Contribution of Serhii Krymskyi to the Ukrainian Philosophy of Ethnoculture

Abstract

Due to its entry into the course of globalization, Ukraine has seen intensification of ethnocultural processes since the mid-1980s, observed, among else, in the social and humanitarian sphere. Thanks to the creativity of prominent historians, cultural scientists, and philosophers, a new branch of social and humanitarian knowledge, the Ukrainian philosophy of ethnoculture, was acquired during this period. The article deals with the systematic contribution of one of the founders of Kyiv philosophical tradition, the Ukrainian philosopher Serhii Krymskyi (1930–2010) to the contemporary Ukrainian philosophy of ethnoculture through the identification of key aspects of the area of social and humanitarian knowledge that have been covered in the creative heritage of the scientist. Emphasis is put on dealing with such aspects as the use of cultural philosophy as a method of exploring national culture and ethnic history; revealing deep spiritual foundations of the Ukrainian culture (archetypes); revealing the cultural universality of the Ukrainian Baroque phenomenon; analyzing the specificity of the national mentality; comprehending spirituality in the aspect of the national idea and strategic orientation of the future ethnocultural and sociocultural development of Ukraine. Such significant phenomena in the Ukrainian cultural history are also emphasized: the phenomenon of Kyiv, the phenomenon of St. Sophia Cathedral, the phenomenon of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, which had become the objects of scientific interest of the philosopher. It is argued that revealing the heuristic potential of Serhii Krymskyi’s philosophical pursuits in the field of Ukrainian philosophy of ethnoculture may become a sound basis and material for further development and implementation in the social and humanitarian space of Ukraine.