The aim of the article is to concisely discuss the creative contribution of the logicians of the Lvov-Warsaw School, which led to developments in Polish and world logic in the 20th century and which continue to influence its functioning on the international stage.

This article examines the profound impact of World War II on the Lvov-Warsaw School (LWS) of logic and philosophy. Initially, it provides an overview of the School’s flourishing state in the 1930s, establishing a baseline for understanding the subsequent wartime disruptions. Then, it shifts to the human and institutional losses endured by Polish scientific philosophy during the war, situating these within the broader context of national suffering. The article also explores the organized military and civic resistance efforts against the occupiers, highlighting the active participation of the LWS members in the resistance movement. It details the clandestine educational initiatives and wartime teaching activities of LWS members across Warsaw, Lwów, and Wilno, and assesses their scholarly output during this tumultuous period. Finally, the article offers a historical evaluation of underground education and reflects on how the academic ethos of the LWS influenced its members’ wartime conduct.

This paper is an introduction to the first English translation of Kazimierz Twardowski’s article Filozofia w szkole średniej [Philosophy in High School], published in 1919 as part of a greater discussion on the significance and content of the school subject called propaedeutics of philosophy in Polish education at the beginning of the 20th century. Papers that contributed to three major periods of the debate (early 1902 discussion in Galicia; 1919–1920 discussion in newly reborn Poland; mid-1920s until mid-1930s discussion) will be presented. A reconstruction of these exchanges reveals that many Polish philosophers participated, and most of the contributors were members of the Lvov-Warsaw School. Finally, Twardowski’s involvement in the discussions will be examined.

Kazimierz Sośnicki (1883–1976) – philosopher and educator, student of Kazimierz Twardowski – is considered the most outstanding representative of philosophical pedagogy. The philosophical origins of his work, influenced by Twardowski himself and the circles of the Lvov-Warsaw School, can be discerned throughout the scholar’s entire oeuvre. One element of this is the promotion of philosophical education at the secondary school level during the interwar period and the related concept of education for a worldview. Philosophical propaedeutics, based on logic and psychology, were intended to contribute to the ability to think precisely, formulate thoughts clearly and independently, and build a rational worldview.

This article presents Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s main theses on teaching logic in schools. Against the backdrop of the founder of the Lvov-Warsaw School’s reflections on the service-based logic course, the article presents the framework of Kotarbiński’s concept of teaching logical skills in secondary schools and his comments on the service-based logic course in higher education.

In this article, the author draws on Polish experiences in the area of extracurricular moral education for the younger generation. Non-institutional forms of moral education encompassing the entire society were introduced by the positivists, who aimed to overcome moral pathologies in Polish society. For this purpose, Aleksander Świętochowski established the Polish Cultural Society (TKP). Within the TKP, an ethics section operated, tasked with creating an intellectual elite capable of initiating a program for building a modern society. Although Świętochowski’s project failed, half a century later, Tadeusz Kotarbiński undertook a similar initiative, establishing the Moral Culture Society (TKM), which pursued identical goals. Both Świętochowski’s and Kotarbiński’s initiatives gained significant support among intellectual circles, which engaged in efforts to improve the moral condition of society. In conclusion, the author states that the educational experiences gained through the activities of TKP and TKM can be successfully applied today, even in contemporary circumstances – in a situation where schools do not provide uniform and universal moral education for the younger generation.

Józef Bocheński developed a specific concept of patriotism and patriotic education. In his article, "What Does It Mean to Be Polish?", he highlights the fundamental elements of national identity, pointing out that Polishness is not only a matter of citizenship, but above all, participation in culture, use of the Polish language, and sharing common historical and moral values. He emphasizes that patriotism cannot be merely an emotional attachment to the homeland, but should be expressed through conscious action for the community, its development, and the protection of its heritage. This text demonstrates that the concept of patriotism and patriotic educaion developed by Józef Bocheński, although understandably radical and inappropriate to the current times and the functioning of a liberal-democratic state in the 21st century, remains relevant in many spheres, including military formations, where it can be successfully implemented.

The article presents Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s philosophy of education and certain threads of Andrzej Grzegorczyk’s philosophy of education, in which the author creatively continues Kotarbiński’s reflections. It presents Kotarbiński’s broad understanding of education and the conclusions Kotarbiński and Grzegorczyk draw from this understanding. It also demonstrates the connections between Kotarbiński’s philosophy of education and the ideal of the reliable guardian, demonstrating that the reliable guardian is both the ideal of an educator and the goal of educational activity. It also addresses the issue of the educator’s proper attitude toward discrimination, according to Kotarbiński, and presents both philosophers’ views on universalism in education. Finally, it examines the connections between Kotarbiński’s and Grzegorczyk’s positions in the philosophy of culture and those they espouse in the field of educational philosophy.

This paper describes the story of my work on the monograph about the Lviv-Warsaw School, including both the book’s Polish and English editions. In particular, I address the question, secondary in normal political circumstances, of using the name “Lwów” in the title of the book. The work on the English edition coincided with a growing international interest in the history of the Lviv-Warsaw School.

The book in question: J. Woleński,_ Filozoficzna szkoła lwowsko-warszawska_ [The Lvov-Warsaw Philosophical School; hereinafter I refer to the book as LWPS], Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warszawa 1985; 2nd ed.: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2023; Eng. ed.: Logic and Philosophy in the Lvov-Warsaw School, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 1989.

K. Twardowski, Filozofia w szkole średniej, “Ruch Filozoficzny” 1919–1920, Vol. 5, pp. 1–6.

T. Czeżowski, O ideale uniwersytetu, in: T. Czeżowski, Pisma z etyki i teorii wartości, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1989, pp. 237–243.

J. Strzelecki, Wspomnienie o Stanisławie Ossowskim, “Życie Warszawy,” 19.11.1963, p. 3.

S. Swieżawski, Wspomnienie o Profesorze Ajdukiewiczu, “Tygodnik Powszechny” 1973, Vol. 27, No. 16, p. 3.

A. Nowicki, Benedykt albo o nauczycielach, in: A. Nowicki, Uczeń Twardowskiego. Władysław Witwicki, Wydawnictwo “Śląsk”, Katowice 1983.

M. Wallis, Wspomnienia i uwagi o Władysławie Witwickim, “Ruch Filozoficzny” 1975, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 15–22.

J. Pelc, Z dziejów podziemnego Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, in: J. Pelc, Wizerunki i wspomnienia. Materiały do dziejów semiotyki, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, Warszawa 1994, pp. 39–51. The translated text is an excerpt from sections VII and VIII.

J. Pelc, Tadeusz Kotarbiński – Nauczyciel. W 75. Rocznicę urodzin, in: J. Pelc, Wizerunki i wspomnienia. Materiały do dziejów semiotyki, Uniwersytet Warszawski, Polskie Towarzystwo Semiotyczne, Warszawa 1994, pp. 81–84.

M. Ossowska, Przemówienie na uroczystości jubileuszowej w Uniwersytecie Warszawskim 5 kwietnia 1956 roku, in: Maria Ossowska (1896–1974) w świetle nieznanych źródeł archiwalnych, eds. J. Dudek, S. Konstańczak, J. Zegzuła-Nowak, Oficyna Wydawnicza Uniwersytetu Zielonogórskiego, Zielona Góra 2011, pp. 113–116.

M. Przełęcki, Janina Kotarbińska (1901–1997), “Ruch Filozoficzny” 1997, Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 529–531.