Išminties versmių ieškotojas: apie Algio Uždavinio asmenybę ir kūrybą

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Algis Uždavinys; Artimųjų Rytų išmintis; Modernybė; Postmodernizmas; Senovės graikų filosofija; Algis Uždavinys; Ancient Greek philosophy; Modernity; Near-Eastern wisdom; Postmodernism.

ENAuthor of the article discusses some of the most important aspects of the personality and creative legacy of Algis Uždavinys, showing the significance of his world-outlook to his achievements as a scholar. Discussing the nature of some of the more radical attitudes of Uždavinys, the author argues that Uždavinys never expressed radical views for the sake of mere radicalism, but, instead, was a radical champion of the values of moderation and common sense characteristic of traditionalism. Expressing in his works the traditionalist attitudes, Algis Uždavinys was always searching for some kind of golden mean between the rigid rationalism typical of modernity and the irrationalism characteristic of postmodernism. Arguing that the ancient systems of traditional wisdom, especially those of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, should be viewed as the ultimate (though indirect) sources of Greek philosophy, Algis Uždavinys always remained a sincere admirer of Classical civilization in general and Greek thought systems in particular, mostly Neoplatonism. The scholar was especially keen to demonstrate the essential underlying unity of all traditional thought systems originating in the common region comprising both the Mediterranean and the ancient Near East. It is very important to stress that Algis Uždavinys never fell prey to either the postmodern fashion of devaluing and denigrating the Western philosophical tradition based on Greek rationality or to the traditional unqualified adoration of Greek metaphysics and rationalist philosophical mentality typical of Greek philosophy.The same is true when we speak about his attitude towards traditional Near-Eastern wisdom, both ancient and medieval, but especially ancient Egyptian: neither short-sighted devaluation nor excessive adoration of all things Oriental was the sort of attitude that proved to be very conducive to the formation of a balanced understanding of the cultural achievements of that vast civilizational region. Algis Uždavinys perfectly knew both the strong and the weak points (relative to Greek philosophy and rationalist metaphysical mentality in general) of Near-Eastern wisdom traditions. Generally speaking, in his treatment of the relations (understood, both conceptually and historically, in terms of cultural influences) between Eastern and Western thought systems he might be viewed as an adherent of a holistic approach. The author of the article also points to the fact that the competence of Algis Uždavinys in the sphere of art theory, art history, and art criticism made a significant influence on his understanding of the history of philosophy (and the nature of philosophy as such) and, vice versa, his competence in the field of the history of philosophy (and philosophy in general) was very important to his career as a talented art theoretician, art critic, and art historian. [...]. [From the publication]