The genesis of civilisation crisis as presented in the ideas of selected philosophers in the inter-war period

The commencement of a reflection on the nature and genealogy of the discussion on the crisis of civilization which took place in the Polish school of philosophy should be preceded by a few remarks. Firstly, Polish scholars who wrote about the crisis of civilization were fully independent as regards their ideas. Their voices were not only repetitions of the considerations undertaken in the circles of Western intellectuals aware of the impending collapse of civilization. Nor did they appear as a late echo. The proposals formulated by Polish scholars contributed to the achievements of the Polish reflection on civilization. Romanowski, Zdziechowski, Koneczny, Majewski pointed out the causes of the crisis of civilization. In this context, they indicated the spread of ideologies: communism, socialism, and mediocracy, i.e. the cult of mediocrity at all levels of culture and politics; secularism, materialism, or attempts to merge various civilizations. Independence and originality of the thought of Polish scholars does not mean that they were not familiar with the theories that were formulated by Western intellectuals. The reception of their works escalated interest in the subject discussed, and suggestions contained in them often aroused controversy and criticism. Not wanting to exaggerate the actual impact nor to diminish the importance of the ideas of Western scholars, I wish to shed light on the views of some thinkers whose reflection on civilization, together with an indication of the causes of the crisis of Western civilization is worth a reminder.Tomasz Knapik jest doktorem filozofii.2611914