Kazimierz Twardowski studied philosophy in Vienna under Franz Brentano. In 1895, he took over the Department of Philosophy at the University of Lvov. Twardowski created and implemented his own programme of philosophical education at the University of Lvov. This article discusses and critically analyses the content of this programme and the way it was implemented.

This paper aims to present the context and background of Kazimierz Twardowski’s programmes of teaching the school subject of philosophical propaedeutics, which has not been done extensively before. We propose to categorize the programmes as follows: “minimalistic” (1921/1922), “maximalist” (1935) and “pragmatic” (1937). The article accompanies the first English edition of Twardowski’s 1935 programme, as it is impossible to understand the meaning of this document without a broader context. We conclude that through the whole interwar period Twardowski influenced the programme that was officially in use, and in this way he shaped Polish intellectual culture. Twardowski and his philosophical school (the Lvov milieu) were the main actors in the development of philosophical propaedeutics in interwar Poland. Unfortunately, after World War II the communist regime eventually eliminated propaedeutics of philosophy as a fully-fledged school subject.

Kazimierz Twardowski primarily articulated his views on teaching and upbringing in his handbook Zasadnicze pojęcia dydaktyki i logiki do użytku w seminariach nauczycielskich i w nauce prywatnej (1901). The purpose of this article is to present the basic concepts and principles of didactics as seen by Twardowski and to show that they do not differ significantly from those adopted by some of the more recent Polish didactic theorists representing the same didactic paradigm as Twardowski (i.e., normative). Twardowski’s handbook can still inspire readers, as it contains a lot of practical advice for teachers and is written in clear and simple language that can serve as an example for contemporary publications in didactics.

This article presents the educational and culture-forming impact of the Lvov-Warsaw School as a specific scientific and educational environment focused not only on shaping its scientific and research programme, but also on the moral aspects of upbringing and education. At the School, special attention was given to the precision of expression by emphasizing the postulate of clarity in thought and word, logical correctness, and methods of doing science in an objective, impartial, reliable and critical manner. Tolerance and freedom were two key principles respected by members of the School in conducting and publishing scientific research. The most important element of the relationship between the founder of the Lvov-Warsaw School, Kazimierz Twardowski, and his students was the teacher’s charisma combined with camaraderie, which resulted in the pedagogical success of both the founder of the School and his students. However, Twardowski did not impose any specific philosophical doctrine on his pupils; rather, he taught them, above all, clear and critical thinking. This specific philosophical minimalism became an essential element of the concept of philosophy practised in his school.

This paper examines Roman Ingarden’s criticism of Kazimierz Twardowski’s philosophical programme. According to Ingarden, the style of philosophizing cultivated by Twardowski prevented his students from engaging in complex philosophical problems. Ingarden’s writings suggest that, as a result, they ignored phenomenology. The paper argues that Ingarden’s criticism is not entirely accurate. Members of the Lvov-Warsaw School were familiar with Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology, and although they often criticized it, they recognized its value. Moreover, it can be demonstrated that Husserl’s ideas influenced several of Twardowski’s students.

This article aims to show the main features of the style and content of teaching that was proposed in Izydora Dąmbska’s texts and implemented in her educational practice. Her legacy emphasizes a close connection between teaching and upbringing, with teaching always serving a formative role as an integral part of the educational process. The article focuses on the analysis of Dąmbska’s pedagogical activity at two educational levels – high school and university, as well as within secret teaching during World War II. Moreover, the proposals formulated by Dąmbska herself regarding possible forms of modernizing curricula and teaching methods in secondary and higher schools are examined, as well as how her superiors, colleagues, and students assessed this activity. In the final part of the article, the similarities between the pedagogical solutions proposed by Dąmbska and the Socratic model of teaching are pointed out. A set of features characterizing the thoughts of Dąmbska regarding philosophy of education is provided.

Report edited by Marek Porwolik