The Hegelian Sources of Erganthropy

Abstract

Hegelian philosophy enables one to approach thoroughly the issue of the human Dasein as one of the aspects of the question of the relationship of thinking and being, fundamental to modern philosophy. Hegel captures this relation dynamically, first as a process of the idea going beyond itself, its exteriorization and crossing into nature, into what is proper of things, and subsequently as a process of Aufhebung of this external thingness through its transformation into the spiritual world. The human being makes the Aufhebung, which consists in forming of what is natural, in creating the world of culture as a world of things making up the distinctly human world, and on the highest level, in forming the world of thoughts through making solidified notions liquid (the notions which correspond to the Vorstellung of the world as the accumulation of separate things), and subsequently in recognizing in all the absolute spirit whose moment – as its real isolated selfknowledge – is the human being. Andrzej Nowicki’s erganthropy focuses on one of the phases of the process represented in the philosophy of Hegel: notably on the creation of the objective world of culture, owing to which human beings grant themselves an existence outside oneself in the things which are their works. According to Hegel, in the world of culture, of significance are individualities that themselves (just like their works) result from forming, are the product of the culture, something of general meaning. The human being becomes such an individuality only owing to assimilating the received world of culture and processing it into their own substance. Only then does the human being become capable of creating their own works as works enriching the received world of culture –works whose value is general and which are of significance to others. The common denominator of the erganthropy of Andrzej Nowicki and the philosophy of Hegel is their positive, even enthusiastic attitude to human culture which is placed higher than the world of nature.