This article deals with philosophical symbolism, as well as directly with religious materialism S.N. Bulgakov. Symbolism is one of the currents, which consists of such components as: symbol, person, being, culture and society. This article gives the views of Solovyov Florensky, St. Bonaventuri. The symbolic direction of philosophical knowledge over time loses significance, being, as it were, the "rudimentary" of a new social thought.