Pesymizm i pesymiści – Wincenty Lutosławski

Abstract

The author of this paper attempts to place the reflections of Wincenty Lutosławski (1863-1954), the Polish philosopher and writer, against the broad background of philosophical thought at the turn of the 20th century. The “phenomenon of pessimism”, which has been analysed in the writings of, inter alia, Leopardi, Baudelaire, Aleksander Świętochowski, Tadeusz Miciński, and Stefan Żeromski, occupies a special place in her investigations. Against this backdrop, she attempts to identify original features in Lutosławski’s approach to pessimism. As she notes, it had personality and existential sources in him, as the thinker was plagued by depressive states and suicidal thoughts since his youth. As the researcher concludes: “Analysing the works of European artists, Lutosławski wanted to reach the sources of pessimism, which he wanted to overcome in himself; the aim of such action was to overcome suicidal thoughts”. Ultimately, however, in his philosophy Lutosławski “overcame pessimism”, treating it as an indispensable stage in the journey of man and the human community towards an idealistic, messianic philosophy.