The Problem of Morality (Sitten) in the Light of Slavonic Languages

Abstract

The article is an attempt to answer the frequently formulated question: Is there a difference between the notions of Moral and Sitte? The most common answer is: these notions were used synonymously by Kant, so expressing the difference between them – if it were to be emhasized – is difficult for translators of Kant’s works. Some important intuitions about how to express the nuances of Kantian terminology in Polish can be found in the letters of Christopher Celestine Mrongowius, a Polish student of Kant, translator, writer and the author of famous collections of notes on morality made during Kant’s lectures.