Living in Problematicity

Spanning his entire career, this selection of texts by influential philosopher Jan Patočka illustrates his thoughts on the appropriate manner of being and engagement in the world. The writings assembled in Living in Problematicity examine the role of the philosopher in the world, how the world constrains us through ideology, and how freedom is possible through the recognition of our human condition in the problems of the world. These views outline Patočka’s political philosophy and how his later engagement in the political sphere with the human rights initiative Charter 77 corresponds with the ideas he maintained throughout his life. This short and engaging book—published in conjunction with the prestigious philosophy press OIKOYMENH—is an ideal English-language introduction to the most significant Czech philosopher in recent history.

Jan Patočka (1907-1977) was the leading Czech philosopher of the twentieth century. He studied phenomenology with Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. His brief teaching career at Charles University in Prague was repeatedly terminated by the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Before his death, he became one of the spokesmen of the Charter 77 dissident movement.

Eric Manton works at the Jan Patočka Archive at the Center for Theoretical Study in Prague.