Social-philosophical Analysis of the Activity of Levko Lukianenko

Abstract

This article presents a social-philosophical analysis of the life and work of Levko Lukianenko (1928–2018), a prominent Ukrainian dissident, politician, and human rights advocate who spent his life working for the emancipation and sovereignty of his people. Using his life and work as a platform, this paper explores how his (both implicit and explicit) philosophical beliefs have influenced and are influenced by his socio-political activities from his time as a dissident in Soviet Ukraine to his work on human rights, nonviolent resistance, political reform and the constitution-making efforts for a new, independent Ukraine. The focus is on intricate concepts of Ukrainian identity and sovereignty, in which existentialist humanism and both social constructivist and postmodern approaches to understanding the political played a crucial part alongside his activities as a human rights lawyer and political campaigner. Finally, I relate his work to contemporary Ukraine by demonstrating how his republicanism (as a citizen rather than a member of a political party) and his cosmopolitan views on human relations offer a valuable alternative to present-day nationalist and populist trends that plague the post-Maidan society and the ongoing struggle for democratic values. By situating Lukianenko’s work within broader philosophical discussions, this paper will demonstrate the importance and the value of retaining the view of political action through a philosophical lens, highlighting the ways in which philosophical ideas shed critical light on political activism and the analysis of civic action, as well as its role in the development of national identity in the context of overarching socio-political transformations.