In the history of Russian philosophy there is no key figure of intellectual culture of the second half of the XIX century, which is associated with the development of academic philosophy in universities. A.V. Golovnin (1821-1886) is not included in the historiographical canon of Russian thoughtThe paper shows that Golovnin's intellectual heritage is still beyond the interests of historians of Russian thought. Golovnin's activity as Minister of Public Education of the government of Alexander II is considered in the national social and humanitarian science "in the department" of history, political science, history of pedagogy in the context of the Great Reforms studies, but is not included in the subject area of the history of philosophy. In my opinion, the increment of knowledge in Russian thought history will be associated with the inclusion of A.V. Golovnin in the narrative not only as the author of the education reform who changed the position of philosophy in Russia and who gave a powerful impetus to the intellectual process, but also as an independent Christian liberal thinker and a participant in ideological discussions in the mid-1850s-1870s determining their direction and content.
