The Influence of Schelling on Polish Thought in the First Half of the 19th Century

The paper presents the influence of F. W. J. Schelling’s philosophy on Polish thought in the first half of the 19th century. I analyze the works of, among others, J. K. Szaniawski, J. Gołuchowski, M. Mochnacki, M. Wiszniewski, B. Trentowski, K. Libelt, or A. Cieszkowski. The presented research aims to demonstrate that Schelling’s philosophy of nature, his philosophy of the ages of the world, and his critique of Hegel’s absolute rationalism were a significant and profound source of inspiration for these thinkers and, in some cases (Gołuchowski, Trentowski), affected the very foundations of their philosophical systems. This influence contributed to Polish Romanticism gaining both speculative depth and self-awareness of its identity.