POLONICA SERIES No 2edited by Jędrzej Giertych
ON THE PLURALITYOF CIVILISATIONS
 byFELIKS KONECZNYTranslated from the PolishIntroduction byANTON HILCKMANProfessor at the University of Mainz (Germany)Preface byARNOLD TOYNBEELONDON 1962POLONICA PUBLICATIONSFirst Published 1962 byPOLONICA PUBLICATIONS16. Belmont Road, London, N.15., England© Polonica PublicationsOriginally published in Polish in 1935 in Cracow by Gebethner i Wolf under the title "O wielości cywilizacyj'1
 
CONTENTS
CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................2PREFACE ...................................................................................................................................4 by .................................................................................................................................................4Arnold Toynbee ...........................................................................................................................4PUBLISHERS' PREFACE ..........................................................................................................6 by .................................................................................................................................................6Jędrzej Giertych ..........................................................................................................................6INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................9 by Anton Hilckman .....................................................................................................................9FELIKS KONECZNY .............................................................................................................14AND THE COMPARATIVE SCIENCE OF CIVILISATION .................................................14 by Anton Hilckman ...................................................................................................................14THE MODERN ROAD OF PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY ................................................14ON WHAT IS CIVILISATION BASED? — THE QUINCUNX OF EXISTENTIALVALUES ...............................................................................................................................16THE CENTRAL PROBLEM OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY: ..............................18WHERE DOES THE DIFFERENCE OF CIVILISATIONS COME FROM? .....................18CIVILISATIONS AND RELIGIONS. ARE THE CIVILISATIONS PRODUCTS OFRELIGIONS? ........................................................................................................................18CHRISTIANITY AND CIVILISATION ..............................................................................19THE POSITIVE ANSWER: THE PRINCIPAL FACTORS OF DIFFERENTIATION OFCIVILISATIONS ..................................................................................................................22LAWS OF HISTORY ............................................................................................................24THE ONLY LAW OF HISTORY: CAUSALITY AND FINALITY ....................................25EAST, WEST. ROME AND BYZANTIUM. TURAN. THE PRESSURE OF THE EASTUPON THE WEST GERMANY ..........................................................................................26CHAPTER I ..............................................................................................................................30FROM BACON TO MAJEWSKI .............................................................................................30I INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................30II A NOTE ON KOŁŁĄTAJ ................................................................................................46(Substantially abridged) ........................................................................................................46CHAPTER II .............................................................................................................................49 NUCLEI OF ALL CULTURE ..................................................................................................49I FIRE ....................................................................................................................................49II DOMESTIC ANIMALS ....................................................................................................53III THE OLDEST ASSOCIATIONS ....................................................................................60IV NUCLEI OF TRADITION ..............................................................................................67V PREHISTORIC ECONOMY ............................................................................................70CHAPTER III ...........................................................................................................................77THE TRIPLE LAW ...................................................................................................................77I NOMENCLATURE ............................................................................................................772
 
II THE FIVE TIPES OF CLAN ............................................................................................78III FAMLIY LAW ................................................................................................................85IV PROPERTY LAW ............................................................................................................91V CLAN LAW AND THE TRIPLE LAW ............................................................................95CHAPTER IV .........................................................................................................................100ASSOCIATIONS AND SYSTEMS ........................................................................................100I SYSTEM IN THE QUINCUNX OF SOCIETY .............................................................100II NATURAL ETHICS ......................................................................................................103III THE CONDITION OF COMM.ENSURABILITY ......................................................107IV WHAT IS CIVILISATION? .........................................................................................111V HOMO FABER .............................................................................................................116CHAPTER V ...........................................................................................................................120CIVILISATION AND RACE .................................................................................................120I RACIAL MIXTURE ......................................................................................................120II WHAT RACES ARE THERE? .....................................................................................124III THE SO-CALLED SOCIOLOGICAL RACES ..........................................................130IV PSYCHOLOGICAL RESULTS OF CROSSING .......................................................134V THE SO-CALLED HIERARCHY OF RACES ............................................................137VI RESULTS ....................................................................................................................141CHAPTER VI ........................................................................................................................143CIVILISATION AND LANGUAGE ......................................................................................143I NOMENCLATURE ........................................................................................................143II MULTIPLICITY AND DISAPPEARANCE OF LANGUAGES .................................144III WEALTH AND POVERTY .........................................................................................149IV UNEQUAL CAPACITY ..............................................................................................152V RELATIONSHIP TO COMMUNAL MENTALITY ....................................................156VI CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................................159CHAPTER VII ........................................................................................................................162CIVILISATION AND RELIGION .........................................................................................162I INTRODUCTORY REMARKS .....................................................................................162II JUDAISM ......................................................................................................................164III BRAHMJNISM ...........................................................................................................169IV BUDDHISM ................................................................................................................171V ISLAM ..........................................................................................................................173VI ORIENTAL CHRISTIANITY .....................................................................................176VII CATHOLICISM .........................................................................................................179VIII SUMMARY ..............................................................................................................183CHAPTER VIII .......................................................................................................................187ATTEMPTED SYSTEMATIZATION ....................................................................................187I PROVISO .......................................................................................................................187II CONTROL OF TIME ...................................................................................................189III PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LAW ...................................................................................193IV ETHICS AND LAW ....................................................................................................196V NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS .................................................................................200VI TENTATIVE SYSTEMATIZATION ...........................................................................204VII CHANCES AND SYNTHESES ................................................................................206VIII CONCLUSION .........................................................................................................210INDEX ....................................................................................................................................2133
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