Historiosophic Foundations of the Polish National Movement in the Russian Empire

This article explores the historiosophic foundations of the Polish national movement in the Russian Empire in the concept of the Polish thinker August Czeszkowski (1814-1894), a representative of the Polish "national philosophy" and one of the creators of the "philosophy of action". Having witnessed the suppression of the Polish national movement by the Russian monarchy, Czeczkowski was one of those Polish philosophers who sought to awaken in his people the desire for active social and political action. Czeczkowski's historiosophic thought synthesized a modified Hegelian philosophy of history with the author's "philosophy of action". In the Polish thinker's conception, religion fulfills such functions as metaphysical (as the third stage in the development of history), epistemological (as a condition for comprehending the logic of the historical process) and praxiological. The last of them is considered in more detail, because it reflects the fundamental historiosophic idea: religion calls for action aimed at the transformation of the world and the establishment of the kingdom of God. At the same time, Czeszkowski's historiosophic concept departs significantly from the Hegelian system: Spirit, as the principle of historical development, has a material element, which, in turn, is the basis for the "rehabilitation" of matter and the religious justification of earthly, "worldly" human activity. Thus, Czeczkowski's panentheism, synthesizing classical theism with pantheism, makes possible the joint action of a personal God and a free man capable of taking responsibility for the fate of the world.