Фiласофiя «крытычнага аптымiзму» Уладзiмiра Самойлы
Philosophy of “critical optimism” of Uladzimir Samojlo

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses Uladzimir Samojlo (Sulima) as a philosopher. So formulated a theme requires the proofs that Samojla should be regarded a philosopher. Although there is only one philosophical essay “Hetym pieramožaš!” (“In this sign you will conquer!”) and the rest of his legacy consists mainly of journalistic texts, the author of the article is convinced that Samojla was a philosopher by vocation as well as by the style of thinking. It is manifested in specific movements of his thought, and especially in the inner unity of everything that was written. A single worldview permeates all his texts. His worldview can be described as a version of personalism: only individuals have to be recognized as truly existing, the rest of the reality is in the process of constant change. This is the topic of the first part of this article. Despite this unity of Samojla’s worldview, one cannot find a complete exposition of his thoughts. Samojla’s writings are characterized by conceptual “untidiness”. This is the theme of the second part of the article. Finally, in the third part on the example of one empirical problem the way Samojla’s philosophical and metaphysical beliefs, his characteristic style and type of philosophical thinking which express their heuristics and shortcomings is presented. Consequently, the “dilemma of Abdziralovič” – the main problem of the intellectual life of interwar Western Belarus has been chosen. The author of the article asks the question Samojla: the West or the East? Where should Belarus look for its place: in the West, or in the East?

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