Michał Wiszniewski

Michał Wiszniewski (1794–1865) was a Polish philosopher, psychologist, and literary historian.[1]

Michał Wiszniewski. Portrait by Rafał Hadziewicz

Life

Wiszniewski graduated from the celebrated Krzemieniec Lyceum (secondary school), where he subsequently taught for a time.[2]

In 1831 he became a professor at Kraków's Jagiellonian University. He was a conservative activist during the Kraków Uprising of 1846. In 1848 he emigrated to Italy.[3]

Wiszniewski was an epigone of the Polish Enlightenment, and at the same time a precursor of Positivism.[4]

He authored a pioneering book on Characters of Human Minds, which is regarded as the first Polish work in the field of psychology.[5]

Works

• Bacona metoda tłumaczenia natury (Bacon's Method of Explaining Nature; 1834)
• Charaktery rozumów ludzkich (Characters of Human Minds; 1837, English edition 1853
• O rozumie ludzkim (On the Human Mind; 1848)
• Historia literatury polskiej (A History of Polish Literature; vols. 1–10, 1840–57)

See also

• History of philosophy in Poland
• List of Poles

Notes

1. "Wiszniewski, Michał," Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN (PWN Universal Encyclopedia), vol. 4, p. 660.
2. Information from the Polish Wikipedia article on "Michał Wiszniewski", 17 April 2009, 13:51, edition.
3. "Wiszniewski, Michał," Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN (PWN Universal Encyclopedia), vol. 4, p. 660.
4. "Wiszniewski, Michał," Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN (PWN Universal Encyclopedia), vol. 4, p. 660.
5. Information from the Polish Wikipedia article on "Michał Wiszniewski", 17 April 2009, 13:51, edition.

References

• "Wiszniewski, Michał," Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN (PWN Universal Encyclopedia), Warsaw, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, vol. 4, 1976, p. 660.
• Polaczkówna, M., "Michał Wiszniewski, 1830-1848," Rocznik krakowski, vol. 12, 1910.
• Kadler, A., "Działaność filozoficzna Michała Wiszniewskiego," Charisteria: Rozprawy filozoficzne, 1960.
• Bańka, J., Poglądy filozoficzno-społeczne Michała Wiszniewskiego, 1967.