Interpretation of Comenius by Jan Patočka in the context of his philosophy of history

Patočka´s interest in Comenius was motivated by his interest in the philosophy of history. The chapter demonstrates Patočka´s concern with Comenius which resultated from Patočka´s focus on the turn from the Christian man to the man without Christiantiy as well as from his interest in the crisis of the modern man. For Patočka, the spiritual transformation, which is the main of civilisation difficulties of the modern humanity lies in replacing one´s “open soul” with a soul that´s “closed”. Patočka approaches Comenius as a thinker who´s difference from the main ideational trend of the modern age might be enormously inspirational in searching for a new spiritual path, whithout which our current humanity has no chance of leading itself out of the crisis that was brought on it by scinetific and technical civilisation; attention is drawn to the issue “pedagogy of the turn” towards the openness in the Post-European period