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.