Аннотация:This article discusses development of the content of the concept “Philosophy Steamer,” which refers to the 1922 expulsion from Russia of a group of intelligentsia who sharply criticized the authorities. We show that the group of exiled philosophers was united both by their previous philosophical and social activity and by their joint activity as émigrés. We analyze the concepts of “historical collective individuality,” “collective person,” and “communal person” introduced by L.P. Karsavin in order to determine the holistic nature of this exiled social group and its characteristic self-consciousness, behavior, aspirations, and feelings (moods). Examining the event known as the “Philosophy Steamer” through the concepts listed above allows us to cognize the historical, social, and cultural reality more broadly and productively. We note that the concept of a collective person can also be applied to other social groups, thereby extending the methodology of human-studies cognition beyond the study of facts and statistical data.