This book presents T. G. Masarykâs efforts to shape the identity of a small nation in late the 19th and early 20th century. It features contributions from leading Czech scholars who analyse Masarykâs efforts 120 years later. Masaryk is considered the most important figure in modern Czech history. Drawing on the ideas of his ideological predecessors and humanists, he wanted to integrate the Czech nation into the family of advanced world nations in line with international intellectual trends. Masaryk was the first in world history to fulfil the Platonic ideal of a philosopher who founded a state.
Jan Svoboda received his Ph.D. from the Philosophical Faculty at Palacký University Olomouc in 2015 and is currently a research fellow at the Department for the Study of Modern Czech Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. His publications include Masarykův realismus a filosofie pozitivismu (Masaryk's Realism and Philosophy of Positivism) (Prague, 2017) and 'Whiteheadâs Interpretation of Platoâs âReceptacleâ and the Parallels with the Concept of âEternal Objectsâ', in: Nóema: Rivista online di filosofia, (2020).
Introduction
ââJan Svoboda and Aleš Prázný
part 1 The Historical Context of Masarykâs Czech Question
1âUnderstanding the Debate around the âCzech Questionâ in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century
ââMiroslav Hroch
3âThe Czech Question in Its Time
ââMiloš Havelka
part 2 Ethics as the Heart of Philosophy
4âModernism and Transcendence from the Perspective of Masarykâs Realism
ââJan Svoboda
6âT. G. Masarykâs Thoughts on Ján Kollárâs Idea of Humanity
ââVasil Gluchman
part 3 The Pro-Masaryk View of the Czech Question
7âThe Legacy of Masarykâs Idea of Enlightened Humanism
ââVlastimil Zátka
8âThe Czech Question and the Principle of Federalism
ââMilan Znoj
9âMasarykâs Czech Question and the Idea of the Czech State
ââMiloslav BednáÅ
10âThe Czech Question as the Task of a Humanist Education
ââAleš Prázný
part 4 The Anti-Masaryk View of the Czech Question
11âMasarykâs Philosophy of Czech History from the Perspective of Popperâs Critigue of Historicism
ââOtakar A. Funda
12âCriticism of the Czech Question
ââMartin Šimsa
13âThe Anti-political Nation in Bohemia and Moravia
ââVáclav BÄlohradský
part 5 The Word of a Politician in Exile
14âHumanism as the Motivation of Politics or Masarykâs Czech Question Today
ââKarel Hrubý
part 6 The Word of a Pastor
15âT. G. Masaryk and Our Times
ââJakub S. Trojan
Epilogue of Chairman of the Sekyra Foundation The Return of the Czech Question
ââLudÄk Sekyra
Index
Specialists in Slavic politics, political philosophy, and students of the humanities.