The Selected Writings of Jan Patočka: Care for the Soul

Postscript: Philosophy, Fate, and Sacrifi ce Lud eˇ k Sekyra 323 List of Contributors 327 Bibliography 329 Index 359 FOREWORD xiii his philosophy goes to the heart of our contemporary political, social, ecological, and spiritual crises. The more people engage with his thinking, the better placed we shall be to interrogate our contemporary post-Covid world. In the process, readers may also benefi t personally, as I have, from refocusing their attention on "care for the soul." Our warmest thanks go to all who made this book possible, including the Jan Pato c ˇ ka Archive, the Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation, the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Czech Ministry of Culture, the Jan Michalski Foundation, the Sekyra Foundation the University of Hertfordshire, and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London. Thank you to Eric Manton, Jozef Majern í k, and the late Erazim Koh á k for allowing us to edit and publish their translations in this volume. Many thanks to Ludger Hagedorn and the Institut f ü r die Wissenschaften vom Menschen along with the participants of the 2019 IWM Pato c ˇ ka workshop. Thanks also to Francesco Tava, Maria Balaska, and Robert Penney for their insight and generosity. Finally, love and thanks to Eugenio and Luca. Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Photos Dedication CONTENTS FOREWORD Graham Henderson ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TRANSLATOR’S NOTE TIMELINE Introduction Erin Plunkett Care for the Soul The Soul in the Polis The Whole and the Natural World Phenomenology, Objectivity, and Technology Asubjective Phenomenology Patočka’s Aesthetic and Literary Criticism Myth, Guilt, and Uncertainty History and the Movement of Life PART ONE Early Texts CHAPTER ONE A Few Remarks on the Conceptof “World History” (1935) CHAPTER TWO The Idea of Education and its Relevance Today (1938) PART TWO Care for the Soul CHAPTER THREE Limping Pilgrim Josef Čapek (1950–3) CHAPTER FOUR On the Soul in Plato (1972) CHAPTER FIVE Comenius and the Open Soul (1970) PART THREE Phenomenology CHAPTER SIX The Natural World and Phenomenology (1967) CHAPTER SEVEN What is Phenomenology? (1975) Introduction What is Phenomenology? PART FOUR Arts and Culture CHAPTER EIGHT Time, Myth, Faith (1952) CHAPTER NINE Art and Time (1966) CHAPTER TEN Time, Eternity, and Temporality in the Work of Karel Hynek Mácha (1967) CHAPTER ELEVEN On the Principle of Scientific Conscience (1968) CHAPTER TWELVE The Writer’s Concern (Toward a Philosophy of Literature) (1969) CHAPTER THIRTEEN Ivanov (1970) CHAPTER FOURTEEN The Truth of Myth in Sophocles’ Theban Plays (1971) CHAPTER FIFTEEN On Faust: The Myth of the Pact with the Devil—Observation on the Variants of the Faust Legend (1973) PART FIVE Philosophy of History CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Spiritual Foundations of Life in Our Time (1970) CHAPTER SEVENTEEN The Dangers of Technicization in Science according to E. Husserl, and the Essence of Technology as Danger according to M. Heidegger(Varna Lecture, 1973) CHAPTER EIGHTEEN The Spiritual Person and the Intellectual (1975) CHAPTER NINETEEN An Outline of History (1975–6) Postscript: Philosophy, Fate, and Sacrifice LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX Jan Patocka's contribution to phenomenology and the philosophy of history mean that he is considered one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. Yet, his writing is not widely available in English and the Anglophone world remains rather unfamiliar with his work. In this new book of essential Patocka texts, of which the majority have been translated from the original Czech for the first time, readers will experience a general introduction to the key tenets of his philosophy. This includes his thoughts on the relationship between philosophy and political engagement which strike at the heart of contemporary debates about freedom, political participation and responsibility and a truly pressing issue for modern Europe, what exactly constitutes a European identity? In this important collection, Patocka provides an original vision of the relationship between self, world, and history that will benefit students, philosophers and those who are interested in the ideals that underpin our democracies. -- Provided by publisher