Czech Philosopher Research Articles

To not nurture a war – education against violence (Girard - Patočka)

The author is primarily interested in violence in the form of joining Girard's persecution crowd. Thus, the text concerns violence not in the general sense as the use of force to break resistance, nor symbolic violence in the sense of Pierre Bourdieu, but in the sense of human disposition to retaliate and persecution - in other words, violence is analyzed here in terms similar to what Erich Fromm called malignant aggression - the tendency to destroy and gain unlimited control over other people and the world.In the text, the author radicalizes the question about the pedagogical context of violence, treating the tendency to hasty curricular and organizational changes (which often occur after events of escalating violence in schools), as well as the utilitarian search for effective preventive evidence-based measures, as illusions and part of the problem we face with violence. He recognizes that pedagogical reflection must go much deeper. He seeks knowledge about the sources of violence and the cultural formations that foster it in the works of the French anthropologist René Girard and the Czech philosopher Jan Patočka. The ideas of mimetic rivalry and the 20th century as war can give us insight into the phenomenon of violence and suggest the direction of educational transformation.The author conducts the analysis in several steps. After a critical introduction to the contemporary reaction of education to violence, he first outlines Girard's concept of the mimetic mechanism, then emphasizes three ideas present in it (with references to the nowadays): violence as an anthropological feature embedded in the human condition, unawareness of one's own violence and unanimity of the persecuting crowd. In the end, these three accents become the basis for the postulate of existential reorientation of education, based on Patočka's concept of forces of the day and the night.

Popiół, zbabělci i diament

This articles compares the characters of Maciek from Jerzy Andrzejewski’s "Ashes and Diamonds" and Danny from the novel "The Cowards" by Josef Škvorecký. Indeed, the two main characters are similar in behavior and evolution, despite the fact that the two novels are fundamentally different stylistically. However, the two books share one common theme: the last days of World War II in Central Europe. The analysis is divided into three parts. First, the authors’ historical, national, and bibliographical contexts are analyzed with the aim of identifying their and their novels’ situation and impact on their time and respective societies. Then, a comparison of the two novels from the point of view of style and literary genre is made to establish what differentiates them. Finally, the author of this article compares the characters of Maciek and Danny, especially their evolution and behavior, in reference to the concepts of the Peter Pan syndrome and the phenomenological theory of war from the so-called “sixth heretical essay” of the Czech philosopher Jan Patočka. Finally, the conclusion of the article shows that through these characters, the same phenomenon of self-alienation is rendered perceptible for the younger generation at the historic turning point of the end of World War II in Central Europe.

F.M. Dostoevsky and T.G. Masaryk. Tragic Humanism and the Philosophy of Crisis

The article presents a comparative analysis of the views by Dostoevsky and Masaryk on the nature of humanism in times of crisis. The focus of the author‘s attention is aimed, firstly, at the attitude of both thinkers to the “last” questions of human life, which for the Russian writer and for the Czech philosopher were directly related to the problem of suicide. Dostoevsky, whose novels contain a whole gallery of the types of suicides, considers that social disease in the context of atheistic logic that gave rise to the “nihilistic demonism”. Masaryk removed the problem of suicide from the field of psychopathology, analyzing its philosophical and historical meaning and social consequences. The triumph of atheism and nihilism appears to both thinkers as a harbinger of the coming revolutionary upheavals, a pagan uprising of the masses. Secondly, the article demonstrates how, in the situation of the crisis of Christianity, which became the painful axis of the entire European civilization, the content of humanism is updated in accordance with the challenges of the time. Anticipating the emergence of a “new element” in the world history, Dostoevsky outlined the contours of the solution of the “Russian” and “Slavic” issues. He remained a supporter of the mystical unity of the national principle and religiosity and affirmed the redemptive power of Christian humanism. Masaryk consistently criticized the relics of mythological consciousness from the standpoint of the classical principle of rationality and humanism, which he understood as a supranational phenomenon — a non-violent form of life, achieved not extensively, but intensively through the active humanization of oneself. In a dialogue with Dostoevsky, the Czech thinker overcame the tragic experience of the philosophical and historical crisis, offering a position of “concreticism and pluralism”, which allows one to perceive reality in its entirety and cultivate love for an individual person.

Biophilic Philosophy of Josef Šmajs

In the field of ecoethics, in addition to names such as Kohák, Vavroušek, Keller, and Librová, we are increasingly encountering the name of a Czech philosopher, Professor Josef Šmajs. In his works, Professor Šmajs presents an entirely new, original, and comprehensive view of human life on Earth and its ethics. His concept combines the humanities and natural sciences into a single organic whole. Šmajs declares: “We are the products of a magnificent natural evolution, but we are proud only of our cultural creativity. We think – and we teach it in schools – that we complete humanity with human culture and humanize it. However, the truth is different. Nature is original, self-sufficient, and perfect; we cannot complete or humanize it.” He further claims that “If we want to survive on Earth, we must wisely give way to nature wisely in time. The epoch of the symbiosis of culture and nature is still ahead of us.” His philosophy, which can be called biophilic, interprets the current form of the ecological crisis and its causes and provides a clear, realistic guide to saving humanity and life on earth in ethical manner.

Metaphysics and Mysticism: Mystical Aspects and Elements in the Work of Czech Thinker Karel Říha

Czech theologian and philosopher Karel Říha (1923–2016) followed the thinking of Maurice Blondel. He wanted to expand and deepen the basis of transcendental philosophy. He perceived the possibilities of a new metaphysics, which would be established only in a triadic way of thinking—knowledge, wanting, Being. He originally believed that the basic philosophical theory was the theory of moral conversion. Říha comprehended the event of moral conversion as a mystic turn, a transformation in which we find ourselves by realising ourselves in devotion to others. In this transformation, the striving for metaphysics, which is based on interpersonal relationships, achieves its goal. Metaphysics eliminates itself and is integrated into theology. Theology finally comes to the conclusion that the truth is not in our power but pursues us. The theologian and philosopher Říha, as he writes, has united himself with a Will, which we do not know where it leads us or what it will ask from us. There was nothing left on his own. Metaphysics and mysticism are united in his thinking and work.

Radical Nostalgia

Radical Nostalgia

Náboženství, etika a život

This study discusses the essential contributions concerning religion, ethics, and life of the recently deceased Czech philosopher and Charter 77 signatory, Jan Sokol. It argues that Sokol’s broad interests and contributions to many fields, ranging from religious studies, philosophical anthropology, to the philosophy of law, are embedded into a broadly conceived philosophy of life influenced mainly by the French philosopher, scientist, and Jesuit, Teilhard de Chardin. After encountering the works of Teilhard in the 1960s, Sokol began to elaborate his own philosophy of life, which enabled him to converge his interests in the sciences and phenomenology with his faith in biblical creation. The study shows how Sokol’s understanding of religion and ethics is intrinsically interwoven with his concept of life and evolution, and so it forms, as it were, the core of his thought underlying many of his interests and contributions. Particular attention is paid to the phenomenon of rhythm, which, according to Sokol, permeates both cultural and organic, as well as non-organic, nature, and exemplifies an underlying unity of the world.

La transparencia del infinito: sobre una posible fenomenología del arte en el pensamiento de Jan Patočka

In the present work we try to provide some concise remarks concerning the possibility of rebuilding an “aesthetical theory” from the indications framed in this respect by the Czech philosopher Jan Patocka. On the basis of his distinction between “traditional art” and “modern art”, that is, between the art conceived as a “sign” and the art intended in an authonomous manner, we try to show the way in which Patocka places the essence of art in the act of revealing the hidden side of reality. It would be that extraordinary dimension of the things that is revealed in its pure and simple appearing: beyond all utilitarian or pragmatic gaze.

Epoch\xe9 and institution: the fundamental tension in Jan Pato\u010dka\u2019s phenomenology

This article examines the relation between two key, but seemingly opposed concepts in Jan Patočka’s thought: epoché and the concrete institutional polis. In doing so it attempts to elucidate the inextricable relation between phenomenology and politics in the work of the Czech philosopher, and illustrate more broadly the possibilities for approaching the political from a phenomenological perspective. The article provides a phenomenological interpretation of “care for the soul” as closely linked to Patočka’s reformulation of the core phenomenological notion of epoché. It argues that in Patočka’s work, the epoché, traditionally conceived as a radical stepping back from the world must be rendered differently, not only as a negative freedom, but as the foundation of positive politics. Thus, the authors argue that there is a thematic and conceptual continuity between Patočka’s phenomenological studies and his political work.

Patočka and the metaphysics of sacrifice

This paper explores the theme of sacrifice as it appears in the writings of the Czech philosopher Jan Patocka from the 1970s on the subjects of history, metaphysics, and techno-civilization. The paper argues that the theme of sacrifice is best understood as part of an engagement with the problem of post-metaphysical philosophy, largely inspired by but also directed against the position of Martin Heidegger. These reflections are also best understood in relation to totalitarian resistance, exemplified by the self-immolation of Jan Palach in the wake of the Soviet invasion in 1968, which remains a constant, if unacknowledged presence in the background of these writings. The conception of sacrifice that emerges, in contrast to mythico-religious forms, breaks with a reliance on patterns of exchange and reward in favor of an expression of metaphysical freedom, and in turn provides the fulcrum for Patocka’s commentary on the possibility of a “demythologized” Christianity.

Theory, Reality, and Possibilities for a Digital/Communicative Socialist Society

Digital capitalism is guided by the organising principles of digital automation, information processing, and communication. It rests on the consolidation of relations of exploitation of digital labour based on flexibility and generating precarity. It makes profit from user data under conditions of surveillance. What would an alternative paradigm look like? This paper aims to sketch a possible socialist society resting on digital technology but organised on a different logic, namely that of autonomous production, leisure, and social engagement. It draws on relevant theories of the Left, evaluates them against the reality of digital capitalism, and suggests structural and user practice alternatives that can pave the way towards a digital/communicative socialism. This paper engages with the works of Czech philosopher Radovan Richta (1924-1983) and Austrian-French philosopher André Gorz (1923-2007). It shows that their ideas on the scientific and technological revolution and post-industrial socialism are highly relevant for the analysis and discussion of digital/communicative socialism.

Becoming Socrates: Five elements of the consecration process and the case of Jan Patočka

This article explores the phenomenon of consecration, which, so far, has been neglected by sociologists of intellectuals. Contrary to the common Bourdieusian approach to consecration, which conflates it with legitimization, consecration is conceptualized as a process of the symbolic elevation of a figure, or an object, to the level of sacred symbols relevant to a particular community. Five analytically distinctive elements are identified that constitute the consecration process and a proposed framework is applied to disentangle the consecration of the Czech philosopher, and martyr of anti-communist dissent, Jan Patočka. In this analysis, original data are used to uncover repressed facts about the life of this intellectual icon.

Identity at Intersection of Cross-National Relations (Ukrainian Issue in Polemics with Cultural Vision of S. Hurban-Vajanský)

The paper focuses on the ways of interpreting the Ukrainian issue (manifestations of independent Ukrainian national identity) by representatives of the Slovak national movement. At the late 19th and early 20th century this issue became a part of polemics between two opposite strategies of contemporary Slovak culture.
 On the one hand, there were prominent figures of the national life whose activities were connected to Martin, contemporary Slovak cultural center. On the other hand, there were representatives of a young generation who proposed their own solutions for improving the Slovak political and cultural situation. The journal “Hlas” provided coverage of their activities. The periodical was launched with the help of Czech politic and philosopher Tomáš Garique Masaryk. His ideas influenced the members of the Slovak cultural movement who called themselves ‘hlasisti’. Above all, they were opposed to the cultural and ideological views of Svetozár Hurban Vajanský who was the key figure of Slovak national movement in the last two decades of the 19th century. His vision was deeply influenced by the idea of Slavic unity and conservative rusophilia. Ukrainian issue questioned the legitimacy of the idea of a unified Slavonic world with accepted hegemony of Russia. It revealed contemporary antagonisms between Slavic nations that were ignored by the earlier generations of the Slovak national movement. The impulses from Czech cultural background, where emancipation of Ukrainian nation was discussed with more attention at the end of the 19th century, played a crucial role in this differentiation of the Slovak national life. The main point was the refusal to identify own national identity with a common Slavic one. The key figures of the Czech national movement had an uncertain and critical approach to social and political circumstances of contemporary Russia. In Slovak and Czech context, the reflection of Ukrainian efforts to reach national emancipation gave an opportunity to clarify questions connected to their own national and cultural identity.

A Too-Future Eschatology? The Limits of the Phenomenology of Liturgy in Jean-Yves Lacoste

Abstract The article first outlines Jean-Yves Lacoste’s phenomenological description of “liturgy”, i.e. the encounter between God and the human being. It argues that Lacoste’s rejection of the religious apriori on the side of the human being and emphasis on God’s transcendence and otherness leads to decontextualization of the experience of Christian faith, as his strongly future eschatology does not allow for the real transformation of both the individual and social lives of believers. In the second step, the article gives two counterexamples to Lacoste’s attitude that represent an attempt to recontextualize the experience of Christian faith within concrete historical and cultural coordinates. The examples come from the work of American theologian William Cavanaugh and Czech philosopher Robert Kalivoda, whose focus lies in the hermeneutics of a sacramental experience and the question of the history-making of Christian faith. Cavanaugh recontextualizes the understanding of the sacramental experience in terms of globalization. Kalivoda interprets the transformation of Christian eschatological ideas into a program of real social changes with special attention devoted to the Hussite revolution of the 15th century and the Hussite conception of the Lord’s Supper. The article concludes that Kalivoda’s emphasis on present eschatology stands in opposition to Lacoste’s emphasis on future eschatology, whereas Cavanaugh holds a middle position with balanced emphasis on both poles of Christian eschatology.

Äquinoktium – ein pädagogischer Ansatz im Anschluss an Jan Patočkas »Ketzerische Essays« 1

Equinox – An Educational Approach following Jan Patočka’s »Ketzerische Essays« Equinox describes the moment when daytime and nighttime are of exact equal duration, which occurs only twice a year. In his »Heretical Essays« the Czech Philosopher Jan Patočka (1907–1977) tries to explain the traumatic experiences of the Twentieth Century with the subtle displacement of the ›Night‹ as a symbol of deficient knowledge since the age of Enlightenment. This article tries to develop a pedagogical approach which refers to his idea of human existence as ›Movement‹ in order to create a new balance of light and darkness.

Náboženský a transcendentálno­‑filozofický pojem Boha v myslení Richarda Schaefflera

Richard Schaeffler is a contemporary German Christian philosopher, who is currently developing a new kind of transcendental philosophy. The paper focuses on way he pursues thinking about God who, in his view, can be understood as the freedom that sets one free. Schaeffler believes designation is acceptable for both religion and philosophy. He is convinced that one can postulate a personal God philosophically in a post­‑Kantian, revised version of transcendental philosophy. Religious experience demonstrates what is being postulated philosophically. The philosophical concept of God is therefore not empty, but instead answers experience of religious man. The paper also reflects on thought of Czech philosopher Karel Řiha. He also belongs to those authors who like Schaeffler have developed transcendental method in a new way. They both join one line of thought, agree in many aspects and Řiha has referred many times to Schaeffler´s works.

Encyklopedismus J. H. Alsteda jako jedna z inspirací Komenského pansofismu?

The paper aims to introduce the encyclopaedic project presented by the reformed philosopher and theologian Johann Heinrich Alsted (1588–1638) and study it as one of the possible sources of the pansophism of the Czech philosopher, theologian and educational reformer Jan Amos Comenius (1592–1670). For this reason, the author first briefly describes the genesis, development and structure of Alsted’s encyclopaedic work with a special focus on his mature and monumental Encyclopaedia septem tomis distincta (1630). The crucial part of the paper is devoted to comparing Alsted’s and Comenius’s conceptions of metaphysics, physics (or philosophy of nature) and other important fields of their shared interest. The author concludes that Comenius was undoubtedly influenced by Alsted in structural and terminological matters; furthermore, that both Alsted and Comenius inclined to base their philosophy of nature on so-called Mosaic physics and tended to understand metaphysics as a primary science not only in view of its dignity, but also with regard to its place in the system of sciences and in the curriculum.

Jan Patočka’s Concept of Fraternity and its Challenges vis-à-vis the World of Today

The presentation entitled “Jan Patočka’s Concept of Fraternity and its Challenges vis-à-vis the World of Today” discusses the concept of fraternity explored in texts by the Czech philosopher written later in his life. J. Patočka was one of the authors of Charter 77, a dissident document, which called for the protection of human rights (published on January 6.–7., 1977).First, Patočka’s theory of three movements of life (also: movements of the soul) – i.e. the movement of rooting or anchoring, the movement of labour or self-delivery and the movement of breakthrough or finding oneself – will be analysed. Based on the analysis, the role of turning (gr. metanoiésis) from a mere solidarity of interests to actual being through surrendering oneself will be shown. Jan Patočka interpreted life as surrender by referring to the notion of Godman and the way the world relates to him. The phenomenon of sacrifice that Jan Patočka dealt with in the last period of his life (Patočka died on March 13, 1977, following long and exhausting police interrogations) can inspire the field of social ethics, both from the philosophical and theological points of view. It also comes with challenges to education and training in today’s Europe, which faces migration, as it needs to learn new habits of hospitality and fraternity.

Several Thoughts on Newell's Tyrants

ABSTRACTThis critical review of Newell's Tyrants consists of two parts. The first one departs from questions Jan Patočka, the most important Czech philosopher of the 20th century, raised in the 1970s in the context of his critical reading of a book by Geoffrey Barraclough, An Introduction to Contemporary History. Patočka's criticism of Barraclough, suggested here as a starting point for a dialogue with Newell, departed from Husserl's Crisis of European Sciences and his own interpretation of the current phase of history of mankind as the end of Europe and the arrival of a post-European age. The second part confronts Newell's treatments of tyrants usurping power throughout the human history and his efforts to offer a “homeopathic cure for the tyrannical temptations” that we might see emerging in the future with the concept of totalitarianism elaborated in the political thought of Hannah Arendt.

Arnošt Kolman and Bertrand Russell at the 1948 International Congress of Philosophy

The only encounter of the Czech philosopher and Communist official Arnošt Kolman with Bertrand Russell at the Tenth International Congress of Philosophy in Amsterdam in 1948 was unfortunate. Kolman’s paper, “The Tasks of Contemporary Philosophy in the Struggle for New Humanism”, aroused a vitriolic rejoinder by Russell. However, the text of the paper as published in the congress Proceedings has a conciliatory tone. This version could not have aroused such a reaction. There is, however, an article, with a similar title, published in Czech in 1948, stating that this is Kolman’s paper from the congress. I argue that this article more likely reflects what Kolman actually said at the Congress. Finally, I provide an English translation of this article.