This article aims to draw on the philosophical legacy of Kasimir Twardowski and Stepan Baley to conceptually clarify the moral problem of patriotism, define its nature, and identify its moral boundaries. The first part of the article analyzes the concept of patriotism and offers its classification based on the type of love that underlies it. Instinctive patriotism is grounded in unconditional love (storgē) for the homeland as for a mother or parental home. As a natural and morally neutral phenomenon, it can serve as a basis for other forms of patriotism: romantic-nationalistic (érōs), reflective (philía), and altruistic (agápē). The second part argues for the possibility of integrating approaches from virtue ethics and deontological ethics to address the issue of the moral status of patriotism. This creates a complex framework for moral evaluation, categorizing particular forms of patriotism as a virtue, duty, morally neutral fact, vice, or combination. The third part, drawing on a critical analysis of Twardowski’s and Baley’s ideas, identifies the conditions and limits for morally acceptable patriotism: (1) universal moral reasoning combined with the ability to evaluate the specific context; (2) critical reflection on the limits of loyalty to the object of patriotic feelings; and (3) constant moral self-improvement. In conclusion, the author proposes viewing patriotism as an open moral problem that requires a balance between emotional attachment, critical reflection, and the individual's moral development.
Baley, S. (1947). Drogi samopoznania. Kraków: Wiedza. Zawód. Kultura.
Baley, S. (2002). Cant. In М. Vernikov. (Ed.). Povne zibrannia tvoriv u piaty tomakh, dvokh knyzhkakh, tom 1, 256-259. [In Ukrainian]. Lviv-Odesa: Cogito. [= Балей 2002].
Dietz, M. G. (2002). Patriotism: A brief history of the term. In I. Primoratz (Ed.), Patriotism, 201-216. New York: Humanity Books.
Dontsov, D. (2013). Patriotyzm. In Vybrani tvory: u desiaty tomakh. Tom 4: Ideolohichna esejistyka (1933-1939), 15-40. [In Ukrainian]. Drohobycz: VF «Vidrodzhennia». [= Донцов 2013].
Gilbert, M., & Garcia, I. (2018). On Patriotism. In M. Sardoc. (Ed.). Handbook of Patriotism, 271-286. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30534-9_51-1
Gomberg, P. (2002). Patriotism Is Like Racism. In I. Primoratz. (Ed.). Patriotism, 105-111. New York: Humanity Books.
Keller, S. (2005). Patriotism as Bad Faith. Ethics, 115(3), 563-592. https://doi.org/10.1086/428458
Kleinig, J., Keller, S., & Primoratz, I. (2015). The Ethics of Patriotism: A Debate. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on Moral Development: Vol. 1. The Philosophy of Moral Development. New York: Harper & Row.
MacIntyre, A. (2002). Is Patriotism a Virtue? In I. Primoratz. (Ed.). Patriotism, 43-58. New York: Humanity Books.
Matuszkiewicz, K. (2015). Kazimierza Twardowskiego dyskusja z relatywizmem. Studia Philosophica Wratislaviensia, 10(3), 59-80.
Nussbaum, M. C., & Cohen, J. (Ed.). (1996). For Love of Country: Debating the Limits of Patriotism. Boston: Beacon Press.
Primoratz, I. (Ed.). (2002). Patriotism. New York: Humanity Books.
Tokvil, A. de. (1999). Pro demokratiju v Amerytsi. [In Ukrainian]. Кyiv: Vydavnychyi dim «Vsesvit». [= Токвіль 1999].
Twardowski, K. (1971). O sceptycyzmie etycznym. Wykładów z etyki część II. Etyka, 9, 171-222. https://doi.org/10.14394/etyka.248
Twardowski, K. (1973). O zadaniach etyki naukowej. Wykładów z etyki część III. Etyka, 12, 125-155. https://doi.org/10.14394/etyka.270
Twardowski, K. (1974). Główne kierunki etyki naukowej. Wykładów z etyki część I. Etyka, 13, 199-225. https://doi.org/10.14394/etyka.277
Twardowski, K. (2013). O patriotyzmie. In J. Jadacki. (Ed.). Myśl, mowa i czyn, 436-455. Kraków: Copernicus Center Press.