Patocka

Heidegger's fundamental ontology is a long effort to recover the original task of thinking by rethinking the ultimate ground otherwise than in terms of subjectivity or substantiality; by rethinking the sense of Being.
Thinking post-subjectivity here means taking the Heideggerian challenge seriously: trying to hear again the meaning of subjectivity, after and despite Heidegger’s radical critique of subjectivity as an onto-theological operator (substance) preventing the access to a genuine hearing of Being. Could there be a thinking of subjectivity which does not fall under Heidegger's critique of subjectivity as substantiality? Is it possible to read the philosophical tradition otherwise than Heidegger, and perhaps to track another "history of subjectivity" in it than the one he describes? Those are the questions this paper addresses.
The hypothesis of  this paper is that Heidegger’s critique of subjectivity is possible only at the price of an occultation of another thought of subjectivity, and of a different metaphysics present in Greek thinking since its very dawn. In what follows, I am proposing a reading of the Socratic-Platonic thought of the soul precisely in this way: as an original thought of subjectivity which defies Heidegger's critique of subjectivity as substantiality and presence. In order to show this, I am examining here the history of the relation between subjectivity and substantiality. The critical moment of this history is the transition from Plato to Aristotle. Actualizing the debate between Plato and Aristotle on the nature of the soul while recognizing the non-substantial quality of the Platonic soul will contribute to the recollection, from within Western metaphysics, of a different tradition of thought than the one criticized by Heidegger, and perhaps also to the renewal of this other, forgotten tradition of subjectivity.

In spite of making explicit their phenomenological influence, Ricoeur and Patočka have been very critical with husserlian idealism. In that sense, although we can consider those remarks as " heresies " to Husserl's thought, they evidence their belonging to the phenomenological tradition. Following this trail, in this article, we ask the question: How to characterize the phenomenological conceptions of Ricoeur and Patočka despite of their common critique of husserlian idealism? To answer this question, we analyze their respective commentaries to Husserl's Cartesians Meditations. In this " sacred " book of the phenomenology of intersubjectivity, both of them find a reconstruction of phenomenological idealism in the concept of methodical solipsism, and they find the introduction of the concept of alter ego in the last Meditation as an insufficient escape. We will show that the meaning of their critiques has to be understood in relation with their own trajectories where they converge in defending a particular conception of phenomenology. This conception implies a critical reflection of its own task and the renewal of its autonomous care for the phenomena.

Jan Patočka (1907-1977) was a great Czech philosopher and scholar who became a dissent hero and martyr in 1977 as the representative of the dissent group Charta 77. In this chapter, I provide background information about Patočka, about the situation of philosophy and classics in Czechoslovakia of the 1940s to 1970s, and about the beginning and the early months of Charta 77. Then, I discuss how and why Patočka, a life-long bystander with regard to political struggle, chose to accept the prominent position in a dissent group which lead to his death in March 1977.

This paper is a philosophical analysis ofHeidegger and Nietzsche's approach tometaphysics and the associated problem ofnihilism. Heidegger sums up the history ofWestern metaphysics in a way which challengescommon sense approaches to values education.Through close attention to language, Heideggerargues that Nietzsche inverts thePlatonic-Christian tradition but retains theanthropocentric imposition of ‘values’. Ihave used Nietzsche's theory to suggest aslightly different definition of metaphysicsand nihilism which draws attention to theontological parameters of human truths as astruggle between competing sets of conflictingor contradictory values (perspectives) thatopens space for rethinking and re-educatinghuman possibilities. How this openness willshow up in educational theory and practice isonly beginning to be evoked. The twophilosophers indicate an approach to issues ofmorality, decision making and knowledgeproduction which may surprise and disconcerttraditional views. As the forefathers ofpost-structuralist thinking, Nietzsche andHeidegger offer a critique of Humanism whileretaining the Renaissance tradition ofpositioning education as the well spring ofvalues in society. It is through the generationof new knowledges, the development of critiqueand the nurturing of character that societyreformulates itself in relation to the earth.The ethical evaluation of these new forms ofknowledge is crucial to the creative and caringregeneration of the human environment, asopposed to the corrosive adoption ofconsumerism and usury.

Nous analysons ici la présence d’un « moment anthropologique » dans la phénoménologie de Patočka, à travers aussi le fil conducteur d’une confrontation avec Heidegger, Après avoir rappelé la position de Patočka à propos du rapport homme-animal, nous nous concentrons sur des occurrences remarquables des termes « anthropologie » et « anthropologique » et en particulier sur l’idée, évoquée par Patočka, d’une « anthropologie philosophique extrêmement négligée par Heidegger » : il s’agit de revenir à une description plus concrète du monde naturel, par la théorie des trois mouvements de l’existence et par la prise en compte des questions du corps et de la socialité. Nous analysons ensuite les implications de ce que Patočka appelle « mouvement d’enracinement » et la question du rapport vie-existence, pour souligner à la fois l’écart par rapport à Heidegger et les possibles problèmes de la position patockienne. La possibilité d’une anthropologie philosophique (que Patočka, à la différence de Husserl et Heidegger, ne refuse pas) est à la fois ouverte et limitée quant à son rôle par la perspective cosmologique et asubjective qui guide la phénoménologie de Patočka.

) Da Patocka nur Entwurfe der asubjektiven Phänomenologie formuliert hat, es besteht die Möglichkeit, diese philosophische Skizze eben qua Projekt zu analysieren, d. h., sowohl ihre Ausführbarkeit als auch das von ihnen umrissene Bild der Phänomenologie (bzw. der Philosophie) als zweckmäßiges Unternehmen zu schätzen. Wir werden eine provisorische Antwort auf die Frage nach der Verständigkeit des Projekts einer asubjektiven Phänomenologie versuchen. Verständigkeit eines Projekts definieren wir einfach als das minimale Gleichgewicht oder die minimale Entsprechung zwischen Zweck und zur Durchführung des betreffenden Zwecks verfügbaren Mitteln.

Critically evaluating and synthesizing all the previous research on the phenomenology of Czech philosopher Jan Patočka, the book brings a new voice into contemporary philosophical discussions. It elucidates the development of Patočka's phenomenology and offers a critical appropriation of his work by connecting it with non-phenomenological approaches. The first half of the book offers a succinct, and systematizing, overview of Patočka's phenomenology throughout its development to help readers appreciate the motives behind and grounds for its transformations. The second half systematically explicates, critically examines and creatively develops Patočka's concept of the movement of existence as the most promising part of his asubjective phenomenology. The book appeals to new readers of Patočka as well as his scholars, and to students and researchers of contemporary philosophy concerned with topics such as embodiment, personal identity, intersubjectivity, sociality, or historicity. By reassessing Patočka's philosophy of history and his civilizational analysis, it also helps to better articulate the question of the place of Europe in the post-European world.

Publicado en (Published in): Revue Internationale Michel Henry, nº7, 2016, p. 201-212.
Comparación entre las fenomenologías de Jan Patocka y Michel Henry a partir de textos clave de la madurez de estos pensadores. Este texto es una revisión amplia y presenta variaciones sustanciales respecto del texto en Taula con título similar y presentado en esta misma página.
A comparison between Jan Patocka and Michel Henry's phenomenologies, focused on several key texts from their late thinking. This text is a notably revised and substantially different version from the text in Taula.

espanolJan Patocka (1907-1977) desarrollo un original trabajo fenomenologico pese a circunstancias adversas. En el, paso de defender unas tesis muy cercanas a Ideas I a sostener unos planteamientos notablemente alejados. Para el filosofo checo, Husserl habria localizado la esfera trascendental pero habria errado al tomarla por un ente o pre-ente subjetivo. Por el contrario, una aplicacion consecuente hasta el final de la epoje nos permite ir hasta la autentica esfera trascendental, que es el mundo como proto-estructura universal de aparicion. En consecuencia, Patocka diverge muy notablemente de Husserl al tiempo que mantiene la propuesta de una fenomenologia trascendental (aunque “a-subjetiva”). Asimismo, esta nocion de la esfera trascendental permite profundizar la critica a Husserl, pues su subjetivismo vendria dado por haber confundido la realizacion concreta del aparecer en cada sujeto concreto con la esfera pura del aparecer. Husserl no habria sido, a ojos de Patocka, lo sufici...

Jeśli istnieją słowa, które dla rozwoju Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej w ostatnich dziesięcioleciach można uznać za kluczowe, to słowo „solidarność” z pewnością do nich należy. Nie tylko dlatego, że stało się ono symbolem ruchu społecznego i związku zawodowego, który przyczynił się do zmian społeczno-politycznych skutkujących upadkiem komunizmu. Istnieje także mniej oczywisty powód, dla którego termin „solidarność” określa specyfikę tej części kontynentu. Jest nim jego zabarwienie znaczeniowe, odmienne od tych, które przypisuje się mu w historii idei zachodniej Europy, a związane z budową alternatywnych form spontanicznego wsparcia i kooperacji, które stawały się kluczem do budowy społeczeństwa obywatelskiego.

W niniejszym artykule proponuję prześledzenie kilku wybranych i zazwyczaj mało znanych albo też zapomnianych tekstów, istotnych dla narodzin idei solidarności, jak też jej późniejszego roz- woju w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej, by na końcu zapytać o współczesną kondycję społeczeństw, poszukujących nowych form solidarności. W przeciwieństwie bowiem do klasyków myśli solidarnościowej, takich jak Émile Durkheim, Max Scheler, Talcott Parsons czy Richard Rorty, w twórczości francuskich solidarystów pokroju Léona Bourgeois czy też wschodnioeuropejskich działaczy opozycyjnych, takich jak Jan Patočka, Václav Havel i Józef Tischner, idea solidarności naznaczona i poświadczona została szczególnie silnie biografiami samych autorów i ich uczestnictwem w społecznych przeobrażeniach świata, w którym żyli.

Solidarity, Anti-politics and the Loss of Trust. The Rise and Fall of the Soli- darity Ethos. The word “solidarity” is one of the key words for the development of Central and Eastern Europe. Not only because it has become a symbol of the social movement and the trade union, which has contributed to the socio-political changes resulting in the collapse of communism. There is also a less obvious reason why the term “solidarity” determines the specificity of this part of the continent. It has a meaning associated with the construction of alternative forms of spontaneous support and cooperation, which is key to the development of civil society. Keywords: solidarity, trust, anti-politics.

Se presenta la crítica que Jan Patocka hace a Edmund Husserl a propósito de su fenomenología trascendental. A partir de ahí, en su propuesta de "fenomenología asubjetiva", propone como trascendental una esfera de aparición que da cuenta de la subjetividad, esfera que tiende a tematizar como mundo. Esto, a su vez, guarda relación con sus tesis sobre el trascender de la existencia humana, al ser este mundo tal que se escapa en su origen y desde ese escaparse puede mover a la subjetividad a trascenderse.

This paper is a philosophical analysis ofHeidegger and Nietzsche's approach tometaphysics and the associated problem ofnihilism. Heidegger sums up the history ofWestern metaphysics in a way which challengescommon sense approaches to values education.Through close attention to language, Heideggerargues that Nietzsche inverts thePlatonic-Christian tradition but retains theanthropocentric imposition of ‘values’. Ihave used Nietzsche's theory to suggest aslightly different definition of metaphysicsand nihilism which draws attention to theontological parameters of human truths as astruggle between competing sets of conflictingor contradictory values (perspectives) thatopens space for rethinking and re-educatinghuman possibilities. How this openness willshow up in educational theory and practice isonly beginning to be evoked. The twophilosophers indicate an approach to issues ofmorality, decision making and knowledgeproduction which may surprise and disconcerttraditional views. As the forefathers ofpost-structuralist thinking, Nietzsche andHeidegger offer a critique of Humanism whileretaining the Renaissance tradition ofpositioning education as the well spring ofvalues in society. It is through the generationof new knowledges, the development of critiqueand the nurturing of character that societyreformulates itself in relation to the earth.The ethical evaluation of these new forms ofknowledge is crucial to the creative and caringregeneration of the human environment, asopposed to the corrosive adoption ofconsumerism and usury.

This article sheds light on the relation between care for the soul and the political thought of Jan Patočka. Patočka often sketches a connection between care for the soul and a theory of the state, but he rarely elaborates this. The biographical fact of Patočka’s own political dissidence and his interpretation of care for the soul as a distancing from traditional structures of society have caused many to look at Patočka’s political thought mainly through the lens of political resistance. Such interpretations are definitely warranted, but can overlook the moments in his work that point towards a theory of the state. While these are only indications, this article presents a way to develop these moments. It will do so on the basis of the idea that the theory of the state should not be based directly on care for the soul itself, but on its founding principle of problematicity. The stronger, perhaps more metaphysical, interpretation of problematicity that is argued for here both opens the space of the political and sets strict boundaries to it and as such should be the founding principle of any state that wishes to uphold this space.

Artículo publicado en Taula. Quaderns de pensament, Año 2014-2015, Número 46, 207-216. ISSN. 2174-5366,2444-5959

Comparación entre las fenomenologías de Henry y Patocka a partir de algunos textos fundamentales de Henry y del Patocka de madurez.