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The Significance of the Lvov-Warsaw School in the European Culture pp 135–154Cite as

From a Study of Practice to a Philosophy of Practicality. Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s Contribution to the Lvov-Warsaw School of Philosophy

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Part of the book series: Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook ((VCIY,volume 21))

Abstract

The Lvov-Warsaw School of Philosophy, or LWSP for short, was a world-famous group of eminent Polish philosophers who made an outstanding contribution to twentieth century philosophy. One of its leading figures was Tadeusz Kotarbiński (1886–1981). This paper is intended as an overview of his contribution to the achievements of the school. Let us start from a brief description of the intellectual context of philosophical studies as seen by the school’s originator Kazimierz Twardowski and characterized by a pupil of his:

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Notes

  1. 1.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Die Hauptprobleme und Grundtendenzen der Philosophie in Polen”, in: Slavische Rundschau 4. Ref. after Główne kierunki i tendencje filozofii w Polsce [Main Currents and Tendencies of Philosophy in Poland] (1933), in: T. Kotarbiński, Wybór pism [Selected Works]. Vol. II: Myśli o myśleniu [Thinking about Thinking], Warsaw: PWN 1958, pp.733–749.

  2. 2.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Kazimierz Twardowski”, in: Pion 21 (138), 1936.

  3. 3.

    In: W. Gasparski, T. Pszczołowski (Eds.), Praxiological Studies: Polish Contributions to the Science of Efficient Action. Warsaw, Dordrecht: PWN, Reidel 1983. First printing Practical Essays: The Issues of a Philosophy of Action (1913).

  4. 4.

    T. Kotarbiński, “From the Topic to the Treatise”, Prakseologia 2(50), 1974, pp.7–12.

  5. 5.

    T. Kotarbiński, Szkice praktyczne: Zagadnienia z filozofii czynu [Practical Essays: The Issues of a Philosophy of Action]. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Kasy im. Mianowskiego 1913 (T. Kotarbiński, Wybór pism [Selected Works]. Vol. I: Myśli o działaniu [Thinking about Action]. Warsaw: PWN 1957, pp.14–168).

  6. 6.

    Ibid.

  7. 7.

    Jadczak’s article describes the letter that Kotarbiński sent earlier to Twardowski. This is what he wrote: “I would like to indicate my affiliation with the ‘Lvov School’ in a different way that depends on your consent, Professor. [...] I would like to kindly request your consent to my dedicating these first public writings to you” (R. Jadczak, “Kilka uwag o stosunku Kazimierza Twardowskiego do Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego” [Some Remarks about Kazimierz Twardowski’s Approach to Tadeusz Kotarbiński], in: W. Gasparski, A. Strzałecki (Eds.), Logika, praktyka, etyka: Przesłania filozofii Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego [Logic, Practice, Ethics: Ideas of Philosophy of Tadeusz Kotarbiński]. Warsaw: Towarzystwo Naukowe Prakseologii 1991, pp.37–43; p.38).

  8. 8.

    Ibid.

  9. 9.

    T. Kotarbiński, Szkice praktyczne.

  10. 10.

    Ibid.

  11. 11.

    Ibid.

  12. 12.

    Ibid.

  13. 13.

    Ibid.

  14. 14.

    Ibid.

  15. 15.

    Ibid.

  16. 16.

    Ibid.

  17. 17.

    T. Kotarbiński, “From the Topic to the Treatise”.

  18. 18.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Zasady teorii czynu” [Principles of the Theory of Act], in: Przegląd Filozoficzny 30, 4, 1927 (Księga Pamiątkowa Pierwszego Polskiego Zjazdu Filozoficznego, Lvov 1923).

  19. 19.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Pojęcie zewnętrznej możności działania” [Concept of External Possibility of Action], in: Przegląd Filozoficzny 26, 1–2, 1923.

  20. 20.

    T. Kotarbiński, “O istocie i zadaniach metodologii ogólnej (prakseologii)” [On the Essence and the Aims of General Methodology (Praxiology)] (1938). In: T. Kotarbiński, Wybór pism [Selected Works]. Vol. I: Myśli o działaniu [Thinking about Action], Warsaw: PWN 1957, pp.610–622.

  21. 21.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Czyn” [Act]. In: Z. Łempicki (Ed.), Świat i życie [World and Life]. Vol. I. Lwów-Warsaw 1933: Książnica-Atlas, pp. 1137–1144. T. Kotabiński, Czyn [Act]. Lwów-Warsaw: Biblioteczka Filozoficzna Polskiego Towarzystwa Filozoficznego, Książnica-Atlas 1934. T. Kotarbiński, “Die Hauptprobleme und Grundtendenzen der Philosophie in Polen”, pp.733–749.

  22. 22.

    Kotarbiński wrote: “My doctoral dissertation concerned English utilitarianist systems. And though I had studied issues of logic, theories of cognition and methodology for a long time, the primary area of my interest was always human practice in social situations” (T. Kotarbiński, Myśli o ludziach i ludzkich sprawach [People and their matters]. J. Kotarbińska (Ed.). Wrocław: Ossolineum 1986, p.29).

  23. 23.

    T. Kotarbiński, Szkice praktyczne.

  24. 24.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Czyn”, pp. 1140–1141.

  25. 25.

    Actualites Scientifique et Industrielles 533, 4, pp.190–194.

  26. 26.

    T. Kotarbiński, “O istocie i zadaniach metodologii ogólnej (prakseologii)”, pp.612–613.

  27. 27.

    Ibid.

  28. 28.

    Ibid.

  29. 29.

    Ibid.

  30. 30.

    Ibid.

  31. 31.

    Ibid.

  32. 32.

    T. Kotarbiński, Myśli o ludziach i ludzkich sprawach, p.323.

  33. 33.

    T. Kotarbiński, Sprawność i błąd (Z myślą o dobrej robocie nauczyciela) [Efficience and Error]. Warsaw: PZWS 1966, p.27.

  34. 34.

    T. Kotarbiński, Wybór pism [Selected Works]. Vol. II: Myśli o myśleniu [Thinking about Thinking], Warsaw: PWN 1958, pp.200–201.

  35. 35.

    Cf. also: W. Gasparski, “Filozofia praktyczności: Przyczynek do studiów nad fenomenem Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego w polskiej filozofii XX w.” [Philosophy of practicality: Preliminary Study on the Phenomenon of Tadeusz Kotarbiński in Polish Philosophy of 20th Century], in: Prakseologia 1–2 (102–103), 1989; p.59, W. Gasparski, “Filozofia Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego filozofią praktyczności” [Philosophy of Tadeusz Kotarbiński as Philosophy of Practicality], in: W. Gasparski, A. Strzałecki (Eds.), Logika, praktyka, etyka: Przesłania filozofii Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego [Logic, Practice, Ethics: Ideas of Philosophy of Tadeusz Kotarbiński]. Warsaw: Towarzystwo Naukowe Prakseologii 1991, p.30, W. Gasparski, A Philosophy of Practicality: A Treatise on the Philosophy of Tadeusz Kotarbiński. Helsinki: Societas Philosophica Fennica 1993, W. Gasparski, “Tadeusz Kotarbiński”, in: W. Mackiewicz (Ed.), Polska filozofia powojenna [Polish Philosophy After the Second World War]. Warsaw: Witmark 2001, pp.507–536. The present text makes reference to these works as well as the author’s publications listed in the References section.

  36. 36.

    The system of Bunge is an ordered triad of composition, structure and environment (context) considered at the atomic level proper for the systems of a given class (M. Bunge, Treatise on Basic Philosophy. Vol. 4: Ontology II: A World of Systems. Dordrecht: Reidel 1979).

  37. 37.

    T. Kotarbiński, Wybór pism [Selected Works]. Vol. II: Myśli o myśleniu [Thinking about Thinking], Warsaw: PWN 1958, p.195.

  38. 38.

    In this, I share the view of Choroszy (J.F. Choroszy, Poglądy etyczne Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego [Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s Ethical Views]. Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego 1997, p.16), who pointed out when making reference to Kotarbiński’s article that Kotarbiński did not start from a ready-made doctrine as a project, but that Kotarbiński’s philosophy became a system as a result of his consistent philosophical reflection.

  39. 39.

    T. Kotarbiński, Wybór pism [Selected Works]. Vol. II: Myśli o myśleniu [Thinking about Thinking], Warsaw: PWN 1958, p.207.

  40. 40.

    It is worth asking if this is the case in all languages, or only in Polish.

  41. 41.

    Practical errors, as opposed to the theoretical errors which are made when one produces a false statement, take place when one performs a defective action (active causation or causation through failure to act). “By practical errors we mean a free impulse applied contrary to the goal […], as a result of which, a given person causes a change that is contrary to the change which that person wanted to make” (T. Kotarbiński, “Prakseologia, Cz. II” [Praxiology. Part II] (2000), in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum, p.349).

  42. 42.

    T. Kotarbiński, Kurs logiki dla prawników [Logic for Lawyers]. Warsaw: PWN 1961, p.172.

  43. 43.

    One helpful guide to Kotarbiński’s philosophy is his confession “Jak zacząłem filozofować, jak filozofuję i jak innym radzę to czynić” [How I Began Philosophizing, How I Philosophize, and How I Advise That Others Do It] (T. Kotarbiński, Sprawność i błąd, pp.23–29).

  44. 44.

    T. Kotarbiński, Myśli o ludziach i ludzkich sprawach [People and their matters]. J. Kotarbińska (Ed.). Wrocław: Ossolineum 1986, p.4.

  45. 45.

    Ibid., p.5.

  46. 46.

    T. Kotarbiński, Ontologia, teoria poznania i metodologia nauk [Ontology, Theory of Knowledge and Methodology of Sciences] (1993), in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum, pp.33–44.

  47. 47.

    Ibid.

  48. 48.

    Ibid.

  49. 49.

    T. Kotarbiński, Elementy teorii poznania, logiki formalnej i metodologii nauk. Lvov: Ossolineum 1929. Republished in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum 1990. English translation: Gnosiology: The Scientific Aproach to the Theory of Knowledge. Oxford, Wrocław: Pergamon Press, Ossolineum 1966.

  50. 50.

    I would like to repeat something I wrote earlier in a paper on Kotarbiński’s philosophy. A reistic analysis from the perspective of teaching practice goes like this: What do teachers do when they have to explain an apparent name, e.g. “similarity”? They show objects, i.e. things and, pointing to their corresponding elements or those resembling one another in some respect, they say that these objects (elements) are, for example, white (birch bark, snow, etc.) while others, for instance, are round (ball, globe, apple etc.). Thanks to this method, the apparent name is replaced with a chain of names of objects that yields a complex name denoting “white things,” “round things” etc. This teaching directive of reism takes its strength from psychological naturalness. Here, too, practicality comes to the fore.

  51. 51.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Traktat o dobrej robocie” [Treatise on Good Work] (2000), in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum. English translation: Praxiology: An Introduction to the Science of Efficient Action. Oxford, Warsaw: Pergamon Press, PWN 1965.

  52. 52.

    T. Kotarbiński, Ontologia, teoria poznania i metodologia nauk.

  53. 53.

    Ibid.

  54. 54.

    Ibid.

  55. 55.

    Ibid.

  56. 56.

    Ibid.

  57. 57.

    T. Kotarbiński, Elementy teorii poznania, logiki formalnej i metodologii nauk. Lvov: Ossolineum 1929. Republished in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum 1990. English translation: Gnosiology: The Scientific Aproach to the Theory of Knowledge. Oxford, Wrocław: Pergamon Press, Ossolineum 1966, p.416.

  58. 58.

    Ibid.

  59. 59.

    W. Gasparski, “Wielkość małej filozofii” [Greatness of Small Philosophy], in: R. Banajski, W. Gasparski, A. Lewicka-Strzałecka (Eds.), Myśl Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego i jej współczesna recepcja [Ideas of Tadeusz Kotarbiński and Their Reception Nowadays]. Warsaw: PAN and TNP 2006.

  60. 60.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Prakseologia. Cz. I” [Praxiology. Part I] (1999), in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum.

  61. 61.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Traktat o dobrej robocie” [Treatise on Good Work] (2000), in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum. English translation: Praxiology: An Introduction to the Science of Efficient Action. Oxford, Warsaw: Pergamon Press, PWN 1965.

  62. 62.

    T. Kotarbiński, “Prakseologia, Cz. II” [Praxiology. Part II] (2000), in: T. Kotarbiński, Dzieła wszystkie [Complete Works], Wrocław: Ossolineum.

  63. 63.

    T. Kotarbiński, “The ABC of Practicality”, in: L. V. Ryan, F. B. Nahser, W. Gasparski (Eds.), Praxiology and Pragmatism. New Brunswick (USA), London (UK): Transaction Publishers 2002, pp.25–60.

  64. 64.

    The importance of Kotarbiński’s philosophy, and also of Leśniewski’s and Tarski’s contributions, has been pointed out by Carnap, vide his “Intellectual Autobiography” (1963).

  65. 65.

    From the foreword to: Fragmenty filozoficzne. Ku uczczeniu piętnastolecia pracy nauczycielskiej prof. T. Kotarbińskiego w Uniwersytecie Warszawskim [Philosophical Papers. Anniversary Book] published by his students, Warsaw 1934.

  66. 66.

    T. Airaksinen, “Preface”, in: W. Gasparski, A Philosophy of Practicality: A Treatise on the Philosophy of Tadeusz Kotarbiński, Societas Philosophica Fennica (Acta Philosophica Fennica, Vol. 53), Helsinki 1993, pp.7–10; p.7.

  67. 67.

    Jan Paweł II (John Paul II), Pamięć i tożsamość [Memory and Identity]. Cracow: Znak 2005.

  68. 68.

    Ibid. (Polish edition), p.18.

  69. 69.

    It is remarkable that the city of Lvov was related to the origin of two human action theories: praxiology and praxeology, the former was suggested by Kotarbiński, the latter by an Austrian scholar, Ludwig von Mises, born in Lvov. Mises considered praxeology to be the aprioristic logic of action, therefore the foundation of economics (L. von Mises, Human Action: A Treatise on Economics. Third revised edition. Chicago: Contemporary Books Inc. 1966).

  70. 70.

    F.A. von Hayek, The Counter-Revolution of Science: Studies on the Abuse of Reason 2. Indianapolis: Liberty Press 1979, p.49.

  71. 71.

    E.H. Shaw, “A General Theory of Systems Performance Criteria”, in: International Journal of General Systems 38, 8, 2009, pp.851–869.

  72. 72.

    M. Bunge, Treatise on Basic Philosophy. Vol. 8: Ethics: The Good and the Right. Dordrecht: Reidel 1989.

  73. 73.

    Ibid., p.327.

  74. 74.

    Ibid., p.334.

  75. 75.

    C. Mitcham, Thinking through Technology: The Path between Engineering and Philosophy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press 1994, p.33.

  76. 76.

    W. Gasparski, “Wielkość małej filozofii”, pp.16–17.

  77. 77.

    K. Tchoń, W. Gasparski (Eds.), A Treatise on Good Robots. New Brunswick (USA), London (UK): Transaction Publishers 2014.

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  1. Koźmiński University, Warsaw, Poland

    Wojciech W. Gasparski

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  1. Wojciech W. Gasparski
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Correspondence to Wojciech W. Gasparski .

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  1. Institute of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

    Anna Brożek

  2. Institute Vienna Circle, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Friedrich Stadler

  3. University of Information, Technology and Management, Rzeszów, Poland

    Jan Woleński

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Gasparski, W.W. (2017). From a Study of Practice to a Philosophy of Practicality. Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s Contribution to the Lvov-Warsaw School of Philosophy. In: Brożek, A., Stadler, F., Woleński, J. (eds) The Significance of the Lvov-Warsaw School in the European Culture. Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook, vol 21. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52869-4_8

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