Logical issues in the manuscripts of lectures by P. Linytsky

Abstract

Compared to other professors and researchers of the Kyiv Theological Academy, the personality of P. Linytskyi remained in the background for a long time. This situation was due to political and ideological motives; the catalyst for research opportunities was the restoration of Ukraine's independence. In this article, I will closely examine the philosophical approaches of the philosopher P. Linytskyi. The main goal is to analyse the logical methods in his lectures on logic. These lectures are currently stored at the Manuscript Institute of the National Library of Ukraine named after V. I. Vernadsky, in Fund 160, No. 815. They are handwritten notes taken by a student of P. Linytskyi — P. Kudriavtsev.

The philosopher P. Kudriavtsev is no less interesting and important. After graduating from the Kyiv Theological Academy, P.Kudriavtsev began teaching at the Kyiv Theological Academy, and later he held a position in the Ministry under the government of P. Skoropadskyi.

This article presents and analyses five notebooks (134 pages). In these written lectures, we become acquainted with the main issues of the logical field that P. Linytskyi proposed to consider. These lectures are one of the first systematic presentations of logical questions by P. Linytskyi, which were delivered between 1889 and 1890. Just a few years later, in 1895, his work "On the Forms and Laws of Thinking" was published.

The main topics in the lectures concern the nature of logic and the division of judgment. According to the author, the source of logic lies within the philosophical system. One of the fundamental conflicts in logical analysis occurs between idealism and sensualism. P. Linytskyi reflects extensively on various philosophical systems, but there is no definitive answer as to which one has a significant advantage over the others. Separate mentions are made of inductive and deductive methods, with the former used by sensualist logic and the latter by idealist logic.

Regarding judgment, it appears as an idea about any subject that possesses an existing attribute. Judgment is an act of thought, but not every combination of ideas constitutes a judgment. Judgment consists of a subject and a predicate. A debated issue, according to P. Linytskyi, is the problem of dividing judgments. The philosopher disagrees with the divisions proposed by Aristotle, I. Kant, and V. Wundt. Each approach is considered separately, with the lecturer pointing out the weaknesses of each division. According to P. Linytskyi, the division of judgments involves the following components: the subject of the judgment, the content of the judgment, and the form of the judgment. The notebooks conclude with an analysis of the division of judgment.