Ontological issues in the philosophy of V. E. Sesemann

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the problem of being in the philosophy of Vasily Sesemann, a representative of Russian neo-Kantianism, a graduate of St. Petersburg University and a student of the Marburg School. The study fills the current gap in the understanding of ontological issues in the work of V. Sesemann. The problem of being was developed by the philosopher in the mature period, which took place in Lithuania. Works on ontology were mainly published by V. Sesemann in German and Lithuanian in Lithuanian academic journals. Ontology underpins all sections of the philosophical system of Vasily Sesemann and the issues of being are inextricably linked with the problems of epistemology, logic, aesthetics and philosophy of culture considered by the philosopher. The basis for solving ontological problems is the philosopher’s interpretation of the principle of Parmenides and, through it, the formula of Descartes, which allows us to draw a conclusion about the specific ontological difference between the knowledge of the world of things and the knowledge of the Self. One of the most important aspects of Sesemann’s ontology is the problem of temporality, which leads the philosopher to a number of other significant issues. In particular, to the problems of factuality, possibility, the role of process and formation, the position of constants in modern knowledge, ideas about the “constancy and substantiality of things”, attempts at “spatialization of time”, the rational approach of science in representing reality. Vasily Sesemann addresses the issues of ontology simultaneously with the ontological projects of M. Heidegger and N. Hartmann and has a number of intersections. The original ontological thoughts of V. Sesemann are certainly of research interest; their analysis deepens the understanding of the specifics of his philosophical system as a whole.