„The Sense and Taste of Infinity” − Henryk Elzenberg's via negativa

Abstract

The paper discusses Henryk Elzenberg's views on religion and mysticism, as they are scattered in his essays and critical writings, especially in his intellectual diary Kłopot z istnieniem [A Trouble with Existence]. The author relates his evolution of thought in the context of the philosopher's biography. He was first interested in epistemology and axiology (ethics and aesthetics) and then got involved in religious and mystic quest. The type of intuitive knowledge through participation in the object, which eludes positive and conceptual definitions, is called by Elzenberg intusception. The religious perspective affects also his relation to values. Initially, it was treated as a universal system of perfect determinants of ethical action and aesthetic experiences. In later Elzenberg's axiology they took on religion meaning, as metempirical and transrational signs − symbols − of Infinity (Indeterminacy). Eventually, this „religion of values” gives way to mysticism of negation, individual and solitary, in which the leading role is played by the „sense and taste of Infinity”. The author puts forward an interpretative hypothesis i.e. Henryk Elzenberg's via negativa was undoubtedly inspired by his Buddhist reading list. It may be traced to Jewish cabalistic tradition, although the author of A Trouble with Existence never refers to this source.