On nationalism in the philosophy

Abstract

The article is a translation into Polish Semyon L. Frank’s review of Vladimir F. Ern’s famous work entitled A few words about Logos, the Russian philosophy and scientific spirit. Because of the new philosophical journal „Logos”. The author of this review regards Ern’s article as a eulogy of Russian philosophical thought. Ern rejects the whole “modern Western philosophical awareness.” It is – as he claims – imbued with the principle of ratio, hostile to the idea of Logos, expressed in Russian philosophy and the Orthodox Church. First and foremost, Frank accuses Ern of a vague outline of the concept of ratio. According to the author of the review, the principle of ratio is a fundamental feature of the concept of philosophy as such, and the history of ancient philosophy is the history of the origin of rational science. He stresses that Ern blurs the difference that exists between philosophy and religion and Ern’s hidden thought is the belief that religion better replaces philosophy. According to him, Ern is a conceited and blind nationalist who lacks a proper perspective on the assessment of his native philosophy and, at the same time, he impertinently tramples on the eternal values of European thought. Ultimately Frank supports the development of philosophical culture in Russia not writing off the meaning of the relations of thought with Western heritage.