symbolically illustrate the application of this aesthetic principle to music (see digital facsimile).

In a transformed form, the idea of ​​harmony continued to exist in the new philosophy of Shaftesbury, Kepler, Giordano Bruno, Leibniz and in German idealism. Goethe's pedagogical ideal, as he expresses it in Wilhelm Meister, was "the education of a harmoniously free humanity", the development of all valuable human faculties into perfect balance. For Goethe, nature was a large organism in which the harmony of force and boundaries, arbitrariness and law, freedom and measure, flexible order, advantages and disadvantages prevails (“Metamorphosis of Animals”, 1819).

Harmony in music

Since antiquity, musical harmony has been directly derived from the general (philosophical-aesthetic) concept of harmony - among the Greeks, see, for example, the third book of Ptolemy’s “Harmonics” (especially Chapter 3), among the Latins, for example, the first book of the fundamental work “Fundamentals of Music” » Boethius. The term “harmony” (ancient Greek. ἁρμονία ) in the Platonic-Pythagorean tradition also designated types of octave as an interval encompassing All sound-pitch differences (hence the original name of the octave - ancient Greek. διὰ πασῶν , “through everything”).

In the Middle Ages, in the famous treatise of Pseudo-Huckbald “Musica enchiriadis” (9th century), “consonant difference” (diversitas concors) is presented as a fundamental basis musical integrity of the tetrachord, the sounds of which embrace the entire variety of monodic modes (more precisely, their finals). The action of the fundamental principle in the same source also extends to the polyphony of “diaphony” (organum), which is defined as “concordant and dissonant coherence” (concentus concorditer dissonus). The definition of musical harmony as “the harmonious unification of different voices” (with variations) is another cliché in many medieval musical treatises. Another popular definition of musical harmony was given in the 7th century. Isidore of Seville: “Harmony is a proportionate movement of the voice, coordination, or coherence, of various sounds [melody].” It is characteristic that in these definitions of harmony “different/different” does not mean simultaneity of taking sounds of different pitches, i.e. the definition of musical harmony has nothing to do with texture (how many voices sound at the same time).

Europe maintained the tradition of extrapolating “ontological” harmony to musical harmony for a long time in subsequent times - throughout the Renaissance and (especially) in the Baroque era; for example, in the “Synopsis of New Music” - Johannes Lippius, in “Universal Musurgy” - A. Kircher, in “Universal Harmony” - M. Mersenne and many other musicians, philosophers, theologians and other writers.

see also

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Literature

• Shestakov V.P. Harmony as an aesthetic category. Moscow, 1973.
• Makhov A.E. Musica literaria: The idea of ​​verbal music in European poetics. M.: Intrada, 2005.
• Flotzinger R. Harmonie: um einen kulturellen Grundbegriff. Wien, 2016. ISBN 978-3-205-78556-9.

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Excerpt characterizing Harmony

On the 24th there was a battle at the Shevardinsky redoubt, on the 25th not a single shot was fired from either side, on the 26th the Battle of Borodino took place.
Why and how were the battles of Shevardin and Borodino given and accepted? Why was the Battle of Borodino fought? It didn’t make the slightest sense for either the French or the Russians. The immediate result was and should have been - for the Russians, that we were closer to the destruction of Moscow (which we feared most of all in the world), and for the French, that they were closer to the destruction of the entire army (which they also feared most of all in the world) . This result was immediately obvious, but meanwhile Napoleon gave and Kutuzov accepted this battle.
If the commanders had been guided by reasonable reasons, it seemed, how clear it should have been for Napoleon that, having gone two thousand miles and accepting a battle with the probable chance of losing a quarter of the army, he was heading for certain death; and it should have seemed just as clear to Kutuzov that by accepting the battle and also risking losing a quarter of the army, he was probably losing Moscow. For Kutuzov, this was mathematically clear, just as it is clear that if I have less than one checker in checkers and I change, I will probably lose and therefore should not change.
When the enemy has sixteen checkers, and I have fourteen, then I am only one-eighth weaker than him; and when I exchange thirteen checkers, he will be three times stronger than me.
Before the Battle of Borodino, our forces were approximately compared to the French as five to six, and after the battle as one to two, that is, before the battle one hundred thousand; one hundred and twenty, and after the battle fifty to one hundred. And at the same time, the smart and experienced Kutuzov accepted the battle. Napoleon, the brilliant commander, as he is called, gave battle, losing a quarter of the army and stretching his line even more. If they say that, having occupied Moscow, he thought how to end the campaign by occupying Vienna, then there is a lot of evidence against this. The historians of Napoleon themselves say that even from Smolensk he wanted to stop, he knew the danger of his extended position, he knew that the occupation of Moscow would not be the end of the campaign, because from Smolensk he saw the situation in which Russian cities were left to him, and did not receive a single answer to their repeated statements about their desire to negotiate.
In giving and accepting the Battle of Borodino, Kutuzov and Napoleon acted involuntarily and senselessly. And historians, under the accomplished facts, only later brought up intricate evidence of the foresight and genius of the commanders, who, of all the involuntary instruments of world events, were the most slavish and involuntary figures.
The ancients left us examples of heroic poems in which the heroes constitute the entire interest of history, and we still cannot get used to the fact that for our human time a story of this kind has no meaning.
To another question: how were the Borodino and Shevardino battles that preceded it fought? There is also a very definite and well-known, completely false idea. All historians describe the matter as follows:
The Russian army allegedly, in its retreat from Smolensk, was looking for the best position for a general battle, and such a position was allegedly found at Borodin.
The Russians allegedly strengthened this position forward, to the left of the road (from Moscow to Smolensk), at almost a right angle to it, from Borodin to Utitsa, at the very place where the battle took place.
Ahead of this position, a fortified forward post on the Shevardinsky Kurgan was supposedly set up to monitor the enemy. On the 24th Napoleon allegedly attacked the forward post and took it; On the 26th he attacked the entire Russian army standing in position on the Borodino field.
This is what the stories say, and all this is completely unfair, as anyone who wants to delve into the essence of the matter can easily see.
The Russians could not find a better position; but, on the contrary, in their retreat they passed through many positions that were better than Borodino. They did not settle on any of these positions: both because Kutuzov did not want to accept a position that was not chosen by him, and because the demand for a people’s battle had not yet been expressed strongly enough, and because Miloradovich had not yet approached with the militia, and also because other reasons that are innumerable. The fact is that the previous positions were stronger and that the Borodino position (the one on which the battle was fought) is not only not strong, but for some reason is not at all a position any more than any other place in the Russian Empire, which, if you were guessing, you could point to with a pin on the map.
The Russians not only did not strengthen the position of the Borodino field to the left at right angles to the road (that is, the place where the battle took place), but never before August 25, 1812, did they think that the battle could take place at this place. This is evidenced, firstly, by the fact that not only on the 25th there were no fortifications at this place, but that, begun on the 25th, they were not finished even on the 26th; secondly, the proof is the position of the Shevardinsky redoubt: the Shevardinsky redoubt, ahead of the position at which the battle was decided, does not make any sense. Why was this redoubt fortified stronger than all other points? And why, defending it on the 24th until late at night, all efforts were exhausted and six thousand people were lost? To observe the enemy, a Cossack patrol was enough. Thirdly, proof that the position in which the battle took place was not foreseen and that the Shevardinsky redoubt was not the forward point of this position is the fact that Barclay de Tolly and Bagration until the 25th were convinced that the Shevardinsky redoubt was the left flank of the position and that Kutuzov himself, in his report, written in the heat of the moment after the battle, calls the Shevardinsky redoubt the left flank of the position. Much later, when reports about the Battle of Borodino were being written in the open, it was (probably to justify the mistakes of the commander-in-chief, who had to be infallible) that unfair and strange testimony was invented that the Shevardinsky redoubt served as a forward post (while it was only a fortified point of the left flank) and as if the Battle of Borodino was accepted by us in a fortified and pre-chosen position, whereas it took place in a completely unexpected and almost unfortified place.