Philosophical and anthropological notions of Viktor Frankl: experience of historical reconstruction

Philosophy

Abstract

The article deals with historical reconstruction of philosophical and anthropological theories, which substantiate Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy system. Methodological foundations of the research are theoretical conceptionsof philosophical anthropology in its broadest understanding and conceptual methods of platonism and aristotelianism. For the correct reconstruction of V. Frankl´s system of philosophical and anthropological ideas the author reviewed concepts of essence, existence, meaning of life and actual problems of human being. Description of the philosophical and anthropological ideas of V. Frankl in the discourse of platonic and aristotelic traditions unites human nature and human existence in ontological dyad, and the meaning of life and actual problems of human being in axiological dyad. V. Frankl´s perception of ontological dyad give reasons to perceivehim as «savior of Platonism» in situation of empiricism and scientism dominance in philosophical anthropology (in the tradition of Descartes – Kant´s – Husserl´s). V. Frankl’s analysis of axiological dyad follows the ideaM. Scheler’s axiological ontologism and foresees G. Deleuze´s immanent and event-related understanding ofmeaning. According to V. Frankl´s anthropology the orthogonal and holistic understanding of human natureand existence of human being form the basis for the intentional and spiritual way to the realization of actualproblems and human destiny. Integral result of V. Frankl´s anthropology is an image of Homo noeticus as ahuman of secular spirituality. As a result, predominant concepts of aristotelianism in V. Frankl’s anthropologycomplemented with platonic spiritual dimension of human being . In general V. Frankl provides synthesis ofscientific and philosophical understanding of human being which is potentially compatible with religious anthropology. V. Frankl´s synthesis of platonism and aristotelianism corresponds with «aristotelic turn» of nonclassical philosophy and potentially may be efficient for understanding peculiarities of human existence realization in the world of convergent technologies.