General ideas of Philosophy of ukraine

INTRODUCTION

 

Philosophy of Ukraine derived from the Greek tradition in its East form (Vizantian Empire). This type of the philosophy closely connected with the Orthodox Christianity. Beginning the study of the history of Ukrainian philosophy, it is necessary to take into account the needs of national revival, which defines the features of the present stage of the spiritual life of Ukrainian people. Of course, this process describes the current state of the nation. As is gone about renaissance, then not less apparent is the organic connection with its historical past. Because, in the past, is kept what we desire to revive in our memory, which, along with the dream of the future is an essential element of national consciousness. Moreover, one might even say that the historical memory - is the foundation of the nation and the information that is primarily the perception of its own history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. PERIODS OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF UKRAINE

 

In the development of Ukrainian philosophy we can point out three main periods which marked by the originality of existence of the Ukrainian philosophical thought throughout its long history.     

1. Philosophical Thought of Kyivan Rus’ (of XI - until mid XIV).

Spiritual and notional components: reflection of the Christian type of culture with accent on problem "man – God"; morphological: the predominance of philosophical issues related to comprehension problems of individuals and historiosophical problems. Organic combination of the philosophy with religion. The centers of philosophical quest were Kyiv and Galich. The movement of philosophical thought was carried out from the Center to the West.

Here is accomplished the understanding of the marginal grounds of human existence. There appear questions related to understanding human nature. Philosophy has not yet evolved into an independent field of theoretical understanding of the world. This was practical philosophy.

2. Culture of Cossackdom (VI - XVIII.).

Spiritual component: focus on culture of baroque, touch with Renaissance and Reformation ideas, understanding that the world is chaotic, uncertainty of man's place in the world; dramatic and tragic outlook, the problem of "man - the universe"; morphological: in the range of problems there is the problem of ethics, historiosophy, natural philosophy, dialectics, metaphysics; institutional: within the culture begins the formation of philosophical theory as a special field of scientific and theoretical work within the philosophical culture. This is the period of the philosophy of professors of Kiev-Mohyla Academy and philosophy of Skovoroda.

3. Culture of Romanticism (XIX - first third XX cent.).

Spiritual components: critique of reason by an appeal to the irrational depths of human existence, spontaneously creative forces that determine the essence of man, the cult of heart; morphological: the problem of "people - a nation," which proved the beginning of the development of philosophy of the national idea, along with the history of philosophy of culture and history of philosophical theory. History of philosophy of the national idea (the problem of "I and the nation") supplements the process of formation of Ukrainian national culture; institutional: a) the activities of members of the Cyril and Methodius (Kostomarov M., Shevchenko, P. Kulish, etc.), representatives of "old community" (70 years) and the first Ukrainian political emigration (Drahomanov, F. Wolf, S. Podolinsky).

 

2. THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHILOSOPHY

 

The one of the main characteristics of the philosophy of Ukraine is the “cordocentric” orientation (from Latin “cordis” – heart). Ukrainian philosophy solved first of all problem of the human being, human soul, religious faith. “Heart” in this tradition is “organ of the cognition of the God”, more deep then mind, reason and intellect. The problem of the philosophic anthropology (human existence, man’s psychological, emotional and spiritual needs, including a “need for faith”) was more important for thinkers of our country then questions of the pure epistemology or logic (as in the West tradition).

One of the great branch of the Philosophy of Ukraine is the “Sophiology”. This branch originated from the Plato tradition and his interpretation of the philosophy as the “Love for Wisdom”, Devine wisdom. This type of the Wisdom (Sophia) oriented on the Orthodox Christianity. Sophiology based on the idea of sobornost’ (a collective body in which the elements retain their individuality and thus eliminate the tension between individual freedom and social cohesion). 

Philosophy and great literature of Ukraine solved the questions – problem of the human being, meaning of the human life and problem of the moral choice and social activity. It’s not accidentally, that famous Russian and Ukrainian poets and writers were at the same time good philosophers ( Alexandr Pushkin(1799-1837), Fedor Dostoevsky(1821-18810, Lev Tolstoy(1828-1910), Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861). Interested in purely personal and psychological issues they sought to develop new means of expressions in the art and literature. Some, mystically and spiritually oriented, insisted that science and scholarship could never lead to the “higher truth” they sought, truth dealing with basic values and giving meaning and purpose to life.

In the Philosophy of Ukraine we observed materialistic and idealistic tradition. Idealistic tradition was elaborated by Orthodox Christian thought, “philosophy of the Heart”, and Sophiology, Russian and Ukrainian existentialism (from existence”).

 

1. “Philosophy of the Heart” 

 

Dmytro Chyzhevsky ,the founder of the history of Ukrainian philosophy, often repeated claim that "'the philosophy of the heart” is the characteristic of Ukrainian thought." In making this claim he explained that "the philosophy of the heart" stands for three distinct theses:

• that emotions have not only ethical and religious but also cognitive significance,
• that conscious experience arises from a deeper source, a mysterious "abyss," and
• that man is a microcosm.

What exactly is meant by the term Ukrainian "philosophy of the heart''? Firstly, it depends on such features of the Ukrainian national character, as emotionality - providing high-value sense, a special kind of vision of nature, specific humor. Ivan Vishensky, by making a man the central figure of his teachings, recognized only greatness - greatness of spirit, mystical greatness of self-purification and enlightenment, and urged his countrymen to join with all the heart to God. Paisiy Velichkovsky paid a great attention to the heart as a place where God reigns, saying, "Create a clean heart in me, Oh God!" But, the most theoretical foundation "philosophy of the heart" in the general Christian sense gained in the creative works of prominent Ukrainian philosopher – Pamphiliy Yurkevych. In his opinion, religious experience reveals the fact that the heart is deeper base of spiritual life than the mind. According to the philosophy of Yurkevych, heart is a treasurer and media of all bodily powers of man, the center of his emotional and spiritual life, the cognitive activities of the soul, moral life. 

According to Skovoroda, heart is the center of the human soul, which contains the whole universe. Person, who is no longer the center of the universe, considered as a small world - the "microcosm", and "inner" man together with "heart" becomes the center of this small world. Considering man as a "microcosm" and dividing it into "internal" and "external", he sees the heart as the center of this "true", "inner" man, sometimes identifying them: "The deep  heart of man, more of all is a man" , "Your heart is the head of your appearance. And when the head, then you are the heart", "... our heart is an exact man ... Take care of your heart!", "... The True man is the heart of man, and the deep heart is knowable only to God”.

 

2. The end of the 19- beginning of the 20 century

 

One of the fruitful period in the history of Ukrainian Philosophy was the end of the 19- beginning of the 20 cen.(“Silver Age” in the philosophy, religious thinking, art, literature etc.) Intelligentsia worked in such groups as the Moscow Psychological Society, the “World of Art” movement and the “Religious-Philosophical Society (St. Petersburg), the last of which was especially important in popularizing a search for a “new religious consciousness” among the educated society. They debated issues such as the relevance of Christianity to the political and social order, sex and Christianity, philosophy and law, art and meaning, individual and society, the function of philosophy, religion and revolution, mysticism and reason in Christianity, Marxism as a religion, and tried to define a national consciousness.

Two groups crystallized in this period. The first group consisted primarily of philosophers: the former Marxist Nikolai Berdiaev, Sergei Bulgakov, Petr Struve. The second – of symbolist writers Dmitri Merezhkovsky, Andrei Bely, Viacheslav Ivanov, and the biological mystic Vasilly Rosanov. The first group, influenced by idealism and the theory of natural law, tried to be practical. Accepting economic growth, if it be guided by what they considered ethical norms, they were essentially reformers attempting to develop a liberal position that would suit condition of the country. Insisting on the importance of law and ethics in achieving an orderly and just transition to modernity, they emphasized self-discipline and a sense of responsibility for one’s actions. As time went one, they became more and more deeply Christian.

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

The person is the main subjects of Russian and Ukrainian philosophy. The person is considered as the manifestation of ultimate reality which cannot be reduced to the total of its own constituents. The most prominent Russian and Ukrainian thinkers devoted their lives to developing universal Christian world outlook. Reality is considered as a true, self-sufficient, universal and all-penetrating unity.

Ukrainian philosophy made a valuable contribution to the doctrine of the substantial basis of the world as an intermediate medium between the final reality of God and the world, the sphere of our experience and action.

The importance of Ukrainian philosophy which developed a number of the most important ontological, epistemological, aesthetic and social problems resides in the fact that it is probably one of the most synthetic and universal philosophies of the world, which anticipated many discoveries of particular sciences and can help find the ways of overcoming the universal spiritual crisis in which mankind found itself at the end of the 20th century.