Mykola Shlemkevych (1894–1966): anthropological principles of human research

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to highlight the anthropological principles of human research in the creative legacy of Mykola Shlemkevych, a philosopher, teacher, publicist, editor, public figure, and to outline their relevance for the present. In his concept, the man is represented in two aspects – a spiritual being and a social being. He reveals the spiritual manifestation of the man through his ability to reflect on life (Logos), to organize it (Ethos), to distinguish between beautiful and ugly (Eros) in life. The philosophical-reflexive interpretation by Mykola Shlemkevych’s of the man as a social being is presented in different models. The purpose of anthropology is to harmonize the spiritual and material aspects of a person’s life in the society. Accordingly, the purpose of education is to improve the human nature. Achieving this goal is possible by studying the cultural origins of educational phenomena, knowledge and perception of the man as a unique spiritual, physical and socio-mental phenomenon. This can be related to any modern trend in the philosophy of education that seeks to truly reform the education. We believe that the importance of Mykola Shlemkevych’s conclusions goes far beyond those systems contemporary to him, because they are relevant today.

Keywords:

• Man
• anthropology
• Philosophy of Education
• concept of man
• Mykola Shlemkevych

Acknowledgements

Sincere thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their careful reading of our manuscript and their insightful comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 He was born on January 27, 1894 in the village of Pyliava, Buchach district in Galicia in a priest’s family. He studied at a public school, Lviv high school, and the University of Vienna (1912–1914, 1923–1926), which he graduated from in 1926, the break was due to deportation to Siberia. In 1926, he defended his doctoral dissertation on ‘The Essence of Philosophy’ (‘Das Wesen der Philosophie’ by Professor Moritz Schlitz) at the University of Vienna. M. Shlemkevych’s worldview was formed on an in-depth reflection on philosophy, history, journalism, culture, art, religion, and morality. One of the sources of his worldview is German phenomenology, in particular the legacy of E. Husserl. From 1928 to 1929 he studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris. In 1929 he returned to Lviv. He collaborated in the ‘Literary-Scientific Bulletin’ edited by D. Dontsov. In 1941–1944 he was one of the directors and editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian Publishing House (Krakow – Lviv). A member of the Ukrainian Central Committee. Full member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. Member of the Executive Body of the Ukrainian People’s Council. In 1945 he moved with his family to Vienna, and later to the German state of Bavaria. He worked as a teacher at a Ukrainian high school in Berchtesgaden. In 1949 he arrived in the United States with his family (Elizabeth, New Jersey). In 1953–1966 he was the editor-in-chief of the publishing house ‘Kliuchi’. Founder of the Ukrainian Journalistic and Scientific Institute. He died on February 14, 1966 in Passaic, New Jersey.

2 From 1949 to 1966 he was actively involved in scientific, journalistic and socio-political activities in the United States. He collaborated with the main branch of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the editorial board of the Encyclopedia of Ukrainian Studies. He contributed to the compilation of the ‘Encyclopedia of Ukrainian Studies’, published in Sarcelles (1949–1952). In 1950 he was a co-founder of the Union of Ukrainian National Democrats, as its ideologist and leader. In 1953 he was the founder, editor-in-chief and publisher of the magazine Letters to Friends (Cranford). In 1954 he published the work ‘A Lost Ukrainian Person’ (New York). In 1956 he founded the publishing house ‘Kliuchi’ (New York). Founder of the series ‘Life and Thoughts’, which published the famous works ‘Galicia’ (1956), ‘Tops of Life and Creativity’ (1958); and of the series ‘Problems’ – essay ‘Soul and Song’ (1956). In 1959–1961 he edited the magazine ‘Ukrainian Review’. In the early 1960’s he participated in the founding of the Ukrainian Institute of Journalism and Science.

3 Hryhoriy Skovoroda (1722–1794) was an outstanding Ukrainian philosopher, theologian, poet, and educator. Hryhoriy Skovoroda is considered to be the most prominent figure in the cultural life of the 18^th century Ukraine. He, like Socrates, calls for self-knowledge, and hence for the knowledge of the world around. According to M. Shlemkevych, there is a significant difference between the famous Greek Socrates and the Ukrainian ascetic Skovoroda. Socrates preached the moral reconstruction and purification in the Athenian marketplace and opposed it courageously and openly to the sophistry dominant at the time. He paid with his life for his courage. Skovoroda with his truth lived at cozy apiaries of landlords, away from the wide roads and their turmoil.

4 Mykola Gogol (1809–1852) was a Russian writer of Ukrainian descent, critic, publicist, and philosopher. As a thinker, he stands next to Hryhoriy Skovoroda, with whom he has much in common. Both were homeless travelers in life, without their own family or home; they had an aesthetic disposition with a love of poetry, songs, music. In the philosophy of artistic images, Gogol suggests that the meaning of human life is in life itself, and there is no purpose for man on earth except the real existence. This is the ordinary human nature of sensory experience, the highest goal of man for determination on earth; the end and the beginning of the world are incomprehensible to him. For Gogol, the human soul is not so much a path of knowledge as its deep source. The only way of self-affirmation and self-improvement, which will help to avoid mistakes is a favorite occupation of a person which absorbs all of his time. Close to Skovoroda’s idea of ‘favorite work’, Gogol asserts the uniqueness of man, his right to his own moral path in life.

5 After Skovoroda, for the first time the philosophy of the Ukrainian spirit sounded with new force in the works of the Great Ukrainian, Genius and Prophet Taras Shevchenko (1814–1861) – a prominent Ukrainian poet, novelist, playwright, artist, a political and public figure. His philosophy is deeply individual, personal and, at the same time, based on the national idea of the Ukrainian people, their mentality. Taras Shevchenko’s personal, inner-artistic world appeared in such images in which the people themselves recognized their soul, read their history, looked into their future. It is out of love for Ukraine that Shevchenko’s philosophy of awakening human dignity, the pity of a ruined life, the force of protest and rebellion arises. Shevchenko’s philosophy is based primarily on a concrete and generalized attitude to love, hope and faith.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marija Czepil

Marija Czepil professor, Doctor of Sciences, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (higher education), Honored Science and Engineering Expert of Ukraine. Head of the Department of General Pedagogy and Preschool Education at Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University, Ukraine; professor of the Department of Pedagogy of Labour and Andragogy at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin; head of the Department of History of Education and Comparative Pedagogy at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin; member of the Eastern Europe Center Research Council (Poland). Author of more than 340 publications in the field of history of education, Ukrainian education, modern trends in pedagogy.

Oresta Karpenko

Oresta Karpenko, professor, Doctor of Sciences professor at the Department of General Pedagogy and Preschool Education at Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. Austrian government-sponsored OEAD postgraduate (2011) and PhD (2015) scholarships, Polish National Committee for UNESCO scholarship (2011), Lane Kirkland Scholarship (2013/14), Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine scholarship (2016 – 2018; 2020 – 2021). Author of more than 180 works on history of education and childcare in European countries, socio-pedagogical aspects of educational work with children published in Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Slovakia.