Дисертація є цілісним дослідженням концепту свободи в європейській
філософсько-теологічній традиції як фундаментальної основи становлення та
розвитку європейської цивілізаційної матриці та її національно-культурних
метаморфоз на тлі історичного розвитку. На підставі ретельного аналізу
найважливіших філософських і богословських першоджерел та критичної
літератури, а також застосування герменевтичних методологічних практик у
дисертації розкрита ґенеза західного концепту «свобода» та його подальших
трансформацій. Стверджується, що в основі цього концепту лежить синтез
античної «ἐλευθερία» з біблійним «херут», переосмисленим християнством як
внутрішня свобода. Вказується, що модерне розуміння свободи виникає на тлі
богословських суперечок про співвідношення Божественної предестинації та
свободи волі. У роботі досліджуються особливості тлумачення концепту
«свобода» в французький, англо-американській, німецькій та слов’янських
національних філософських традиціях на основі співвідношення негативного та
позитивного визначень свободи. Вказуються головні особливості українського
ідеалу свободи-волі та шляхи його втілення в сучасних умовах.
The dissertation is a holistic study of the concept of freedom in the European
philosophical tradition as a fundamental basis for the formation and development of
the European civilization matrix and its national and cultural incarnations against the
background of historical development.
The paper differentiates some sources of research not only on the basis of their
origin, importance and influence, but also on the main objectives of the work.
Primary sources and critical literature are considered separately for each of the topics
of our dissertation: the ancient understanding of freedom, its biblical-Christian interpretation, medieval interpretations and separately national-specific
conceptualization of this concept in the Modern era and in modern times.
The research methodology is based on the dual identity of the history of
philosophy as a section of philosophy and historical discipline. Given the specifics of
the subject of research and the tasks to be solved, the choice was made in favor of
hermeneutic methodology. Etymological hermeneutics is chosen among the variety
of hermeneutic methodological practices and approaches. However, the paper uses
such historical methods as: the method of rational reconstruction of the text, the
method of historical and cultural attribution and historical-comparative (comparative)
method.
The dissertation reveals the genesis of the Western concept of "freedom",
which is seen in the ancient Greek philosophical and legal paradigm. The paper
proves that the ancient "ἐλευθερία" became a marker of Hellenic identity. However,
the further transformation of this concept is considered, which becomes a
philosophical category in the metaphysical systems of Plato and Aristotle, Stoics,
Epicureans and Neoplatonists. The paper reveals fundamental differences in the
interpretation of this concept in the Epicureans and Stoics and their deep kinship,
based on the idea of cosmic harmony, which must correspond to the inner harmony of
the human soul. The paper argues that the end of the ancient paradigm is
Neoplatonism, which saw in freedom the possibility of a mystical union with the
One, which is given religious, theological attributes. It was this philosophical current that provided the opportunity for a synthesis of
the ancient "ἐλευθερία" with the Jewish "herut (freedom)" and became the basis of
the Christian concept of freedom, which appears in the epistles of the Apostle Paul
and the Gospel of John. However, the paper points to a paradoxical and contradictory
understanding of freedom in the Christian theology of the Church Fathers. The
dichotomy of Divine predestination and free will is solved in different ways by
Christian theologians. The paper emphasizes that Augustine Aurelius tried to find a
dogmatically verified understanding of the relationship between God's grace and
human free will, but eventually tended to deny human free will, given the distortion
of his will by original sin.
The paper examines the problem of the relationship between "Gratia Dei"
(Divine Grace) and "liberum arbitrium" (freedom of choice) in medieval
scholasticism. Based on the analysis of the works of Gregory I the Great (Duet),
Eriugena, Abelard, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scott and William
Ockham, it is pointed out that there are two opposing positions in solving this
problem: the first emphasized the primacy of divine destiny, the second .
The dissertation notes that the concept of "freedom", presented in European
medieval Latin by the term "libertas", received various national-linguistic
interpretations in the 14th-16th centuries, in some way defining the identification
matrices of the French, British, Germans and Slavic peoples.
In particular, it is pointed out that the concept of "Liberté" became the value
basis of its French identity. The basis of the French understanding of freedom was the
critical nature of independent thought, which originated in the philosophy of
Descartes and its combination with the concepts of "equality" and "brotherhood". This combination of freedom of thought with the possibility of embodying their
ideals and interests in political activity is the core of the French concept of freedom,
which has undergone numerous historical metamorphoses.
The paper argues that the British understanding of freedom is based on the
Anglo-Saxon concept of "liberty-freedom", which reflects primarily "negative"
freedom. It is based on the ideas of T. Hobbes, J. Locke, D. Hume and A. Smith.
Political, religious and economic freedom are seen as non-interference of the state in
decision-making by individuals while respecting the rights of others. The
transformation of the British concept of "freedom" is influenced by the utilitarianism
of J. Bentham and J. S. Mill. The paper reveals specific features of the American
concept of "freedom", which finds its conceptualization in pragmatism.
The dissertation research reveals the religious and philosophical sources of the
German concept "Freiheit", the substantive core of its interpretation is rationality,
morality and responsibility. Luther's rather rigid doctrine of predestination and
"slavery of the will" was later transformed into a philosophical interpretation of
freedom as a responsibility. In representatives of German classical philosophy
(especially Hegel), the realization of absolute freedom is seen as a task of the German
Spirit, which has a world-historical mission. The paper considers the voluntaristic and
nihilistic metamorphoses of the concept of "freedom" in the philosophers of
Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. It is pointed out that these features became the
preconditions for the distortion of the concept of freedom in the Nazi doctrine. The
dissertation states that modern German freedom is combined with social
responsibility and political rationality. The dissertation reveals that Slavic concepts of freedom are mostly dual in
nature. The most representative of them are considered: Polish "wolność-swoboda",
Russian "svoboda / volnost-volya" and Ukrainian "volya-svoboda". The studied
historical transformation of the Russian concept of "freedom" allowed us to assert
that it was verbally "freedom" initiated by Polish influences and the Ukrainian
Orthodox tradition. The paper points to the role of the November Uprising of 1830 in
the final demarcation of these concepts, which influenced the formation of Russian,
Polish and later Ukrainian political identities. The study notes that in the Polish and
Ukrainian mentalities, the concept of "freedom" is associated with the acquisition of
independence and political rights, and for Russia it acquires a deterministic meaning
("freedom as a perceived necessity"). The paper concludes that this understanding of
freedom is the source of modern Russian anti-liberal discourse, which poses a threat
to Western civilization.
