Vasily Seseman
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Vasily Seseman (several other latinizations of his name exist, lt, Vosylius Sezemanas, russian: Василий Эмильевич Сеземан) (11 June 1884,
Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ne ...
— 23 March 1963,
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
) was a Russian and
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
n philosopher, a representative of Marburg school of
neo-Kantianism In late modern continental philosophy, neo-Kantianism (german: Neukantianismus) was a revival of the 18th-century philosophy of Immanuel Kant. The Neo-Kantians sought to develop and clarify Kant's theories, particularly his concept of the "thin ...
. He is mostly remembered for his role in fostering philosophy in newly independent Lithuania and developing Lithuanian philosophical vocabulary (most remarkable are his translations of
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
into Lithuanian and contributions to Lithuanian encyclopedias). A close associate of
Viktor Zhirmunsky The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
and
Lev Karsavin } Lev (Leo) Platonovich Karsavin (russian: link=no, Лев Платонович Карсавин; lt, link=no, Levas Karsavinas; 13 December 1882 – 17 or 20 July 1952) is a Russian religious philosopher, historian-medievalist, and poet. Biogr ...
, as a prisoner of
Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...
he was also an informal philosophy tutor and supporter of
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
writer
Bidia Dandaron Bidia Dandaron (Vidyadhara, russian: Бидия Дандарович Дандарон) (December 28, 1914, Soorkhoi, Kizhinga, Buryatia — October 26, 1974, Vydrino, Buryatia) was a major Buddhist author and teacher in the USSR. He also worked ...
.


Biography

Born to the family of a medical doctor of Finnish Swedish descent and a
Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...
mother, he was initially named Wilhelm Sesemann and attended the Lutheran school (Katharinenschule) in
St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. As he grew up, he adopted a more Russian identity, changing Wilhelm to Wassilij (Vasily) and embracing
Russian Orthodox Christianity Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...
. After two years of medical studies he turned to philosophy, fervently studying classical authors under
Nikolay Lossky Nikolay Onufriyevich Lossky. (; – 24 January 1965), also known as N. O. Lossky, was a Russian philosopher, representative of Russian idealism, intuitionist epistemology, personalism, libertarianism, ethics and axiology (value theory). He gave ...
and classical languages under Tadeusz Stefan Zieliński at
University of St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public university, public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a de ...
. In 1909-1911 the university sent him to Germany to prepare him for a teaching career. In Berlin and Marburg, he took courses in philosophy, psychology, and pedagogics under
Hermann Cohen Hermann Cohen (4 July 1842 – 4 April 1918) was a German Jewish philosophy, philosopher, one of the founders of the University of Marburg, Marburg school of neo-Kantianism, and he is often held to be "probably the most important Jewish ph ...
,
Paul Natorp Paul Gerhard Natorp (24 January 1854 – 17 August 1924) was a German philosopher and educationalist, considered one of the co-founders of the Marburg school of neo-Kantianism. He was known as an authority on Plato. Biography Paul Natorp was b ...
,
Ernst Cassirer Ernst Alfred Cassirer ( , ; July 28, 1874 – April 13, 1945) was a German philosopher. Trained within the Neo-Kantian Marburg School, he initially followed his mentor Hermann Cohen in attempting to supply an idealistic philosophy of science. Aft ...
,
Hermann Alexander Diels Hermann Alexander Diels (; 18 May 1848 – 4 June 1922) was a German classical scholar, who was influential in the area of early Greek philosophy and is known for his standard work ''Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker''. Diels helped to import the ...
, and
Heinrich Wölfflin Heinrich Wölfflin (; 21 June 1864 – 19 July 1945) was a Swiss art historian, esthetician and educator, whose objective classifying principles ("painterly" vs. "linear" and the like) were influential in the development of formal analysis in a ...
. In Germany he also met
José Ortega y Gasset José Ortega y Gasset (; 9 May 1883 – 18 October 1955) was a Spanish philosopher and essayist. He worked during the first half of the 20th century, while Spain oscillated between monarchy, republicanism, and dictatorship. His philosoph ...
who made a great impression on him, and re-established a lifelong friendship with
Nicolai Hartmann Paul Nicolai Hartmann (; 20 February 1882 – 9 October 1950) was a Baltic German philosopher. He is regarded as a key representative of critical realism and as one of the most important twentieth-century metaphysicians. Biography Hartmann was ...
who in St Petersburg had influenced Vasily's decision to switch from medicine to philosophy. Upon his return to St. Petersburg, Seseman taught philosophy and classical languages until
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, when he enlisted as a volunteer in the Russian army. From 1915 to 1917 he taught philosophy as a
privatdozent ''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
at the University of St. Petersburg, and from 1918 to 1919 at the Viatka Pedagogical Institute. He received a docentship in Saratov, where he worked (together with Viktor Zhirmunsky) until 1921. Later Seseman, as a Finnish citizen, emigrated to Finland and then to Berlin, where he finally found a teaching position at the Russian Institute. In 1923 Seseman was invited to become a professor at
Kaunas University Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the Polish–Lithuanian War, interwar period as an alternate national university ...
in Lithuania. When Vilnius was regained by Lithuania, he moved there and worked at the
University of Vilnius Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
until the Nazis closed it down in 1943. He worked as a
German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...
teacher during the
German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
, and led a philosophy course in the Jewish ghetto. According to his stepdaughter's interview, while living in poverty, at his place in central Vilnius he also hid from the Nazis a Jewish girl (who later disappeared), and supplied ghetto Jews with false documents allowing emigration. He made a narrow escape from being burnt alive for being a supporter of the Jews while the Nazi troops were abandoning the city for the Soviet troops. His efforts on behalf of the Jews were posthumously recognized by the Lithuanian government awarding him a medal. He spent 1945-1950 teaching at the University of Vilnius again, but then was arrested by the Soviet authorities, accused of “anti-Soviet activities” and “relations with Zionist organizations” and sentenced to 15 years of labor camps. In Siberia he met a
Buddhist tantra Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
practitioner Bidia Dandaron who learned a lot from Seseman, as a result embracing Kantian ideas and developing his own synthesis of Tibetan Buddhist and European philosophical thought in his writings. Their friendship continued after they were released. In 1956 Seseman was released, in 1958 rehabilitated and resumed his professorship at Vilnius where he taught for the rest of his life.


Philosophy

Seseman liked to call his philosophy “gnoseological idealism”, trying to revive
metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
through a re-evaluation of the metaphysical tradition of
ontology In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...
. His other philosophical aim was to overcome the dichotomies between the subjective-psychological and the objective-realistic in the
theory of knowledge Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...
and metaphysics in general. He deliberated on the dangers of materialism and
positivism Positivism is an empiricist philosophical theory that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positive—meaning ''a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. G ...
for European thought. Seseman’s concern for formal questions in linguistics and aesthetics may make him a precursor of modern
semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...
.


Bibliography


Writings

* “Logik und Ontologie der Möglichkeit: August Faust. Der Möglichkeitsgedanke. 1. Teil: Antike Philosophie. 2. Teil: Chistliche Philosophie” in Blätter für deutsche Philosophie Bd. 10, Heft 2 (Heidelberg: 1932): 161-171. * “Die bolschewistische Philosophie in Sowiet Russland” in Der russische Gedanke Heft 2 (Bonn: 1931): 176-183. * “Die logischen Gesetze und das Sein: a) Die logischen Gesetze im Verhältnis zum subjektbezogenen und psychischen Sein. b) Die logischen Gesetze und das daseinsautonome Sein” in Eranus Vol 2 (Kaunas: 1931): 60-230. * “Zum Problem der logischen Paradoxien” in Eranus vol. 3 (Kaunas: 1935): 5-85. * “Zum Problem der Dialektik” in Blätter für deutsche Philosophie Bd. 9, Heft 1 (Berlin: 1935): 28-61. * Logika (Kaunas: Lietuvos universitetuo Humanitariniu mokslu fakultete, 1929), 304 p. * Paskaitos (Lectures) (Kaunas: Humanitariniu mokslu fakultetas, 1929) * Estetika (Vilnius: Mintis, 1970), 463 p. * Sesemann, Vasily, Aesthetics, Translated by Mykolas Drunga, Edited and introduced by Leonidas Donskis (Amsterdam - New York, NY: Rodopi,2007),279 p. * Sesemann, Vasily, Selected Papers, Translated by Mykolas Drunga, Edited by Mykolas Drunga and Leonidas Donskis, Introduced by Arūnas Sverdiolas (Amsterdam - New York, NY: Rodopi,2010),88 p. The Lithuanian edition of Seseman’s works consists of two volumes: * Vol. 1: Gnoseologia (Vilnius: Mintis, 1987) * Vol. 2: Filosofijos istorija (Vilnius: Mintis, 1997)


Translations

* Lossky’s Logica (Petrograd: Nauka i shkola, 2 vol. 1922) as Handbuch der Logik (Leipzig: Teubner, 1927), 445 pages. * Aristotle’s De Anima as: Aristotelis: Apie siela (Vilnius: Valstybini politiais ir mokslinis literatûros leidykla, 1959) with a 60 pages long introduction into the philosophy of Aristotle.


Further reading

* Botz-Bornstein, Thorsten: Vasily Sesemann: experience, formalism, and the question of being. (Vosylius Sezemanas). ''On the boundary of two worlds'' (Vol 7). Rodopi, 2006. * Anilionyte, Loreta & Lozuraitis, Albinas
The Life of Vosylius Sezemanas and His Critical Realism.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seseman, Vasily 20th-century Russian philosophers 20th-century Lithuanian philosophers 1884 births 1963 deaths Kantian philosophers Ontologists Idealists Lithuanian semioticians Russian semioticians Epistemologists Russian logicians White Russian emigrants to Lithuania Gulag detainees Baltic German people from the Russian Empire Lithuanian people of Baltic German descent Soviet logicians Lithuanian people of Finnish descent Russian people of Finnish descent Finnish people of Baltic German descent