Tadeusz Kotarbiński facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tadeusz Kotarbiński
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| Born | 31 March 1886 Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
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| Died | 3 October 1981 (aged 95) |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Alma mater | Jagiellonian University University of Lviv (PhD) |
| Era | 20th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Lwów–Warsaw school of logic |
| Institutions | Warsaw University |
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Main interests
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Ontology, formal logic, ethics, praxeology |
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Notable ideas
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Reism Logology |
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Influences
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Influenced
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Tadeusz Marian Kotarbiński (Polish: [kotar'biński]; 31 March 1886 – 3 October 1981) was an important Polish philosopher, logician, and ethicist. He was a student of Kazimierz Twardowski. Kotarbiński became a leading figure in the Lwów–Warsaw School of thought. He was also a member of both the Polish Academy of Learning and the Polish Academy of Sciences.
He created a philosophical idea called reism (Polish: reizm). He also developed an ethical system known as independent ethics. Kotarbiński made big contributions to the field of praxeology, which is about efficient action. Two of his doctoral students were Henryk Greniewski and Kazimierz Pasenkiewicz.
Contents
Life Story of Tadeusz Kotarbiński
Tadeusz Kotarbiński was born on March 31, 1886, in Warsaw. At that time, Warsaw was part of Congress Poland in the Russian Empire. He came from a family of artists. His father, Miłosz Kotarbiński, was a painter. His mother, Ewa Koskowska, was a pianist and composer. His uncles were also famous: Józef Kotarbiński in theater, and Wilhelm Kotarbiński as a painter.
Early Education and Studies
In 1905, Kotarbiński was expelled from secondary school. This happened because he took part in a student strike. However, he still managed to graduate two years later. He first studied at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. There, he mostly focused on mathematics and physics. Later, he studied architecture in Lviv and Darmstadt. Finally, he decided to study philosophy and classical philology at the University of Lviv.
His teachers were some of the best philosophers and logicians of their time. These included Kazimierz Twardowski, Jan Łukasiewicz, and Władysław Witwicki. He earned his PhD in 1912. His thesis was about "Utilitarianism in the Ethics of Mill and Spencer."
Teaching and Social Work
After finishing his studies, he taught classical languages. He worked at Warsaw's Mikołaj Rey Gymnasium, which is a secondary school. In 1918, he started lecturing in philosophy at Warsaw University. From 1929 to 1930, he was the dean of the humanities department.
Between the two World Wars, Kotarbiński was very involved in social issues. He actively spoke out against unfair treatment and discrimination. He also opposed extreme nationalism and religious control. He wrote for a magazine called "Racjonalista." This magazine was for the Polish Association of Freethinkers.
He strongly protested when some universities tried to separate students based on their background. He would teach his classes while standing to show his support for all students. He was against the "ghetto benches" at the University of Warsaw in 1937. These benches were meant to separate students of Jewish origin. Kotarbiński was close to left-wing and socialist groups. He was also president of the Higher School Section of the Polish Teachers' Union from 1937 to 1939.
After World War II
After World War II, Kotarbiński helped create a new state university in Łódź. In 1945, he became the first head, or rector, of the University of Łódź. He held this position until 1949. At the same time, he also worked at the University of Warsaw. His way of working became an example for future scholars at the University of Łódź.
Kotarbiński's Philosophy
Reism: The Philosophy of Things
Reism is a philosophical idea about what truly exists. Kotarbiński developed this idea, especially in his main work, Elements of the Theory of Knowledge, Formal Logic and Methodology of the Sciences. This book was first published in 1929. Kotarbiński created the word "reism" from the Latin word res, which means 'thing'.
What is Ontological Reism?
Kotarbiński's ontological reism says that only individual, real objects (or bodies) exist. This means he believed that things like ideas, properties, or groups do not exist on their own. They are just ways we talk about real, concrete objects.
What is Semantic Reism?
In semantic reism, Kotarbiński said that meaningful sentences must talk about real objects. He called these "genuine names." He thought that sentences using abstract ideas or "non-genuine names" were meaningless. However, he believed sentences with "empty names" (like "unicorn") could still be meaningful, as long as they referred to a type of thing.
Other philosophers before Kotarbiński had similar ideas. But Kotarbiński was the one who fully developed and named the theory of reism. In 1958, he wrote an essay called Developmental Stages of Concretism. In it, he explained how his theory grew over time. He used terms like reism, pansomatism, and concretism to mean similar things in his works.
Praxeology: The Science of Good Work
Kotarbiński was a key supporter of the science of efficient action, called praxeology. This field is about how to do things well and effectively. Kotarbiński's work in praxeology is seen as a very organized way to understand this new science. His book Traktat o dobrej robocie (A Treatise on Good Work) is especially important.
Kotarbiński believed that praxeology is a broad science. It looks at the idea of action, especially in human work. It also offers advice and general solutions for human activities in many areas. His ideas help us understand how actions work. They also guide us on how to act more effectively.
Three years after publishing A Treatise on Good Work, Kotarbiński convinced the Polish Academy of Sciences to create a special lab. This lab was for general questions about how work is organized. It later became the Department of Praxeology. Starting in 1962, this department published a journal called Prakseologia (Praxeology).
Works
- Szkice praktyczne (Practical Sketches, 1913)
- Elementy teorii poznania, logiki formalnej i metodologii nauk. Lvov Ossolineum (1929); second revised edition 1961
- Traktat o dobrej robocie (1955); English translation: Praxiology. An Introduction to the Science of Efficient Action, New York: Pergamon Press, 1965.
- Sprawność i błąd (Efficiency and Error, 1956)
- Fazy rozwojowe konkretyzmu (= Studia Filozoficzne 4.7, 1958)
- Medytacje o życiu godziwym (Meditations about Decent Life, 1966)
- Leçons sur l'histoire de la logique. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France 1964. Original Polish edition 1957.
- Gnosiology. The Scientific Approach to the Theory of Knowledge. Oxford: Pergamon Press 1966 (English translation of Elementy by O. Wojtasiewicz).
- Écrits sur l'éthique (1935–1987), Hermann, Paris, 2017.
See also
In Spanish: Tadeusz Kotarbiński para niños
- History of philosophy in Poland
- List of Poles
