Contribution of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy to Development of the Baroque Ukrainian Philosophical Thought.

Abstract

The article presents the history of the creation and development of the KyivMohyla Academy, the first university-level school in Ukrainian lands. The article’s main point of focus is the teachings of the philosophical curriculum in the Academy’s walls. It is noted that the development of philosophical thought in Ukraine was in unison with Western European culture, and the logical conclusion of its rise was the creation of “professional philosophy” in our country. Kyiv-Mohyla Academy has a provident role in this regard. The author of the article shows that, despite a number of crisis-level issues in the history of Ukraine in early 17th century, the efforts of Orthodox Brotherhoods and wealthy benefactors allowed to preserve the Ukrainian identity, which was the final push in the creation of the Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium. The article gives special attention to the specifics of the process of teaching philosophy inside the walls of the Academy. The analysis of many different thoughts of the historians of philosophy allows us to come to the conclusion that the “Baroque Scholastics”, which was widespread in the Academy, embodied the union of the achievements of Western European philosophy with those of the philosophers in Ruthenia; and later – with the ideological accomplishments of the Reformation and Renaissance Era humanism.

Peter Mohyla, the founder of the Academy, and his influence on the development of Ukrainian philosophical thought is overviewed. It is discerned that the ideas of Mohyla as a philosopher and a thinker are characterized with a tendency to combine the Medieval Scholastics with the worldview of Reformation and Renaissance Era philosophers, as well as the writings of Early Christian and Greco-Roman authors. It was a synthesis, in a way, of the brightest traits of the culture of both East and West. Due to this union of the traditional spiritual legacy with the ideals of Western European philosophers, Peter Mohyla achieved his wish to introduce the people of Ukraine to the cultural accomplishments of other nations. The works of Mohyla are filled with a tendency to unite law and morality. The article suggests that the very work of the creator of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy allowed for a unification of Ukrainian people, for the creation of the single cultural space, which was a prerequisite for the later events, events related to the national revolution of mid 17th century. The article depicts the influence of the successors of Peter Mohyla’s work on the philosophical thought in Ukraine. Particularly, it overviews the accomplishments of Innocent Giesel, who ushered in an important period in the rise of professional philosophy in Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Thanks to this author, the Academy’s school of thought was joined by the influential writings of European philosophers, specifically those based on Aristotle’s philosophy. Furthermore, Giesel did not reject the legacy of Scholastics and Neo-Scholastics; he also turned to Eastern Patristic philosophy, based on Neo-Platonism. The special attention is given to the influence of Stefan Yavorsky and Theophan Prokopovich. The latter’s ideals and views were situated in the middle of Eastern Patristic, Western Scholastic an Early Modern philosophies. While he mostly based his philosophy on Aristotle’s views, Prokopovich did not forget about the passage of time, thus using the theories and achievements of his contemporary era. As the researchers suggest, this is shown in his goal to increase the weight of science in philosophy, and to decrease the influence of religious dogmatism. The author concludes that the Academy’s philosophy was the first step in a linear process of the development of professional philosophy in Ukraine during the Baroque era. Starting with the synthesis of “Baroque Scholastics” of the 17th century with the legacy of the thinkers of old Ruthenia, as well as that of the philosophers of Renaissance and Enlightenment era, the professors of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy united their own philosophical curriculum with the new achievements of their contemporaries in the West. The article states that, in general, Ukrainian philosophical thought during the Baroque era was represented by the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy; which then influenced a later rise of many philosophical schools (like the one started by Gregory Skovoroda), creating the foundation for the further developments. The Academy’s works were a great push not just for the philosophy, but for the Ukrainian culture as a whole.