Zdzisław Jerzy Czarnecki: Historian of Philosophy and Ideas Researcher of the Philosophy of History, Philosophy of Man and Value Theory

Abstract

This article attempts to present the most significant ideas developed by Zdzisław J. Czarnecki. After providing an overview of his biography, we demonstrate main topics he covers in his publications on the history of philosophy, the philosophy of history and the philosophy of man. These publications primarily focus on three fundamental concepts: man, values, and history. Specific topics include the role of religion in Plato’s thought, Marxist criticism of religion and its philosophical foundations, the conditions and typologies of the idea of historical prospection, the nature and theoretical status of the philosophy of history, the historical function of values, and the significance of values and value judgements in philosophical reflection on the human world and its transformations. Other topics include understanding historical time, the structure of the idea of historical optimism and pessimism, and the history of the philosophy of history, especially in the modern and contemporary thought. Czarnecki also explores the history of the ideas of freedom and human subjectivity. Finally, we discuss Zdzisław J. Czarnecki’s contribution to the academic community at the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology at UMCS.