The national idea and the principles of liberalism in the works of B. Kistiakivsky

Abstract

The paper analyzes one of the major aspects in the socio-political conception of Bogdan Kistiakivsky, the Ukrainian philosopher, man of law, and sociologist of the beginning of the ХХ century, namely, the connection of his liberal principles and his national persuasions. It is established that Ukrainian thinker grounded his views on the conception of natural human rights and principles of the normative-value approach to society, which were developed by philosophy of neokantianism. He distinguished the ideal plan of the social being, which is formed by values and norms, servings as reference-points for people in their public life. The basis of liberalism is acceptance of political and legal values and norms, providing free development of personality. The means of realization of these norms is the legal state which B. Kistiakivsky understood as realization of human solidarity. He considered the cultural public to be the subject of the norms creation. This cultural public has a national character and gives a national form to norms and values. The conclusion is made in the paper about B. Kistiakivsky's accepting the necessity of the state support to the development of the national culture, as common to all mankind norms of morals, law, cognition, artistic work, to his mind, are fully and without compulsion realized only in the national cultural forms.