Antropologia pozytywizmu czy jego czarna legenda
An Anthropology or a Black Legend of Positivism?

Summary/Abstract: Review: Marian Płachecki, Wojny domowe. Szkice z antropologii słowa publicznego w dobie zaborów (1800–1880) [‘Civil Wars. Essays on anthropology of public speech in the era of Partition, 1800–1880’], Wydawnictwo Instytutu Filozofii i Socjologii PAN [Institute of Philosophy & Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences], Warszawa 2009. In his comprehensive article, Professor Henryk Markiewicz, the outstanding expert in Polish Positivism, speaks critically and polemically of the book under review. Whereas he respects the book’s volume and scholarly instrumentarium, as well as interpretative originality with respect to certain works and proposed model of pursuing a new discipline – i.e. the anthropology of public speech, he remains at odds with most of the remaining theses proposed by Mr. Płachecki. He rejects the proposed severe criticism of by-far descriptions of Positivism in the history of Polish literature, as well as a damning description of the writings and attitudes of many a Positivist author – particularly, Aleksander Świętochowski. He is also of opinion that the attemptedly-unbiased Positivist criticism of the nobility and the clergy and the partitioning states’ oppressive attitudes toward these estates are in fact beyond compare. Mr. Markiewicz also disagrees with the statement that Positivists completely abandoned any action to uphold Polish national awareness in the education system and social-oriented journalism, for their legalist strategy is not to be confused with a loyalism toward the authorities. Also the group’s accusations of Pan-Slavism as an ideology favouring the Russian domination are found groundless, beside a few rather ambiguous exceptions.

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