Studies in Soviet Thought

by Józef Maria Bocheński (Editor)

Early in 1958 a number of research projects on Soviet philosophy were started at the Institute of East-European Studies at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) under the direction of the undersigned. At present, they are all completed or nearly so and their results are described in 18 different volumes. In spite of the fact that all of them have been already published or soon will be (mostly in German), it has been thought worthwhile to present their main conclusions in the form of short English reports. This book contains in the main these reports. Only the two programmatic papers (my own and that of Dr. Buchholz) and the study of Dr. Dahm are not direct results of the above-mentioned projects. But it will be clear to everyone that they, too, are closely connected with the subject envisaged and are written from a similar point of view. It will, perhaps, be convenient to briefly formulate this standpoint. All the writings included here are concerned with recent (i. e. mainly post­ Stalinist) developments in Soviet philosophy, where "Soviet" is taken in the wide meaning of the word, covering also Marxism-Leninism in Communist countries other than the Soviet Union. All the authors started with the assumption that there are interesting aspects to these more recent developments. There was also a common assumption that only specialized work on first-hand sources can be of relevance in this field.

150 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Józef Maria Bocheński (born 30 august 1902 in Czuszw, Poland - 1995) was a Polish dominican, logician and philosopher. After taking part in the 1920 campaign against Bolshevik Russia, he took up legal studies in Lww, then he studied economy in Poznań. Having received his doctorate in philosophy (studied in Freiburg, 1928-1931) and theology (Rome, 1931-1934), he lectured in logic at the Collegium Angelicum in Rome (until 1940). During World War II he served as a chaplain for Polish forces fighting in the September campaign (1939) taken prisoner of war, he escaped the Germans and reached Rome. He joined the Polish army and served as chaplain first in France, and then in England. Fought as a soldier in 1944, in the Italian campaign of the II Corps at Monte Cassino. In 1945 he received the chair of history of twentieth-century philosophy at the Freiburg University (of which he was Rector in 1964-1966); he founded and ran the Institute of Eastern Europe in Freiburg, published the journal Studies in Soviet Thought and a book series concerned with the foundations of the Marxists philosophy (Sovietica). Bocheski served as consultant to several governments: West Germany (under K. Adenauer), South Africa, USA, Argentina, and Switzerland. Before 1989 none of his works had been published officially in Poland.