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Copyright of Economic & Political Thought / Myśl Ekonomiczna & Polityczna is the property of Lazarski University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper expresses the effort to reinterpret the history of the rights of man, and of human rights thereafter then (starting from 1948), from a non-Eurocentric perspective. This is a very specific project that naturally is not meant to retrace the phases of the Western history of rights, but neither is the point to compare the Western conception with those of other legal traditions, such as the Islamic one. In short, the attempt is not to read the history of the rights of man as a progression involving the recognition of increasingly large spheres of freedom carved out of the sovereignty of Western states (as Georg Jellinek saw it), nor is it to read that history as a slow and belated delimitation of national sovereignty in international relations since the end of World War II. To introduce a non-European perspective is instead to analyze the role of the Western conception in leading to the ascendancy of the West over other civilizations and cultures on the ground of the anthropological representation of a non-Western otherness.

This review article is an attempt to introduce the Polish reader to the most important aspects of Marcello Veneziani’s book Nostalgia degli dei. Una visione del mondo in dieci idee (The longing for gods: Vision of the world in ten ideas), published in 2019. The Italian author, philosopher, journalist, writer and TV commentator, addresses the problem of diseases plaguing contemporary Western civilization that threaten its further existence. The book is a proposal to return to metaphysical thinking, but in a way akin to a contemporary pop version, and Veneziani’s gods, close to Platonism, are metaphors and ‘penultimate deities’: Civilisation, Homeland, Family, Community, Tradition, Myth, Fate, Soul, God and Return. The article provides a subjective review of the content of Veneziani’s book and juxtaposes it with Joseph Ratzinger’s famous proposal addressed to contemporary non-believers, that is, ‘to live as if God existed’ (veluti si Deus daretur). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of Cultural Studies / Roczniki Kulturoznawcze is the property of John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Institute of Cultural Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

For Adolf Hitler, the most important goal was to build the power of the Third Reich and expand the armed forces necessary to implement his plans to fight communism, solve the Jewish question and gain living space in the East. The peace on the eastern border sought by Hitler could be the basis for an agreement with Józef Piłsudski, who sought to normalize relations with his western neighbor due to the danger from Soviet Russia. For Poland, aspiring to the role of defender of Western civilization and a bulwark against Russia and Eastern influences, it was necessary to stick to the values of the West, even though the Second Polish Republic, heading towards authoritarianism, deteriorated its relations with Western countries. After gaining power, Adolf Hitler began building a totalitarian state, consistently destroying the achievements of Western civilization in Germany. Aware of Poland’s desire to play the role of a bastion of Western civilization in the East, he used camouflage, falsely presenting himself as its defender, and called for a joint defense of the West against communism and Asian civilization. Hitler’s maneuver was facilitated by the fact that J. Beck and other Piłsudski supporters, unlike Piłsudski, used interests rather than values in international politics. Poland lost in the confrontation with Hitler because, contrary to its efforts and hopes for a policy of neutrality towards totalitarian states with an openly anti-Western and anti-civilization face, it did not gain the loyalty of its allies or the gratitude of its enemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European countries share certain features, roots and, to a large extent, history. In the present article attention is paid to the Greek and Roman influence on European civilisation, or “Western Civilisation.” To this day Europeans refer to broadly understood models of ancient culture contained in the concept of polis as a community of equal citizens, in promoting representative bodies, appreciation of elements of merchant culture, rationality and emancipation, the concept of Roman Law that together represent the signa specifica of the Western civilisation. If one adds to this the contribution of Christianity and barbarian tribes, one may reconstruct an adequate representation of the “roots of Europe.”