Art – society – nation. Philosophical and aesthetic views of Władysław Mieczysław Kozłowski or „long duration” of Positivism

The article focuses on literary criticism and philosophical and aesthetic views of Władys-ław Mieczysław Kozłowski (1858-1935), who belonged to the second generation of positiv-ists in Poland. His critical opinions were based on the elements of the romantic (e.g. Adam Mickiewicz, August Cieszkowski, Friedrich Schiller) and the positivist (e.g. August Comte) tradition and the influences of modernist aestetic and ethical thought (e.g. John Ruskin, Jean-Marie Guyau, William Morris). A very important influence on the views of the philosopher had Friedrich Albert Lange – a representative of neo-Kantianism. The paper also presents the evolution of social views of Kozłowski and the fundamental antinomies of thought appearing in modernity, such as comunitarianism–individualism, inte-gral progressive–conservatism, cosmopolitanism–nationalism, idealism–utilitarianism. In his journalistic nad social activities he also tried to combine the traditions of the Enlightenment (Immanuel Kant) and the Polish romantic messianism. In Kozłowski’s thought reflect the most typical of the 19th century antinomies of cultural awareness