Leszek Sosnowski

The present book is an illustration of current approach to Roman Ingarden’s philosophy and to contemporary philosophy in general. Significantly, the articles contained herein are the works of authors representing various research centers around the world. This clearly demonstrates that Ingarden’s philosophical thought continues to be inspiring, regardless of whether individual researchers interpret it positively or negatively. At the same time, it should be emphasized that the present volume is not a commemorative publication devoted solely to the person and thought of Ingarden. The open formula of the book was intended to encourage and invite researchers representing various schools of philosophical thinking (both close to as well as distant from phenomenology) to publish in the present monographic volume. This applies to polemics both within and without the realm of phenomenology. In each case, we are dealing with an in-depth discussion which may serve as an inspiration for readers interested in a plethora of philosophical problems. The statements presented in this volume are offered in the spirit of research and creative exchange of views.

The starting point for the considerations in the article is the statement of Keiko Yamanaka that the Japanese know nothing about resistance to the bacterium represented by another human being. In the article, however, we put forward the thesis that Japanese culture has developed a collective immune system resulting not from individual but from shared systemic immunology in connection with the performance of family, professional and social functions. The analysis of Japanese ‘cultural immunology’ includes an examination of the ways of functioning of the body in contemporary Japanese culture. To this end, we first discuss the relationship between humans and nature in Japanese religious-ethical tradition. Next, we examine the Japanese relationship to the body as a special part of nature. Then we analyze the tension in the Japanese culture between individual and sociocultural bodies. In conclusion, we show what the sociocultural body is and how it functions in the system of ‘cultural immunology’ in contemporary Japan.

The present article discusses the main issues and threads of the ontological and aesthetic considerations of Roman Ingarden. The point of departure of this Polish thinker’s philosophy is the controversy over the existence of the world. It is around this problem that he focuses the systemicity of his thoughts in combination with complex structuring and precise analysis of detailed philosophical issues. Yet it is ontology that is Ingarden’s first study, free of any assumptions or premises derived from other disciplines. The first part of the present article, devoted to ontological issues, constitutes an introduction to the individual chapters of this book on the topic of ontology. The second part of the article deals with aesthetic issues, which Ingarden also understood systemically, meaning that his aesthetics remained closely related to his ontology and epistemology. Aesthetic research was particularly important for this Polish philosopher, as it was aimed at the creation of an original systemic proposal concerning phenomenological aesthetics. A discussion of the most important aesthetic issues raised by Ingarden serves as an introduction to the second part of this book, which concerns new interpretations of Ingarden’s aesthetics and philosophy of art.

The extremely extensive philosophical legacy of Roman Witold Ingarden, a student of Edmund Husserl, including papers in the fields of ontology, epistemology, and aesthetics, has been consistently arousing the interest of researchers from around the world for several decades. The year 2020 marked the fiftieth anniversary of Ingarden’s death. The present book constitutes a unique contribution honoring the philosopher’s memory and academic legacy. An ambitious project that brings together the thoughts of many intellectuals, the book includes research problems, contemporary interpretations of Ingarden’s thought, and comparative studies, placing his philosophy in a broader historical and cultural context. This approach perfectly reflects the relevance, refinement, and depth of Ingarden’s theories. Although the essays presented in the book undoubtedly constitute a due tribute to an important figure in contemporary philosophy, this collection is not exclusively retrospective, but also shows the present and future development of philosophical thought inspired by Ingarden’s works. Including a substantial introduction by the editors, the book contains eight chapters from some of the most significant scholars in the field, covering the historical and comparative approach to Ingarden’s thought, as well as from young, ambitious scholars developing new interpretations of selected aspects of Ingarden’s theories. Specifically, the reader will find chapters on existential ontology (Peter Simons, Jan Woleński), Ingarden’s theory of questions (Giuditta Corbella), music ontology (Edward Świderski), empathy and aesthetic experience (Jeff Mitscherling), the aesthetics of computer games (Matthew Gladden), aesthetic attention (Harri Mäcklin), and Ingarden’s theory and aesthetics of time (Charlene Elsby).

Art as Festival Art has been a privileged sphere in the sense that it appeales to art-receivers because of its power of taking them outside the sphere of everyday life (commonplaceness) and practicality. For the first time the philosophers of ancient Greece propagated this view. In this paper the Pythagorean and Aristotle’s views are considered; however they have different metaphysical bases, there is some aspect common to theirs aesthetics. In 20th century it is Helmut Kuhn, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Władysław Stróżewski who express similar ideas and convictions about an exceptionality of the meeting between art and man. In the first part of the article (the ancient) notion of “leisure” (scholé) is presented, while in the second one the case of “festival”, Festlichkeit and Eigenzeit is taken into account.