Projekt nauki o człowieku w teorii jestestw organicznych Jędrzeja Śniadeckiego
The project of science of man in Jędrzej Śniadecki’s theory of organic beings: A reconnaissance

Summary/Abstract: This article presents the project of science of man introduced by Jędrzej Śniadecki in his theory of organic beings. Śniadecki (1768-1838) is known primarily as a remarkable chemist, physician and physiologist, as well as a teacher. One of the author’s most important works, reissued many times and translated into other languages, is The Theory of Organic Beings, published in 1804 (vol. 1) and 1811 (vol. 2). It was in that work where Śniadecki laid out the considerations regarding the creation of “the science of man.” As he wrote, what biologically distinguishes man from other animals at the same time connects him with them. Therefore, he postulated treating man as a creature belonging to the kingdom of animate nature, simultaneously assuming that man should be studied both in relation to other animate beings and to “beings similar to him” - other people in “social relations,” which are the cornerstone of the development of civilisation. The author focuses on presenting the relation outlined by Śniadecki between what is biological in man and what belongs to the sphere of civilisation.

• Details
• Contents