Abstract
This chapter is part of the problems related to the search for interdisciplinary connotations of the Lvov-Warsaw school. The main subject of the analysis are the meta-philosophical views of Zygmunt Zawirski, one of the representatives of this school. The meta-philosophical views of Zawirski will be presented against the background of the meta-philosophic views of the entire Lvov-Warsaw school. Next, the application of Zawirski’s meta-philosophical concepts will be presented by the example of the subject analyzes carried out by him regarding the concept of time, he carried out in one of his most important works entitled ‘L’évolution de la notion du temps’. In the further part of the chapter, Zawirski’s meta-philosophic views will be compared with the concepts of ‘multidisciplinarity’, ‘interdisciplinarity’ and ‘transdisciplinarity’, which are discussed in contemporary metatheoretical reflections in philosophy of science. The aim of the chapter is an attempt to assess whether the philosophical considerations conducted by Zawirski and his meta-philosophical views correspond with contemporary postulates regarding the conduct of interdisciplinary research in science and philosophy. In relation to the three concepts presented above, it seems that Zawirski’s views are in line with the idea of multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. But, on the other hand, it seems, that in the case of the idea of interdisciplinarity Zawirski would be cautious, when it comes to the postulate of integrating all discipline of science into one super-discipline. A similarity negative assessment could be made by Zawirski in relation to the idea of transdisciplinarity in science.
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Notes
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We wish to stress, however, that it is not our intention to diminish the monograph in any way. We agree with Leszek Korporowicz who says in the editor’s review that the monograph ‘depicts in the plurality of issues discussed […] their complexity, diversity, and the sometimes not apparent implications of the problems, providing the reader with a very broad horizon for their possible understanding, their interrelations and developmental dynamics in the context of new challenges, needs, and possibilities’, and which ‘will be an absolutely unique publication in Polish scientific literature, representing a holistic approach and playing an analytical, but inspiring role, making the issues discussed far from anachronism and particularity of viewpoint’ (Chmielewski et al. 2012: cover).
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It should be noted here that the problem of time is one of the most essential questions considered by philosophy, which has yet to be provided with a satisfactory solution. Zawirski’s analyses related to the evolution of the concept of time discussed further on in this chapter are considered by Woleński to be one of the most thorough ones in the then available literature of the subject. And even though he admits that Zawirski ‘does not offer any theory of time, his [publication on the subject] contains a great number of exquisitely subtle comments on most of the disputed problems of the philosophy of time’ (Woleński 1985: 229).
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Let us note right away that ‘in the [Lvov-Warsaw] School, no special manifestos were written expressing metaphilosophical views—instead, the nature and methods of philosophy were explained on the margin of works concerning particular philosophical problems, and only occasionally in dedicated articles’ (Woleński 1985: 52).
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‘Zawirski became interested in a range of philosophical and natural issues. It will not be an overstatement to say that he considered all major problems presented by the development of physics [e.g. the formulation and development of the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics]’ (Heller and Mączka 2004: 237).
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Janowski, J.M. (2019). The Metaphilosophical Views of Zygmunt Zawirski Against the Background of Contemporary Discussions on Interdisciplinarity in Science. In: Drabarek, A., Woleński, J., Radzki, M. (eds) Interdisciplinary Investigations into the Lvov-Warsaw School. History of Analytic Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24486-6_13
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