Dwa pojęcia rzymskości. Przykład Hegla i Brague’a

Abstract

Two Notions of the Roman Heritage. Hegel’s and Brague’s Perspective


The article is an attempt to characterize the role and meaning of the Roman heritage in the European culture. The author tries to define this impact by comparing two different concepts of the Roman descent. The first one, formulated by G. W. F. Hegel, underlines violent aspects of the Roman history and statehood. Hegel describes the Roman legacy only as a brutal historic lesson which prepared humanity for accepting Christianity. The second concept, presented by R. Brague, focuses on the secondary character of Rome. It is viewed as an advantage, as it enabled ancient Romans to internalize the traditions of the other cultures. According to Brague, such an assessment of the Roman heritage defines the European civilization as opened to everything that is external. The author of the paper claims that, despite these differences, both philosophers share the notion of the essence of Rome. Hegel as well as Brague conceptualizes the Roman history as something departing from the nature and from the artificial, which can be viewed as a culture-forming factor.

Keywords: philosophy of history, Rome, Roman heritage, European culture, Hegel, Brague.