Uku Masingu tõe relatiivsusest ja absoluutsusest
On the Relative and the Absolute in Uku Masing's Truth

Summary/Abstract: The basic ideas underlying the world view of poet and scholar Uku Masing are discussed. Masing's essays and religious-philosophical writings often state that every thinkable truth is relative. Accordingly, there is no eternal subject to cognize this absolute truth, and there is no ideal language to formulate this truth. These relative arguments of Masing seem close to certain Buddhist schools, or to postmodernism, which is why Masing is sometimes compared to them. However, this article argues that for Masing, behind this apparent relativity of truth, there still exists a single and stable Truth as well as a certain Subject to recognize the Truth – "a vagrant beyond space or time", left from one's purified ego. Analogically, there must exist a language or some other system of communication enabling contact between the Truth and the Subject. Masing's belief in this hidden Truth differentiates Masing fundamentally from postmodernism and certain mahayana schools of Buddhism, which at first sight might appear somewhat close to Masing. This illusive similarity, but fundamental difference, is illustrated by comparing Masing to Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna and postmodernist thinkers J. Derrida and G. Deleuze.

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