The Founding Project of Modernity or on the Last Man’s Provenience Cover Image

Założycielski projekt nowożytności, czyli o pochodzeniu ostatniego człowieka
The Founding Project of Modernity or on the Last Man’s Provenience

Author(s): Stanisław Łojek
Subject(s): Philosophy
Published by: Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Nietzsche; Mannheim; koniec historii; nowożytnośc;

Summary/Abstract: Nietzsche describes his „last man” as a creature who gave up all efforts at overcoming himself and, as a result, returned to animality (found his complete and ultimate happiness in satisfying his bodily needs and pleasures). According to Karl Mannheim, this kind of man has become dominant in our age the age of the end of transcending existent reality ideology and utopia. In this paper I would like to show that the condition of human being which is the cause of Nietzsche’s and Mannheim’s dismay was the greatest dream of the most influential thinkers (F. Bacon, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke and others) who were the co - authors of the specific project of modernity: the project of modern science, modern politics, modern society, modern state an modern... man. The last man, I argue, is the end product of progress which culmiantes in the era that some call the end of his story.

  • Issue Year: 53/2008
  • Issue No: 53
  • Page Range: 203-217
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Polish