Abstract

The article is devoted to highlighting the importance of the process of decommunization in the study of the forbidden by Soviet ideology themes and personalities in the history of philosophy of Ukraine, namely: the history of neo-Thomism and the work of its representative, the historian of philosophy Fr. M. Conrad (1876–1941). The author establishes how the ideological pressure of the Soviet system influenced the course of historical and philosophical research in Ukraine and what were its consequences; whether Ukrainian historians of philosophy of the Soviet period could study the philosophical views of M. Conrad; if so, in what way and for what reasons was it not done? The study showed that the ideological pressure in the historical and philosophical sphere was not the same during the Soviet period. With the beginning of the "thaw" there was a turn in research on the history of philosophy of Ukraine from the study of philosophical thought of "revolutionary democrats" and naturalists to "idealistic" philosophical teachings, which allowed the study of the history of neo-Thomism with its obligatory criticism. Criticism then was often a way to study the views of thinkers that were considered dangerous to the Soviet system. For these reasons, Conrad could be criticized as an objective idealist. Or, for nationalist ideas, as a bourgeois nationalist. However, such opportunities had their limits. The analysis of philosopher's critical views on the socialist-communist mentality allowed to characterize them as well-argued and objective, which could be another reason for banning the study of his works. As a result of the 1972 repressions of Ukrainian philosophers and the strengthening of ideological control over the course of historical and philosophical research, the study of not only neo-Thomism but also the work of pro-Soviet thinkers ceased. The beginning of the decommunization process allowed the freedom of choice of themes and personalities and created the conditions for an objective study of the creative work of Father M. Conrad.

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