Benedykt Dobszewicz (

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

: ''Benediktas Dobševičius''; 12 March 1722 – after 1792) was a philosopher and physicist of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. A later adherent of

cartesianism Cartesianism is the philosophical and scientific system of René Descartes and its subsequent development by other seventeenth century thinkers, most notably François Poullain de la Barre, Nicolas Malebranche and Baruch Spinoza. Descartes i ...

, Dobszewicz is considered the most prominent philosopher during the period of the collapse of

scholasticism Scholasticism was a medieval European philosophical movement or methodology that was the predominant education in Europe from about 1100 to 1700. It is known for employing logically precise analyses and reconciling classical philosophy and Ca ...

in Lithuania. Dobszewicz argued that there are three types of knowledge: historical, philosophical, and mathematical. Dobszewicz probably influenced the philosophy of

Anioł Dowgird Anioł Dowgird (; 1776–1835) was a philosopher of Polish Enlightenment and Lithuanian Enlightenment. Born into a noble family in the Mahiliou province, Dowgird studied in Jesuit and Piarist schools in Mscislau, Mahiliou and Dubrouna, then j ...

Biography

Benedykt Dobszewicz was born on 12 March 1722 near

Kražiai Kražiai (; ; ) is a historic town (Lithuania), town in Lithuania, located in the Kelmė district municipality, between Varniai (32 km) and Raseiniai (44 km), on the River. The old town of Kražiai is an archeological and urban monument ...

. In 1739, he joined the

Jesuit Order The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by ...

. He studied at the

Novogrudok Novogrudok or Navahrudak (; ; , ; ) is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Novogrudok District. As of 2025, it has a population of 27,624. In the Middle Ages, the city was ruled by King Mindaugas' son V ...

Jesuit College. In 1752, he graduated from the

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

faculty of

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

, where he was a professor of mathematics from 1784 to 1757. From 1757 to 1768, Dobszewicz lectured on logic and mathematics in Kražiai. He also briefly lectured on philosophy in Novogrudok from 1759 to 1760. Thereafter, Dobszewicz returned to Vilnius University, becoming a professor of philosophy from 1760 to 1763 and professor of theology from 1765 to 1768. In 1773, he became

Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law (, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (''Iuris Can ...

. From 1773 to 1774, Dobszewicz acted as Vilnius University's vice-chancellor. From 1782 Dobszewicz acted as a director of a school in Kražiai. He died sometime after 1792.

Works

Dobszewicz compared contemporary philosophy with theology and

scholastics Scholasticism was a medieval European philosophical movement or methodology that was the predominant education in Europe from about 1100 to 1700. It is known for employing logically precise analyses and reconciling classical philosophy and C ...

. Dobszewicz published ''Placita recentiorum philosophorum'' () in 1760, where he discussed contemporary theories of natural science. Dobszewicz also wrote on

Newtonian physics Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of objects such as projectiles, parts of machinery, spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. The development of classical mechanics involved substantial change in the methods ...

, summarized

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

's and

Pierre Gassendi Pierre Gassendi (; also Pierre Gassend, Petrus Gassendi, Petrus Gassendus; 22 January 1592 – 24 October 1655) was a French philosopher, Catholic priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he a ...

's interpretations of matter,

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

primary–secondary quality distinction The primary–secondary quality distinction is a conceptual distinction in epistemology and metaphysics, concerning the nature of reality. It is most explicitly articulated by John Locke in his '' Essay concerning Human Understanding'', but earl ...

, as well as

George Berkeley George Berkeley ( ; 12 March 168514 January 1753), known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of "immaterialism", a philos ...

subjective idealism Subjective idealism, or empirical idealism or immaterialism, is a form of philosophical monism that holds that only minds and mental contents exist. It entails and is generally identified or associated with immaterialism, the doctrine that m ...

. In 1761, Dobszewicz, influenced by Christian Wolff, published ''Praelectiones logicae'' (), where he analyzed concepts of logic, problems of methods, and supported Descartes's view on intellectual intuition. The work attempts to connect traditional

rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the Epistemology, epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "the position that reason has precedence over other ways of acquiring knowledge", often in contrast to ot ...

with

empiricism In philosophy, empiricism is an epistemological view which holds that true knowledge or justification comes only or primarily from sensory experience and empirical evidence. It is one of several competing views within epistemology, along ...

, arguing that classical logic treats mathematics with respect, without which philosophizing or logicizing "is all the same as walking without legs".

References

{{Reflist 1722 births 18th-century Lithuanian writers 18th-century philosophers Lithuanian philosophers Epistemologists