Popularyzacja postaci Mikołaja Kopernika i jego dorobku w publicystyce i propagandzie Polski Ludowej
The popularisation of Nicolaus Copernicus and his achievements in the Polish People's Republic

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is not to conduct a substantive analysis of Nicolaus Copernicus's scientific achievements. Nor do I engage in discussions regarding the concept known as the Copernican Upheaval or the Copernican Revolution. After 1944, during the period of the Polish People's Republic, the communist authorities assumed ideological control over science. Scientific work served as a tool of power in constructing a new social conscience. The task of professional science outreach, previously performed by scholars as authors, was replaced by a system of popularisation led by journalists and party instructors. This led to the establishment of the "Problems" journal (1945) and the Society for the Popularisation of Culture and Science (1950). The system of popularisation encompassed knowledge about Nicolaus Copernicus, who had already become an icon of academic science in the 19th century. The communist authorities associated Copernicus with the role of a "new science" icon. This objective was based on applying the criterion of progressiveness in evaluating the work of Copernicus and other renowned scholars, which, in reality, had an ideological connotation of development. This criterion guided the work of the Polish Society of Naturalists named after Copernicus, as well as the papers on Copernicus presented at the First Congress of Polish Science and during the Copernican Sessions (15- 16 September 1953). Copernicus continued to be ideologised by the party-state authorities even after the Stalinist period. Emphasising Copernicus's role in the construction of a scientific worldview, the authorities undermined religious beliefs based on biblical history. Remnants of the popularisation period can be seen in the nomenclature of urban objects, institutions, as well as Copernican monuments and celebrations

• Details
• Contents