Jonáš Záborský — ethical-philosophical thoughts

Abstract

The main aim of the submitted paper is to present the relationship of Jonáš Záborský to philosophy, religion and to everyday ethical-social issues. All these aspects are closely interconnected in his work. Even though Záborský stood aside from the main Slovak national movement of the 19th century, his work is intrinsically linked to the struggle associated with this turbulent period of Slovak history. Záborský is described by many authors as the most prominent figure on the field of morality during the 19th century in our cultural space. Such affirmative judgement is mostly based on his work ‘The Wisdom of Life in Temple Speech’. This work is used to examine the aims of the presented paper. Although it is impossible to characterize his relationship to philosophy and the connection between philosophy and religion explicitly, the present paper describes changes in this field during his life. At the same time, the paper presents the practicality of Záborský’s thinking. We demonstrate his struggle and effort to help his nation and to help common people through education and day-to-day work. In this context, the article briefly presents his (moral) attitudes towards such issues as work, usury, lending, and justice. In the context of these social issues with strong moral connotation, the present paper shows how Záborský’s life attitude connects love for the nation with the necessity of education. At the same time, the paper uses these issues as an example to demonstrate how, in Záborský’s understanding, material improvement can be connected to moral improvement.