Russian Socialist philosopher whose sociological thought provided a theoretical foundation for the activities of various Russian revolutionary organizations during the second half of the 19th century.

A member of a landed family, he graduated from an artillery school in St. Petersburg in 1842 and taught mathematics at military schools in St. Petersburg from 1844 to 1866. Becoming involved in antigovernment activities in 1857, Lavrov joined a secret revolutionary society and edited an underground newspaper. Arrested and sentenced to internal banishment in 1867, he escaped to Paris, arriving in time to participate in the Paris Commune of 1871. Later he went to London, where he became friends with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Lavrov was a prolific writer. He edited a number of the various publications of the Narodnaya Volya (“People's Will”) revolutionary organization and organized Socialist discussion circles in Paris and elsewhere. His philosophical works include Historical Letters (1868–69) and The State Element in the Future Society (1876).