The following is a sequel to an interview with Dr. Oleh KHOMA, Ph.D., head of the Chair of Philosophy and Humanities, Vinnytsia National Technical University; lecturer, Taras Shevchenko National University (Kyiv), founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Sententiae, carried by The Day (No. 7, February 2). He then shared his ideas concerning progress, new political elites, and problems facing translations in the philosophical domain. This time Dr. Khoma dwells on a philosophical recipe meant to cure us of post-truth, challenges to liberties, and lessons that should be learned from Martin Luther’s Reformation.
Dr. Khoma, past year your journal Sententie won the Yurii Pryliuk Prize for the best philosophical project and meritorious editorial effort. You were the first in Ukraine to be added to the Scopus database [https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus]. Relying on your experience, what would you say should be done to launch quality philosophical publications in Ukraine?
“Sententiae is a scholarly periodical of the Vinnytsia National Technical University, established jointly with the Institute of Philosophy and NGO Ukrainian Philosophy Foundation. This year, we have started using Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) offered by Crossref. This had to be paid for and was paid by the University. Our editorial board and reviewers represent various regions of Ukraine, and we keep in touch with colleagues abroad. We started on this project a long time ago, but it has begun to bear fruit this year. We’re making progress.”
PEOPLE COME TO TERMS WHEN COMBINING EFFORT
Aristotle wrote: “The end of labor is to gain leisure.” Do you think our scholars can act that way?
“Rene Descartes wrote: ‘Now therefore, that my mind is free from all cares, and that I have obtained for myself assured leisure in peaceful solitude, I shall apply myself seriously and freely to the general destruction of all my former opinions.’ By the way, he spent winters in Holland and Germany, fully appreciated the benefits of the tiled stove (invented by Germans, something heretofore unknown in France), and mentioned it in his writings.
“The younger generation is my number-one concern. University students majoring in philosophy – I mean the universities I know as topping the list in Ukraine. What concerns me is not even knowing that they will never have that ‘assured leisure in peaceful solitude,’ but the possibility that they won’t be interested in further philosophy research. This academic realm is on a sharp downward curve. A university graduate with a degree in philosophy, forced to find a job in a different field of endeavor, will quickly lose s/her qualification, save for what I’d call generic memory. This graduate will cease to be a philosopher before long. Under the Soviets, despite the regime, a degree in philosophy granted the recipient a distance from the reality, where s/he could watch and think.”
We often hear about Western values and principles that Ukraine should borrow, just as we often seem to forget about history, that generating and implementing those values and principles has taken Western Europe hundreds of years. Ukraine isn’t likely to follow suit in the next couple of years. We hear foreign experts who share their experience. They discuss important issues, but we often find them less important for today’s Ukraine. Gender equality, minorities’ rights, hate language aren’t what we need here and now, what with Russia’s aggression, rampant domestic corruption, and our desperate attempt to establish our national identity. Would you name any ideas that could serve to unite our society and give an impetus to our progress?
“To begin with, Ukraine is part of Europe. I mean that Ukrainians have also traveled their path, even if at a slower speed, having to surmount additional obstacles. We lagged behind, but this is explained by quantity rather than civilizational quality. As for the main point in your question, my answer is: all in good time. As a visiting university lecturer, you’ll get nowhere trying to tell a team of tractor drivers about transcendental apperception, because these men live in a different world… People can understand each other when making a combined effort.
“Exchanging experience with foreign experts – even when such exchanges are strongly reminiscent of sermons – remains useful. We are supposed to have a democracy, so we must show proper conduct. Athenian democracy took a keen interest in everything happening around it. The Greeks despised the ‘barbarians,’ but they studied them. This is an important fact, so I wouldn’t personally ignore those who visit us to tell us about gender egalitarianism. What I know for sure is that there are a great many people in Ukraine who are living way below any civilized standard. Whereas there are separate groups in the civilized world that feel they are mistreated, discriminated, most people in Ukraine feel that way – and actually are. Local problems should be solved when it is impossible to solve the main one. Otherwise it would be like putting the cart before the horse.
“We tend to expect recipes that will help us solve all our problems, and this is proof that we have that postcolonial syndrome. We have no time for figuring out the situation, for intellectual initiative. Ukrainian society and the political class are not trying to do anything productive single-handedly, waiting for proposals from the IMF or other international organizations. I am convinced that we must have our own agenda, without waiting for someone else to do that for us.
“If we used our initiative, in terms of mentality, and assumed the attendant responsibility, we would realize that everything we’re trying to do should be done in a different, complex manner. The impression is that many in this country are showing an oversimplified approach to their tasks. Our college teachers complain that they are overloaded with work, that their students are lazy, that they’re struggling to survive in these conditions. But the real challenge is to change the environment. That is why our effort should be squared, even cubed.
“We’re facing very big challenges in various spheres and many haven’t been able to realize the fact. Living in the structures we have is practically impossible. Sad but true. Worst of all, having these structures doesn’t make sense. They are not viable, they’re unproductive. One is reminded of the situation with energy efficiency in Ukraine, where almost half that energy is generated to warm the atmosphere. Regrettably, similar situations exist in other spheres…
Sketch by Anatolii KAZANSKY from The Day’s archives, 1996
“Any reform is rooted in mentality. We must start by realizing we need changes for the better. Alas, there seems to be no such need, because our old postcolonial habits die hard. We are accustomed to living that way. I believe that this, rather than the lack of funds, is the main controversy these days. We have funds (we have been through worse situations). The problem is that this money is being spent the wrong way.
“I see no prospects without a proper intellectual effort. Graphic proof of this is the 2014-15 education reform. The guidelines were very good, including the need to upgrade our system of education, raising it to the best world standard. However, when we received the recipe, it transpired that the proverbial cow had to be fed less and given more party line talk, in order to produce more milk. It all boiled down to B2 level English language practice tests. We were told that our problem was our teachers and lecturers who didn’t know English well enough to pass those tests. Save for Facebook that teemed with debate, no one discussed the reasons behind that phenomenon or whether that formal approach was justified. The decisions were made elsewhere.”
VALUES ARE CHOSEN INDIVIDUALLY. PHILOSOPHY ONLY OFFERS ARGUMENTS FOR THIS CHOICE
Changes in social, political, and cultural life often produce new notions. Post-truth is a graphic example, denoting a new kind of political culture where facts are ignored and emotions come first. In a society where post-truth reigns supreme, one can keep repeating mantras previously proven wrong without a shadow of a doubt. Do you think that post-truth is an essentially new phenomenon?
“I don’t think so. ‘Post-truth’ is new, I never heard it before, but what it actually means is nothing new. Plato wouldn’t criticize Athenian democracy, there would be nothing there the sophists didn’t have to offer their rich clients. This brainwashing technique, meant for the credulous, is as old as the hills. Some spin doctors must have been wishing to go down in history (or raise their ratings) when engineering this notion. For some scholars, this must’ve been another temptation to submit a paper on what they saw as an essentially new subject. There is nothing interesting here for a historian who specializes in philosophy. Post-truth is a phenomenon that has been described and categorized. One can trace down any component, however old.”
Is there a philosophical recipe for counteracting post-truth?
“We have to bear in mind that any individual has certain [mentality] parameters. Knowing them, it is possible to influence that individual. You can give him the third degree and treat him to the burning tip of your cigarette, leaving a burn. Human soul can be treated the same way. Cleverly told lies can change one’s mind, reach one’s heart. Then you get the result. This is when spiritual culture steps in. This is when you realize its importance for the development of man, in the broad sense of the word. Philosophy can only offer what it has always done: critical thinking, inner autonomy, distancing from external signals. Add here unbiased analysis. These are the hallmarks of spiritual/cultural maturity, something philosophy has always demonstrated. They remain effective. For example, Epictetus today would have conducted excellent master classes, teaching how to ‘fortify yourself with contentment for this is an impregnable fortress.’ And this would have earned him a fortune.
“Philosophy offers several recipes. Centuries back, philosophers came up with recipes meant to cope with various mentality parameters. Some individuals tend to accept the notion of post-truth. In fact, this notion is a product of several philosophical ideas. The sophists didn’t see themselves as liars. They insisted that liars existed where there was truth, but that there was actually no truth to be found anywhere; that in the absence of truth one could tell lies, and that they were no worse than what anyone else had to say; that one served one’s own interests. This is philosophy, whatever you might think. And there is something that stands to reason in this assumption.
“In such situations, I mean a conflict of values where neither logic nor common sense work; there are always those who support or oppose a given idea. During Soviet times, we were told that formalism had to be combated using formal means. Lawyers have at all times been trained to find loopholes when defending their clients in court, relying on them to present the case the way they wanted the jury to see it, rather than the way it really was, according to incriminating evidence.
“Doubtlessly, the notion of post-truth points to an aspect of our daily life, precisely that discussing our values doesn’t mean that they will be implemented. They can be implemented only after we make our choice as mature members of a mature society. This maturity is measured by one’s perception of certain issues, by one’s ability to make important decisions. Any corrupt propagandist will tell you long stories concerning ‘vital aspects.’ Come to think of it, what is our worldview rooted in? We see signs in our streetcars requesting that you let a lady with a kid or a disabled person take your seat. Some will say: “Why should I? I’m comfortable sitting and this is another social stereotype being imposed on me.” A rational assumption, at first sight, ground enough for an exotic truth-of-life philosophical trend. Values, however, are obtained another way. Our values are a matter of personal choice. In my opinion, philosophy prepares one to make this choice, offering arguments. If we stop at this stage, we’ll most likely end up having robbed ourselves.
“Philosophy offers access to things that are far more important. Thinking helps us figure out some ‘rational’ controversies, opening up horizons of freedom. However, the way we will use this freedom depends on far more than philosophy. Post-truth is a symptom of our mental state. If it manifests itself strongly, this means that we were prepared and waiting.”
TODAY’S LIBERTIES: UNPRECEDENTED. PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO TEST THEM
What philosophical notions should be used in the context of Ukrainian realities?
“Liberty is the key notion, I think. All battles, heated debates have focused on this notion. We have been trying to figure out what can be accepted or should be banned in this vast realm of liberties that came out of the blue for us. Making such decisions has taken hundreds of years. Should one risk one’s life helping terminal patients in a country located thousands of miles from one’s home? Should one commit an act of terrorism? Taras Shevchenko wrote in his Dream:
One builds with care, and one destroys,
And one, with greedy eye,
Peers past the limits of the world
For more land to enslave
And seize and take along with him
Into his very grave…
“The liberties we have today are unprecedented, including human rights, personal choice, freedom of speech. People are testing them. At one time, Ruanda’s prime minister addressed his people on the radio, urging them to kill their fellow countrymen. We have new technologies and far more opportunities. We may shortly find ourselves facing challenges never before faced by humankind, but we will remain the same Homo sapiens. We don’t know where to draw the line, but we’re trying and sometimes this causes tragedies.
“There are countries today that have received liberties never previously experienced. They have a new education system. However, such experiments have never yielded positive results. Remember what happened in tsarist Russia after receiving the European education system? Student rallies of protest and the throwing of bombs. This is a painful process and the participants must be fully aware of the shortcomings of the surrounding world. The awareness of freedom is accompanied by the desperate awareness of one’s unfulfilled opportunities. Obviously, our biggest challenge is the implementation of our liberties, keeping them balanced on a level acceptable to all – and I think we still have to deal with the tidal wave of liberties that the 20th century brought us.”
Five hundred years back, Martin Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. His Reformation was obviously what has helped us build the world we’re living in. How do you think we should mark this anniversary?
“Reformation is rooted in the notion of reform, but there are many people in Ukraine who are sick and tired of the way in which our reforms are being carried out. Reformation was not the term used by the reformers. It was introduced by the Catholic Church. It envisaged bringing the rules of daily life into conformity with those of the Apostles and devout hermits. It was an attempt to revive the lost spiritual harmony. A long process within the Roman Catholic Church that received a fresh impetus in the 16th century. Martin Luther said John Huss was his spiritual successor. The latter would become a follower of the English theologian, John Wycliffe. They were all intellectuals in the religious domain and used all the liberties they had at their disposal. The religious domain is wrongly considered to be prevalently dogmatic, that everyone there has to toe the line.
“Reformation was a sequel to the pious, ascetic practice using other methods. All religious communities – Buddhist, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox – are fragmented, always showing groups with their specific views. Reformation took place after the heretofore normal situation had changed, receiving a powerful centrifugal momentum.
“I believe that the Reformation is a very important lesson in history. It can be interpreted in a number of ways, but there is no denying its historical importance. It was an attempt to place principle above pragmatism, to act consistently when facing all kinds of challenges. Martin Luther did things that took a lot of courage and his Reformation opened up new horizons of liberty. It was an important experience, considering that people had been living for hundreds of years, bound by certain traditions, and suddenly saw that changes were possible.
“Reformation meant that people could read books, after inventing the printing machine that marked the beginning of another epoch. People were shown the way one could remain honest to God and work for a good cause, even outside the Protestant community. This civilizational experience remains acute at this IT age. Besides, the original Reformation’s mission wasn’t necessarily revolutionary (such violent outbursts wouldn’t happen frequently). In its traditional meaning, it was a continuous process of self-criticism, returning to the original ideas. A number of Europeans found their place there.”
REFORMATION: UNFINISHED PROJECT
Do you see any opportunities of reviving this process in our epoch of postmodern radical pluralism?
“Given radical pluralism, this is impossible, period. Reformation came as a response to unfreedom. Under radical pluralism, fundamentalism is the only possible response. It spells unfreedom and voluntary slavery. Back in 1941, Erich Fromm published his book entitled Escape from Freedom. I can’t say that his ideas were original. There are antique literary sources, including works by old Greek authors, that describe the phenomenon of freedom and responsibility fatigue, when they tried to find a leader who would show them the way. In this sense, Reformation remains a project to be accomplished. We now have such projects in many social domains, including families, technologies, and education. Human nature has to be revised on an increasingly broader scale. All those posthuman projects no longer read as science fiction, rather vice versa. We’re witness to phenomena of the same kind that began even later than 500 years ago. A recent literary competition in Japan nominated what turned out to be a software-generated work. Imagine: you press some buttons and your software comes up with a novel. You don’t like it? OK, use your PC keyboard and you’ll have another one in five seconds. Sci-fi authors have for years been promising that technological progress will make us free of unqualified labor and give us time for creative work. However, there are people without creative talent. The communist doctrine was the only one that promised this talent to one and all. Besides, who will bother writing novels, having software that will guarantee the Shevchenko Prize in Literature?
“We’re facing a great many challenges. Martin Luther’s Reformation should be a constant reminder that the surrounding world is changing, as is the scope of responsibilities we assume.”
