Aleksander Świętochowski (18 January 1849 – 25 April 1938) was a Polish writer, educator, and philosopher of the Positivist period that followed the January 1863 Uprising. He was widely regarded as the prophet of

Polish Positivism Polish Positivism was a social, literary and History of philosophy in Poland#Positivism, philosophical movement that became dominant in late-19th-century Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland following the suppression of the January Uprising, J ...

, spreading in the

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

press the gospel of

scientific inquiry Models of scientific inquiry have two functions: first, to provide a descriptive account of ''how'' scientific inquiry is carried out in practice, and second, to provide an explanatory account of ''why'' scientific inquiry succeeds as well as it ap ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and equality of rights for all, without regard to sex, class, ethnic origin or beliefs. His was a nuanced vision, however, that took account of the shortcomings of

human nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

; like H.G. Wells, he advocated that power in society be wielded by the most enlightened among its members.

Life

Świętochowski was a journalist, literary critic, historian and philosopher—a founder and the leading ideologue of

."Świętochowski, Aleksander," ''Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN'' (PWN Universal Encyclopedia), vol. 4, p. 393. In 1871 he published in ''Przegląd Tygodniowy'' (The Weekly Review) a famous programmatic article of the Polish Positivists, "''My i wy''" ("We and You")."Świętochowski, Aleksander," '' Encyklopedia Polski'', p. 679. Świętochowski worked with many periodicals, including (1870–78) ''Przegląd Tygodniowy'' (The Weekly Review), in 1876–78 as co-editor. In 1878–79 he edited the daily ''Nowiny'' (News); when in 1882 it was bought by financier Stanisław Kronenberg, its new owner, purportedly on Świętochowski's recommendation, entrusted the editorship to

Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, as well as a distinctive voice in world li ...

. In 1881–1902 Świętochowski edited and published ''Prawda'' (The Truth), which he had founded. In 1881 he lost his little son. Unable to regain his equilibrium, in mid-February 1882, on the advice of Dr.

Tytus Chałubiński Tytus Chałubiński (Radom, 29 December 1820 – 4 November 1889, Zakopane) was a Polish physician and co-founder of the Polish Tatra Society. Chałubiński established tuberculosis sanatoria in Zakopane, in the Tatra Mountains. He was a profes ...

, he went on a journey to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. He would recall in his ''Pamiętnik'' (Memoirs): In 1905 Świętochowski founded, and subsequently led, ''Stronnictwo Postępowo-Demokratyczne'' (the Progressive-Democratic Party), which after 1918 was somewhat aligned with the National Democratic Party. He worked with the National Democrats in opposing

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

, but their

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

and

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

were alien to him, and the National Democrats never regarded him as one of their own.

Czesław Miłosz Czesław Miłosz (, also , ; 30 June 1911 – 14 August 2004) was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. Regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century, he won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In its citation, ...

, ''The History of Polish Literature'', p. 287. Świętochowski founded and was president of ''Towarzystwo Kultury Polskiej'' (the Polish Culture Society, 1906–13) and editor and publisher of its organ, ''Kultura Polska'' (Polish Culture). From 1912 until his death in 1938, Świętochowski lived in Gołotczyzna, a village 67 kilometers north of

, where he established intimate intellectual and personal ties with Aleksandra Bąkowska. As early as 1909, he had inspired the creation, in Gołotczyzna, of a home-economics school for village girls, established by Bąkowska; and three years later, an agriculture school for boys, called ''Bratne''. He regarded these institutions as his greatest achievement in the realm of

. Świętochowski died at Gołotczyzna on 25 April 1938 and was buried in the cemetery at Sońsk, near

Ciechanów Ciechanów is a city in north-central Poland. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Ciechanów Voivodeship. Since 1999, it has been situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, it has a population of 43,495. History The ...

. His son Ryszard Świętochowski (Warsaw, 17 October 1882 – 1941, Auschwitz) was an engineer, journalist and politician who supported

Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Prior to the First World War, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause for Polish i ...

, and published many papers in the field of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

; he was murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp.

Views

As the leading ideologist and exponent of the latter-19th-century Polish philosophical and cultural movement known as "

," Świętochowski was an uncompromising critic of outdated traditions and obscurantism, and a spokesman for the fostering of knowledge and education. A complement to this optimistic scientism was his reflections on the limitations of

("''Dumania pesymisty''" Reflections of a Pessimist" ''Przegląd Tygodniowy'' he Weekly Review 1876), which led him to contrast sage

leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

s with egotistic societal collectives. Over the years, this concern of his would recur in a number of his

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

s and stories.

describes him: "A brilliant man, a sharp, even violent, polemicist against the conservatives, accused by his adversaries of haughtiness... he edited the periodical ''Truth'' ''(Prawda)'', signing his articles 'Truth's postle'"

, ''The History of Polish Literature'', p. 286.

Books

*''Wolter'' (Voltaire), 1878. *''O prawach człowieka i obywatela'' (On the Rights of Man and the Citizen), 1907. *''Utopie w rozwoju historycznym'' (Utopias in Historic Development), 1910. *''Historia chłopów polskich w zarysie'' (Brief History of Poland's Peasants), 2 vols., 1925–28.

Notes

References

*"Świętochowski, Aleksander," ''Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN'' (PWN Universal Encyclopedia),

Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i P ...

, vol. 4, 1976, p. 393. *"Świętochowski, Aleksander," '' Encyklopedia Polski'' (Encyclopedia of Poland),

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, , p. 679. *Krystyna Tokarzówna and Stanisław Fita, ''Bolesław Prus, 1847–1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości'' (Bolesław Prus, 1847–1912: A Calendar of His Life and Work), Warsaw, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1969. *

, ''The History of Polish Literature'', 2nd ed., Berkeley, University of California Press, 1983, . *Jan Zygmunt Jakubowski, ed., ''Literatura polska od średniowiecza do pozytywizmu'' (Polish Literature from the Middle Ages to Positivism), Warsaw,

, 1979, , pp. 588–94 and ''passim''.

External links