Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | February 28, 1923 Marianowo, Mazovia, Poland
|
| Died | June 7, 2014 (aged 91) Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.
|
| Nationality | Polish-American |
| Alma mater | Jagiellonian University |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Phenomenology |
| Institutions | Oregon State College Pennsylvania State University Radcliffe College St. John's University |
|
Main interests
|
Epistemology, ontology, aesthetics |
|
Influenced
|
|
Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka (born February 28, 1923 – died June 7, 2014) was an important Polish and American philosopher. She was a specialist in phenomenology, which is a way of studying how we experience the world. Anna-Teresa also started and led The World Phenomenology Institute. She was the editor of a well-known book series called Analecta Husserliana for many years. She had a long friendship and sometimes worked on academic projects with Pope John Paul II.
Contents
About Her Life
Early Life and Studies
Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka was born in Poland to a noble family. She became interested in philosophy at a young age. She read books by famous thinkers like Plato and Bergson. Her mother, Maria-Ludwika de Lanval Tymieniecka, helped her discover Bergson's ideas.
After World War II, she began studying philosophy seriously at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. Her teacher was Roman Ingarden, who had studied with important philosophers like Kazimierz Twardowski and Edmund Husserl. At the same time, she also studied art at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts.
She finished her university studies very quickly, in just two years. Then, she moved to Switzerland to continue her studies. There, she worked with another Polish philosopher and logician, Józef Maria Bocheński, at the University of Fribourg. Her first doctoral degree focused on the ideas of Nicolai Hartmann and Roman Ingarden. This work was later published as "Essence and Existence" in 1957. In 1951, she earned a second Ph.D. from the Sorbonne in French philosophy and literature.
From 1952 to 1953, she did more research in social and political sciences in Brugge, Belgium. After this, Tymieniecka started to develop her own unique way of thinking in philosophy. It was different from the ideas of her teachers, Husserl and Ingarden.
In 1956, she married Hendrik S. Houthakker. He was a professor of economics at famous universities like Stanford University and Harvard University. He also advised President Nixon.
Working with Pope John Paul II
Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka and Karol Wojtyła, who later became Pope John Paul II, became friends in 1973. At that time, he was the archbishop of Kraków. Their friendship lasted for 30 years until his death. She hosted him when he visited New England in 1976. Photos show them enjoying outdoor activities like skiing and camping together.
In 1979, she worked with Karol Wojtyła to publish an English translation of his book, "Osoba i czyn" (Person and Act). This book is one of Pope John Paul II's most important works. Some people felt that Tymieniecka's English translation, titled "The Acting Person," changed the original meaning of the book. They believed it made the text fit her own philosophical ideas too much. Despite these disagreements, Tymieniecka believed her translation was the best English version.
Letters written by Pope John Paul II to Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka were later sold to the National Library of Poland. In 2016, the library announced that these letters would be made public. This allowed people to learn more about their long-lasting friendship.
Starting Philosophical Groups
In 1969, Tymieniecka started the 'International Husserl and Phenomenological Research Society'. She then founded several other international societies focused on phenomenology and related fields. These groups included the 'International Society for Phenomenology and Literature' (1974) and the 'International Society for Phenomenology and the Human Sciences' (1976).
These first three societies led to the creation of The World Institute for Advanced Phenomenological Research and Learning in 1976. This institute was later renamed The World Phenomenology Institute. Important philosophers like Roman Ingarden, Emmanuel Levinas, and Paul Ricoeur supported her in starting this institute. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka was the president of the World Phenomenology Institute for many years. She organized many international meetings, conferences, and discussions about phenomenology.
Analecta Husserliana Book Series
Since 1968, Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka was the editor of a very important book series called Analecta Husserliana: The Yearbook of Phenomenological Research. The goal of this series is to explore and share the ideas of Edmund Husserl and his approach to philosophy. It continues the work of an earlier yearbook edited by Husserl himself. The series focuses on understanding human beings and their experiences.
As of 2022, the Analecta Husserliana series has published 125 volumes. It is published by Springer Publishing. The last volume that listed Tymieniecka as editor was published in 2018.
Besides Analecta Husserliana, The World Phenomenology Institute also publishes a journal called Phenomenological Inquiry. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka also edited another book series called Islamic Philosophy and Occidental Phenomenology in Dialogue.
See Also
In Spanish: Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka para niños
- American philosophy
- List of American philosophers
