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отрицать очевидное = deny the obvious

In German, for instance, an adjective can perform the function of a noun by taking the form of:

definitite article + adjective in neutral gender (with a capitalised first letter)

How does it generally work in Russian? Is it enough to use the neutral singular form of an adjective without capitalising its first letter or adding some particle?

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In modern Russian, you just put the adjective in full neuter singular, as in your example. No capitalization or anything needed:

  • Никто не обнимет необъятного
  • Мы за всё хорошее, против всего плохого
  • Былое и думы

In Church Slavonic and Old Russian, you had to put the adjective in neuter plural. Russian has a number of words like преисподняя; святая святых; прочая, прочая, прочая etc. which are formed according to this paradigm, but it is not productive anymore.

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    just to clarify for myself, вселенная, преисподняя, святая святых are in neuter plural of Church-Slavonic, right?
    – Баян Купи-ка
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 14:03
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    "Вселенная" derives from "въселенаѩ" which is a calque of old greek "oikoumene" (οἰκουμένη) which is a passive adverb. So it's not a neuter plural.
    – Abakan
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 14:15
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    @БаянКупи-ка Participle, I meant participle! Not adverb.
    – Abakan
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 14:29
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    @БаянКупи-ка yes, neuter plural. восплачутся вся колѣна земная means "all the tribes of the earth will mourn", колѣно being neuter.
    – Quassnoi ♦
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 14:48
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    @Abakan: you're right, вселенная might be the odd one out here.
    – Quassnoi ♦
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 14:49

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