„Big Bangul” kantian de la „Sf. Sava” – moment de început al filosofiei românești moderne

Abstract

The study’s author supports the idea – also promoted by Mircea Vulcă­nescu – that nearly all the philosophy professors at Sf. Sava, who formed the founda­tional nucleus for education and philosophy in the Romanian language (notably the founder Gheorghe Lazăr and his followers Eufrosin Poteca, August Treboniu Laurian, and Ion Zalomit), exhibited a strong interest in and admiration for Kant’s phi­losophy, particularly his ethics. They found in Kant’s ethical ideas many useful princi­ples for achieving their ideals of political, national, cultural, and social emancipation. Most of them embraced Kantian ethics, as they apparently disliked the speculative as­pects of critical philosophy, which was widely discussed and often contested. Instead, they preferred Kant’s moral philosophy for its sense of certainty, seeing it as better suit­ed for educating the youth of the Principalities. They be­lieved, and firmly advocated, that the country needed individuals of upright character more than scientists – a senti­ment that remains relevant to this day.

Keywords

• moral
• ethics
• moral education
• duty
• categorical imperative
• kantianism
• romanian philosophy