Political Philosophy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: main problems and concepts 3501-RON19-S-OG

Old Polish political thought today is primarily the subject of historical research and does not enjoy much interest in philosophical circles. At the same time, it seems to anticipate several modern concepts, such as contractualism or the idea of the rule of law. The political system of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is discussed, among others, by Jean Bodin, Montesquieu or Jean Jacques Rousseau. The pre-partition Polish Commonwealth appears on the map of Europe as a political phenomenon, met by philosophers once with kindness and once with disapproval. Nevertheless, it is a subject of interest of political thinkers and constitutes for them one of reference points for creating their own concepts. The system of old Poland seems to be going against the main trends in modern Europe. When foundations of absolutism are created in France and England, in Poland a constitutional solution arises, in which the citizens are the source of law, the king is elected by them and his power is limited by the law they have established. When Western European philosophers use the idea of social contract for explaining the origins of the state, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth every new king is actually obliged to conclude a contract with the citizens who elected him, sanctioning his duties. Finally, when in the West more and more thinkers present the idea of delegation of power to ensure effective governance, the Commonwealth falls down, not acknowledging this concept.
The aim of the seminar is to analyze the philosophical foundations of this political peculiarity of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It will be based on the lecture of old Polish treaties in terms of the reconstruction of the main themes and concepts characteristic of the Polish political thought of that period (freedom, law, citizen, Rzeczpospolita, etc.). Thus, the seminar is to have an introductory character, and its task will be to give the participants a basis for further research on the political and philosophical achievements of the Commonwealth. The aim of the seminar is not a historiosophical analysis of the role of Poland in the history of Europe, the search for Polish political specificity in the long term or even an attempt to apply the category of old Polish political philosophy for the deconstruction of contemporary political disputes. It can at most give the participants a substantive basis for further - undoubtedly tempting - research of this kind.
The reading list includes both source texts as well as contemporary discussions synthesizing the main ideas. In addition, during the seminar emphasis will be placed on highlighting the historical context of the texts in question, while it is also possible to refer to documents from the period. As a supplement, there are also plans for guest lectures of experts in the subject discussed.

Type of course

elective seminars
general courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

Students enrolling in the course should have basic knowledge of classical concepts in the field of political philosophy. Participants are expected to be ready to work with texts written in the old Polish language. The ability to read the so-called "Gothic writing" or at least the willingness to acquire this sill is expected. In addition, the knowledge of Latin may be useful, although it is not required

Learning outcomes

Acquired knowledge:

The graduate knows and understands:
K_W02 in a deepened degree - research methods and argumentative strategies of the chosen philosophical discipline and methods of interpretation of the philosophical text
K_W03 specialized philosophical terminology in Polish
K_W06 selected directions and developmental positions of contemporary philosophy in the scope of one block of the main philosophical disciplines: 3) aesthetics, philosophy of culture, history of philosophy
K_W08 in a deepened degree - norms constituting and regulating social structures and institutions and sources
K_W09 in a deepened degree - the complex nature of the language and the historical changeability of its meanings

Acquired skills:

The graduate can:
K_U01 independently interpret the philosophical text, creatively and innovatively, comment and confront theses from various texts
K_U03 analyze complex philosophical arguments, identify the theses and assumptions that constitute them, determine logical and argumentative relations between theses
K_U06 creatively and innovatively use philosophical and methodological knowledge in formulating hypotheses and constructing critical arguments
K_U10 write creative monographic studies based on self-selected literature, applying original, innovative approaches and taking into account new achievements in the field of philosophy

Acquired social competences:

The graduate is willing to:
K_K01 identify their knowledge and skills
K_K02 identify gaps in their knowledge and skills and look for ways to remove these gaps
K_K06 actively participate in activities aimed at preserving the philosophical heritage and using it in the understanding of social and cultural events

Assessment criteria

The basic condition for obtaining a pass will be writing a final essay (E), analyzing a selected topic (subject to consultation with the teacher) based on the discussed texts.
Class activity will affect the assessment. As activity in the classroom also a presentation of a topic suggested by the lecturer might be counted.

Bibliography

Please note that the list below is for guidance only and may be subject to certain modifications.

Source texts (readings for classes):

Modrzewski, Andrzej Frycz. "O poprawie Rzeczypospolitej"
Anonim. "Philopolites To iest miłosnik oyczyzna albo o powinności dobrego obywatela oyczyznie dobrze chcącego [...] krótki traktat"
Orzechowski, Stanisław. "Policyja Królestwa Polskiego"
Goślicki, Wawrzyniec. "O senatorze doskonałym"
Wolan, Andrzej. "O wolności politycznej, czyli ślacheckiej"
Starowolski, Szymon. "O wolności bez swawoli"
Siemek, Kasper. "Civis bonus"
Opaliński, Łukasz. "Apoteoza polskiej wolności", "De officiis libri tres"
Fredro, Andrzej Maksymilian. "W obronie liberum veto", "O wyższości rzeczypospolitej nad monarchią".
König, Ernest. "Jakie zewnętrzne przyczyny skłoniły ludzi do założenia państwa"
Lubomirski, Stanisław. "O traktatach abo sposobie traktowania z ludźmi", "Proznosc y prawda rady"
Hartknoch, Jan Krzysztof. "Ustrój Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej"
Anonim. "Wolność polska rozmową Polaka z Francuzem rozstrzęsiona".
Leszczyński, Stanisław. "Odpowiedź króla polskiego na rozprawę Jana Jakuba Rousseau"
Staszic, Stanisław. "Uwagi nad życiem Jana Zamoyskiego", "Przestrogi dla Polski"
Kołłątaj, Hugo. „Porządek fizyczno-moralny, czyli nauka o należytościach i powinnościach człowieka”

Secondary literature:

Backvis, Claude (1975). „Szkice o kulturze staropolskiej”.
Bömelburg, Hans-Jürgen. "Polska myśl historyczna a humanistyczna historia narodowa (1500-1700)"
Ekes, Janusz (2001). "Trójpodział władzy i zgoda wszystkich : naczelne zasady "ustroju mieszanego" w staropolskiej refleksji politycznej"
Ekes, Janusz (2010 - wznowienie). "Złota demokracja"
Grześkowiak-Krwawicz, Anna (2006). Regina libertas : wolność w polskiej myśli politycznej XVIII wieku. Gdańsk: słowo/obraz terytoria.
Grześkowiak-Krwawicz, Anna (red.) (2017). Wartości polityczne Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów : struktury aksjologiczne i granice cywilizacyjne. Warszawa : Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego.
Grześkowiak-Krwawicz, Anna (2018). Dyskurs polityczny Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów : pojęcia i idee. Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK.
Huber, Steffen (2014). Einführung in die Geschichte der polnischen Sozialphilosophie : ausgewählte Probleme aus sechs Jahrhunderten. Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz Verlag.
Jankiewicz, Adam (red.) (2011). Lex est Rex in Polonia et in Lithuania... : tradycje prawno-ustrojowe Rzeczypospolitej : doświadczenie i dziedzictwo. Warszawa : Biuro Trybunału Konstytucyjnego.
Jarra, Eugeniusz (1968). Historia polskiej filozofii politycznej 966-1795. Londyn: Księgarnia Polska Orbis.
Łoziński, Władysław (1960). Prawem i lewem. Obyczaje na Czerwonej Rusi w pierwszej połowie XVII wieku. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
Ogonowski, Zbigniew (1992). Filozofia polityczna w Polsce XVII wieku i tradycje demokracji europejskiej. Warszawa: IFiS PAN.
Opaliński, Edward (1995). Kultura polityczna szlachty polskiej w latach 15687–1652. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Sejmowe.
Rostworowski, Emanuel (1963). “Marzenie dobrego obywatela”, w: E. Rostworowski, Legendy i fakty XVIII wieku. Warszawa: PWN.
Sucheni-Grabowska, Anna. "Wolność i prawo w staropolskiej koncepcji państwa"

Antologies from the series „700 lat myśli polskiej”

Historical documents:

Henrician Articles
Act of Warsaw Confederation

Introductory literature:

Davies, Norman. "Boże igrzysko"
Jasienica, Paweł. "Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów" (3 tomy)
Markiewicz, Mariusz. "Historia Polski 1492-1795"

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3501-RON19-S-OG in USOSweb