The Femininity and the Masculinity, an Attempt at Philosophical Anthropology

Abstract

Henryk Elzenberg is one of the most important figures in contemporary Polish philosophy. Thirty years after his death, his work is becoming increasingly popular. His work comprised a wide of interests. He dealt with axiology, ethics, esthetics, history of culture, history of philosophy and religion. In all of them Elzenberg sought to forge his own independent stance making it impossible to classify him within any of the currents in contemporary philosophy. Interestingly enough, in his work he cast a critical eye on contemporary philosophy, which he viewed critically, preferring to look for inspiration in the remote past: ancient rationalism, Buddhism as well as Stoicism. His attempt at rationalism, understood here as a postulate for the search for the proper measure of things is also connected with seventeenth-century rational thought. This kind of rationalism is open to intuition which is rooted in common knowledge, while permiting a deeper reach into the sphere of reality. Philosophical anthropology is part of Elzenberg’s work. His approach to this question, apart from dealing “the human condition”, also include a “feminist” part. Distinguished in his work are two kinds of human nature: (1) the male nature and (20 the female nature.