Paper short abstract:

The paper will explore the concepts concerning civilisation, nature and their impact on human development introduced by Jędrzej Śniadecki (1768–1838) in his theory of organic beings.

Paper long abstract:

The paper will explore the concepts concerning civilisation, nature and their impact on human development introduced by Jędrzej Śniadecki (1768–1838) – physician, chemist, biologist, and an influential thinker of the Polish Enlightenment.

Śniadecki witnessed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's fall and partitions (1795) and the unsuccessful efforts to rebuild the country as an independent European state (Napoleonic wars, November uprising). The loss of independence profoundly impacted scientific life, not only in the gradual loss of legally functioning scientific institutions. Keeping the traditional (national) differences alive was often challenged by the concept of civilisation, understood as transnational, homogenous, and even – in the face of partitions – threatening. This stance was problematic for Polish scientists, who had to view man as a universal being and base their research on general scientific knowledge. However, the uncertainties around that area gave Śniadecki an interesting insight into the problem of nature and civilisation. In his influential work, "Teorya jestestw organicznych" [Theory of Organic Beings] (vol. 1: 1804; vol 2: 1811), he investigated the theories behind the functioning of the human body and mind and the impact of nature and civilisation on them. Treating civilisation as a necessary driving force in human history, he based his theory on organic concepts, linking the development of muscles and the nervous system with specific steps in the advancement of humankind.

The paper will present research results concerning Śniadecki's theory of organic beings as an important proposition of early theoretical approach in Polish cultural sciences.