Kim jest klerk i na czym polega jego zdrada. Kilka uwag na temat stosunku metafizyki do polityki

Abstract

Who is a clerk and what his betrayal consists in. A few remarks on the relation of metaphysics to politics: In this article I discuss the concept of Julien Bendy’s “the betrayal of the soulful intellectuals”, and then slightly modify the concept of a soulful intellectual to make this “betrayal” — as I understand it — more explicit. Soulful intellectual — in my understanding — is a philosopher endowed with a “metaphysical temperament” and a cognitive passion associated with contemplation and an attempt to understand the universe. The betrayal of the soulful intellectual consists in giving up this supreme goal and sacrificing it — broadly understood — “political”. I distinguish between emotional (incidental) and structural (comprehensive) betrayal, which leads to the fact that metaphysics is subordinated to the philosophy of politics and is adjusted to it. I then give examples of such betrayals in the history of philosophy. I am also trying to understand the mechanism of their formation, focusing on the structural betrayal associated with the feeling of the horror of existence as a source of creating metaphysics. Such metaphysics usually has soothing functions, so it presents being as a cosmos, and thus order. Which usually leads to reduction and geometrization, omitting irregularities and randomness. When applied to the social world, it usually has a similar “reductive” character. This creates a metaphysically justified utopism. This often leads to an attempt — the more tragic and the more consistent — to straighten this crooked piece of wood that is man. Finally, I wonder if the idea of making philosophy of politics “first philosophy” (that is, “politicize philosophical reason”) is right.