History of philosophy in Poland
The history of philosophy in Poland parallels the evolution of philosophy in Europe in general.
Overview
Polish philosophy drew upon the broader currents of European philosophy, and in turn contributed to their growth. Some of the most momentous Polish contributions came, in the thirteenth century, from the Scholastic philosopher and scientist Vitello, and, in the sixteenth century, from the Renaissance polymath Nicolaus Copernicus.[1]
Subsequently, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth partook in the intellectual ferment of the Enlightenment, which for the multi-ethnic Commonwealth ended not long after the 1772-1795 partitions and political annihilation that would last for the next 123 years, until the collapse of the three partitioning empires in World War I.
The period of
The collapse of the January 1863 Uprising prompted an agonizing reappraisal of Poland's situation. Poles gave up their earlier practice of "measuring their resources by their aspirations" and buckled down to hard work and study. "[A] Positivist", wrote the novelist Bolesław Prus' friend, Julian Ochorowicz, was "anyone who bases assertions on verifiable evidence; who does not express himself categorically about doubtful things, and does not speak at all about those that are inaccessible."[2]
The twentieth century brought a new quickening to Polish philosophy. There was growing interest in western philosophical currents. Rigorously-trained Polish philosophers made substantial contributions to specialized fields—to
After
Scholasticism
The formal history of
The true beginnings of Polish philosophy, however, reach back to the thirteenth century and
Vitello's concept of
According to the Polish historian of philosophy, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, no Polish philosopher since Vitello has enjoyed so eminent a European standing as this thinker who belonged, in a sense, to the prehistory of Polish philosophy.[10]
From the beginning of the fifteenth century, Polish philosophy, centered at Kraków University, pursued a normal course. It no longer harbored exceptional thinkers such as Vitello, but it did feature representatives of all wings of mature Scholasticism, via antiqua as well as via moderna.[10]
The first of these to reach Kraków was via moderna, then the more widespread movement in
A general trait of the Kraków Scholastics was a provlivity for compromise—for reconciling Nominalism with the older tradition. For example, the Nominalist, Benedict Hesse, while in principle accepting the theory of impetus, did not apply it to the heavenly spheres.[10]
In the second half of the fifteenth century, at Kraków, via antiqua became dominant. Nominalism retreated, and the old Scholasticism triumphed.[11]
In this period,
The chief Kraków adherents of the Cologne-style Thomism included
Almost at the same time,
When Nominalism was revived in western Europe at the turn of the sixteenth century, particularly thanks to Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples (Faber Stapulensis), it presently reappeared in Kraków and began taking the upper hand there once more over Thomism and Scotism. It was reintroduced particularly by Lefèvre's pupil, Jan Szylling, a native of Kraków who had studied at Paris in the opening years of the sixteenth century. Another follower of Lefèvre's was Grzegorz of Stawiszyn, a Kraków professor who, beginning in 1510, published the Frenchman's works at Kraków.[14]
Thus Poland had made her appearance as a separate philosophical center only at the turn of the fifteenth century, at a time when the creative period of
To be sure, in the sixteenth century, with the arrival of the
Renaissance
The spirit of
Copernicus may also have been influenced by Kraków philosophy: during his studies there,
In its turn, Copernicus' theory transformed man's view of the structure of the universe, and of the place held in it by the earth and by man, and thus attained a far-reaching philosophical importance.[19]
Copernicus was involved not only in
In the early sixteenth century,
Generally speaking, though, Poland remained
Yet another
A later, purer representative of Stoicism in Poland was Adam Burski (c. 1560 – 1611), author of a Dialectica Ciceronis (1604) boldly proclaiming Stoic sensualism and empiricism and—before Francis Bacon—urging the use of inductive method.[23]
A star among the
Another notable political thinker was
After the first decades of the 17th century, the
The Polish
The Leszczyński family itself would produce an 18th-century Polish-Lithuanian king, Stanisław Leszczyński (1677–1766; reigned in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1704–11 and again 1733–36), "le philosophe bienfaisant" ("the beneficent philosopher")—in fact, an independent thinker whose views on culture were in advance of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's, and who was the first to introduce into Polish intellectual life on a large scale the French influences that were later to become so strong.[28]
In 1689, in an exceptional miscarriage of justice, a Polish ex-Jesuit philosopher, Kazimierz Łyszczyński, author of a manuscript treatise, De non existentia Dei (On the Non-existence of God), was accused of atheism by a priest who was his debtor, was convicted, and was executed in most brutal fashion.[29][30]
Enlightenment
After a decline of a century and a half, in the mid-18th century, Polish philosophy began to revive. The hub of this movement was
Under the
This
Another adherent of this empirical Enlightenment philosophy was the minister of education under the
At the turn of the nineteenth century, as Immanuel Kant's fame was spreading over the rest of Europe, in Poland the Enlightenment philosophy was still in full flower. Kantism found here a hostile soil. Even before Kant had been understood, he was condemned by the most respected writers of the time: by Jan Śniadecki, Staszic, Kołłątaj, Tadeusz Czacki, later by Anioł Dowgird (1776–1835). Jan Śniadecki warned against this "fanatical, dark and apocalyptic mind," and wrote: "To revise Locke and Condillac, to desire a priori knowledge of things that human nature can grasp only by their consequences, is a lamentable aberration of mind."[35]
Jan Śniadecki's younger brother, however,
Another Polish proponent of Kantism was Józef Kalasanty Szaniawski (1764–1843), who had been a student of Kant's at Königsberg. But, having accepted the fundamental points of the critical theory of knowledge, he still hesitated between Kant's metaphysical agnosticism and the new metaphysics of Idealism. Thus this one man introduced to Poland both the antimetaphysical Kant and the post-Kantian metaphysics.[37]
In time, Kant's foremost Polish sympathizer would be Feliks Jaroński (1777–1827), who lectured at Kraków in 1809–18. Still, his Kantian sympathies were only partial and this half-heartedness was typical of Polish Kantism generally. In Poland there was no actual Kantian period.[38]
For a generation, between the age of the
The Kantian and Scottish ideas were united in typical fashion by
An analogous position, shunning both
Polish Messianism
In the early nineteenth century, following a generation imbued with
The Polish metaphysical blossoming occurred between the November 1830 and January 1863 Uprisings, and stemmed from the spiritual aspirations of a politically humiliated people.[42]
The Poles' metaphysic, although drawing on
The Polish metaphysic saw the mission of philosophy not only in the search for truth, but in the reformation of life and in the salvation of mankind. It was permeated with a faith in the metaphysical import of the nation and convinced that man could fulfill his vocation only within the communion of spirits that was the nation, that nations determined the evolution of mankind, and more particularly that the Polish nation had been assigned the role of Messiah to the nations.[42]
These three traits—the founding of a metaphysic on the concept of the soul and on the concept of the
In the first half of the nineteenth century there appeared in Poland a host of metaphysicians unanimous as to these basic precepts, if strikingly at variance as to details. Their only center was
An important role in the Messianist movement was also played by the Polish
Between the
The most important difference among the Messianists was that some were
The Messianists were not the only Polish philosophers active in the period between the 1830 and 1863 uprisings. Much more widely known in Poland were
An outstanding representative of the philosophy of Common Sense,
Active as well were precursors of Positivism such as Józef Supiński (1804–93) and Dominik Szulc (1797–1860)—links between the earlier Enlightenment age of the brothers Śniadecki and the coming age of Positivism.[49]
Positivism
The
The Polish Positivism was a reaction against philosophical speculation, but also against
The disastrous outcome of the
This movement, which had begun still earlier in
The pioneers of the Warsaw Positivism were
The movement's leader was
The Warsaw Positivists—who included faithful
The most brilliant philosophical mind in this period was
In
20th century
Even before Poland regained independence at the end of
In 1907 Weryho founded a Psychological Society, and subsequently Psychological and Philosophical Institutes. About 1910 the small number of professionally trained philosophers increased sharply, as individuals returned who had been inspired by Mahrburg's underground lectures to study philosophy in
At
There was growing interest in western philosophical currents, and much discussion of
Those who distinguished themselves in Polish philosophy in these pre-World War I years of the twentieth century, formed two groups.
One group developed apart from
The second group of philosophers who started off Polish philosophy in the twentieth century had an
Following the restoration of Poland's independence in 1918, the two older universities (
A characteristic of the
A few individuals did develop a general philosophical outlook: notably, Tadeusz Kotarbiński (1886–1981), Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (1885–1939), and Roman Ingarden (1893–1970).[67]
Otherwise, however,
The analytical program that Twardowski passed on to his pupils, and which they in turn spread throughout Poland, was affined to that of Franz Brentano's school (Twardowski's alma mater) in Austria and to that of the British analytic school, which likewise had arisen as a reaction against speculative systems.[69]
The
The most important center for mathematical logic was Warsaw. The Warsaw school of logic was headed by
Warsaw was not, however, the sole Polish venue for logic studies. They were initiated at
After
In the
After World War II, Roman Ingarden (1893–1970), Tadeusz Kotarbiński (1886–1981), and Alfred Tarski became members of the Polish Academy of Sciences.[3]
For some four decades following World War II, in Poland, a disproportionately prominent official role was given to
Similarly notable for his critiques of
Other Polish philosophers of the postwar period included
See also
- History of philosophy
- Polish philosophers
- List of Poles
- Andrzej Wiszowaty
Notes
- ^ Władysław Tatarkiewicz, Zarys dziejów filozofii w Polsce (A Brief History of Philosophy in Poland), p. 32.
- ^ Władysław Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii (History of Philosophy), vol. 3, p. 177.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 32.
- ^ Kazimierz Kuratowski, A Half Century of Polish Mathematics, pp. 23–24, 33.
- ^ Kazimierz Kuratowski, A Half Century of Polish Mathematics, p. 30 and passim.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 5.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 5.
- ^ Will Durant, The Age of Faith, p. 1011.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 5–6.
- ^ a b c d e Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 6.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 1, p. 311.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 1, pp. 303–4.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 6–7.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 7.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 7–8.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 7–8.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 8.
- ^ Władysław Tatarkiewicz, "Outline of the History of Philosophy in Poland," translated from the Polish by Christopher Kasparek, The Polish Review, vol. XVIII, no. 3, 1973, p. 77.
- ^ a b c d Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 9.
- ^ Nicolaus Copernicus, memorandum on monetary policy, 1517.
- ^ "Copernicus seems to have drawn up some notes [on the displacement of good coin from circulation by debased coin] while he was at Olsztyn in 1519. He made them the basis of a report on the matter, written in German, which he presented to the Prussian Diet held in 1522 at Grudziądz... He later drew up a revised and enlarged version of his little treatise, this time in Latin, and setting forth a general theory of money, for presentation to the Diet of 1528." Angus Armitage, The World of Copernicus, 1951, p. 91.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 9–10.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 10.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 2, p. 38.
- ^ Joseph Kasparek, The Constitutions of Poland and of the United States: Kinships and Genealogy, pp. 245–50.
- ^ a b c Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 11.
- ^ Kasparek, The Constitutions..., pp. 218–24.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 11.
- ^ (Count), Valerian Krasinski (23 May 2018). "Historical sketch of the rise, progress, and decline of the Reformation in Poland: and of the influence which the scriptural doctrines have exercised on that country in literary, moral, and political respects". Printed for the author and sold by Murray – via Google Books.
- ^ "The execution of the nobleman Lyszczynski, accused of atheism, [a] religious murder ordered by the Diet of 1689, remained an isolated case." Antoni Chołoniewski, The Spirit of Polish History, translated by Jane (Addy) Arctowska, The Polish Book Importing Co., Inc., 1918, p. 38.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 11–12.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 12.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 12–13.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 13.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 14.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 2, pp. 187–88.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 14–15.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 15.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 15–16.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 2, p. 189.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 16–17.
- ^ a b c d Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 17.
- ^ a b c Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 18.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 2, p. 229.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys, p. 18.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 173.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 24.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 174.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 24. Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 175.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 176.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 25.
- ^ a b c Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 177.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 25–26.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 177.
- ^ Edward Pieścikowski, Bolesław Prus, pp. 138–39.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, pp. 177–78.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, pp. 177–78.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 175.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 356.
- ^ a b c Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 27.
- ^ "Twardowski, Kazimierz," Encyklopedia powszechna PWN, vol. 4, p. 512.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 27–28.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 29–30.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, pp. 363–64.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 30.
- ^ a b Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 366.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 30–31.
- ^ a b c d Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., p. 31.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 368.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 367.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, pp. 367–68.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Historia filozofii, vol. 3, p. 361.
- ^ Tatarkiewicz, Zarys..., pp. 31–32.
- ^ Leszek Kołakowski, Positivist Philosophy from Hume to the Vienna Circle, Penguin Books, 1972, ASIN B000OIXO7E.
- ^ Fundacja na rzecz Nauki Polskiej (17 December 2013). "Laureat Nagrody FNP w obszarze nauk humanistycznych i społecznych, prof. Jan Woleński". Archived from the original on 2021-12-19 – via YouTube.
- ^ AcademiconTV (23 October 2014). "Czy Bóg jest potrzebny do wyjaśnienia świata? – debata między Janem Woleńskim i Jackiem Wojtysiakiem". Archived from the original on 2021-12-19 – via YouTube.
References
- Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1978.
- Polish Academy of Learning), 1948. This monograph draws from pertinent sections in earlier editions of the author's Historia filozofii (History of Philosophy).
- Władysław Tatarkiewicz, "Outline of the History of Philosophy in Poland," translated from the Polish by Christopher Kasparek, The Polish Review, vol. XVIII, no. 3, 1973, pp. 73–85.
- Dante: A.D. 325–1300, [in the series:] The Story of Civilization, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1950.
- Angus Armitage, The World of Copernicus, New York, Mentor Books, 1951.
- Joseph Kasparek, The Constitutions of Poland and of the United States: Kinships and Genealogy, Miami, American Institute of Polish Culture, 1980.
- Edward Pieścikowski, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1985.
- ISBN 0-08-023046-6.
- Leszek Kołakowski, Positivist Philosophy from Hume to the Vienna Circle, Penguin Books, 1972.
- Francesco Coniglione, Nel segno della scienza. La filosofia polacca del Novecento, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 1996.
- Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1976.
- Encyklopedia Polski, Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996.
- Polski słownik biograficzny.
- ZNAK, 5/2005/600, pp. 23–102.