Nacjonalizm w świetle filozofii kultury
Nationalism in the Light of the Philosophy of Culture

Summary/Abstract: The article aims at finding reasons of plurality and variety of nationalisms. Their num-ber and essential differences seem to depend on influence exerted on them by specific social systems. Such influence results from the right received by social structures of different types to participate in constructing the political nation. In the shadow of car-ried out analyses there is a rudimentary truth that nation is a source of all nationalisms, in other words, that all features of present nationalisms, in fact, come from the charac-terization of political nations. Consequently, the relation between nationalism and cul-tural nation, i.e. a specific type of social (not political) structure, is not so much evi-dent. Even if such a relation happens, it ends with fighting between person (the highest value of nation) and community (the highest value of nationalism) for precedence. The author claims, that the national social system is only one of these which rival with each other within the same political structure. Therefore, nationalisms found and still can find sufficient number of good sources for their own variety outside the national social structure. These nationalisms, which grant privileges to individuals, can discover their roots in the kinship social system; others, which protest against any domination of in-dividuals in society and show favoritism to communities, can find patterns in the tribal social system; finally these, which tend to reconcile advocates of individuals with these of communities, can seek creative intuitions in the people social system. However, all ethnic-based nationalisms in conjunction with instruments, which only political struc-tures deliver, can be transformed into absolutism, imperialism, or etatism. The author concludes that only the national culture (with its national social system) seems to be in a position to guarantee an effective defense against these possible threats.

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