![Constantin Noica 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Constantin_Noica_2.jpg)
Constantin Noica (; – 4 December 1987) was a
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
,
essayist
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...
and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
. His preoccupations were throughout all philosophy, from
epistemology
Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics.
Epi ...
, philosophy of culture,
axiology
Axiology (from Greek , ''axia'': "value, worth"; and , '' -logia'': "study of") is the philosophical study of value. It includes questions about the nature and classification of values and about what kinds of things have value. It is intimately ...
and philosophic
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
to
ontology
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophy, philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, Becoming (philosophy), becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into Category ...
and
logics
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premis ...
, from the history of philosophy to systematic philosophy, from ancient to contemporary philosophy, from translating and interpretation to criticism and creation. In 2006 he was included to the list of the
100 Greatest Romanians of all time by a nationwide poll.
Biography
Noica was born in
Vitănești,
Teleorman County
Teleorman County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the historical region Muntenia, with its capital city at Alexandria.
The name ''Teleorman'' is of Cumanic ( Turkic) origin. It literally means ''crazy forest'' ...
.
He studied at the Dimitrie Cantemir and Spiru Haret
lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the t ...
s, both in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
. At Spiru Haret his math teacher was
Dan Barbilian (
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
Ion Barbu, poet and mathematician). His debut was in ''Vlăstarul'' magazine, in 1927. Between 1928 and 1931 he attended courses of the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...
's Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, where he graduated in 1931 (thesis: "Problema lucrului în sine la Kant" / "The matter of
thing-in-itself
In Kantian philosophy, the thing-in-itself (german: Ding an sich) is the status of objects as they are, independent of representation and observation. The concept of the thing-in-itself was introduced by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, and ...
in
Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aest ...
's philosophy"). Here he met as a teacher philosopher
Nae Ionescu
Nae Ionescu (, born Nicolae C. Ionescu; – 15 March 1940) was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist. Near the end of his career, he became known for his antisemitism and devotion to far right politics, in t ...
.
He worked as a librarian at the History of Philosophy Seminar and attended the courses of the Faculty of Mathematics for one year (1933). He was a member of the ''Criterion'' Association (1932–1934). Along his friends there, including
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religiou ...
,
Mihail Polihroniade, and
Haig Acterian, he later supported the fascist
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard ( ro, Garda de Fier) was a Romanian militant revolutionary fascist movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel Michael () or the Legionnaire Movement (). It was stron ...
.
After attending courses in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
between 1938 and 1939 on a French government scholarship, he returned to Bucharest where in 1940 he earned his doctor's degree in philosophy (thesis: ''Sketch on the history of How is it that there is anything new'', published the same year). After General
Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and ''Conducător'' during most of World War II.
A Romanian Army career officer who mad ...
installed his
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...
in collaboration with the Iron Guard in September 1940, Noica served as editor-in-chief of ''Buna Vestire'', the official newspaper of the Iron Guard. In his articles during the period he extolled the organization and its leader,
Horia Sima. According to historian
Zigu Ornea, his allegiance to the fascist organisation continued after the Iron Guard was suppressed following their failed
rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
.
In October 1940 he left for
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
as a reviewer at
Sextil Pușcariu
Sextil Iosif Pușcariu (4 January 1877 – 5 May 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian linguist and philologist, also known for his involvement in administrative and party politics. A native of Brașov educated in France and Germany, he wa ...
's Romanian-German Institute.
After the war, the Soviet army remained in Romania, backing the establishment of a communist regime. Noica was harassed by the new regime.
In 1949 he was sentenced by the communist authorities to 10 years of forced residence in
Câmpulung-Muscel, remaining there until 1958. In December of that year, after making public the book ''
History and Utopia'' by
Emil Cioran
Emil Mihai Cioran (, ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorisms. ...
(who had left for France), he was sentenced to 25 years of forced labor in the
Jilava prison as a political prisoner, and all his possessions confiscated. He was pardoned after 6 years as part of a general amnesty and released in August 1964.
From 1965 he lived in Bucharest, where he was the principal researcher at the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its byl ...
's Center of Logics. In his two-room apartment, located in Western
Drumul Taberei
Drumul Taberei (, ''The Camp Road'') is a neighbourhood located in the south-west of Bucharest, Romania, roughly between Timișoara Avenue (south of Plaza România and the Cotroceni Railway Station) and Ghencea Avenue, neighboring Militari to th ...
, he held seminars on
Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
's,
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
's and
Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aest ...
's philosophy. Among the participants there were
Sorin Vieru Sorin may refer to any one of the following:
People
*Sorin (given name), a Romanian masculine name
*Edward Sorin (1814–1893), American priest, founder of the University of Notre Dame and St. Edwards University
* Herbert I. Sorin (1900–1994), Ne ...
(his colleague at the Center of Logics),
Gabriel Liiceanu and
Andrei Pleșu.
In 1975 he retired and went to live in
Păltiniș, near
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...
, where he remained for the next 12 years, until his death on 4 December 1987. He was buried at the nearby hermitage, having left behind numerous philosophical essays.
In 1988 Constantin Noica was posthumously awarded the
Herder Prize The Herder Prize (german: Gottfried-von-Herder-Preis), named after the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), was a prestigious international prize awarded every year from 1964 to 2006 to scholars and artists from Central and So ...
, and in 1990, after the fall of communism in Romania, he was accepted as a posthumous member of the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its byl ...
.
Philosophy
The 20th century is thought to be dominated by
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
. The model of
scientific knowledge, which means transforming reality into formal and abstract concepts, is applied in judging the entire environment. This kind of thinking is called by Noica "the logic of Ares", as it considers the individual a simple variable in the Whole. The existence is, for this scientific way of considering things, a statistical fact.
In order to recover the individual senses, the sense of existence, Noica proposes, in opposition with "the logic of Ares", "the logic of Hermes", a way of thinking which considers the individual a reflection of the Whole. The logic of Hermes means understanding the Whole through the part, it means identifying in a single existence the general principles of reality. This way of thinking allows one to understand the meaning of the life of a man oppressed by the quick present moment.
Noica appreciated Greek and German philosophers, as well as several Romanian writers. He recommended to read philosophy, to learn classical languages, particularly ancient Greek, and modern languages, particularly German.
[Iţu, Mircia, "Conceptul de spirit la Constantin Noica raportat la Mircea Eliade" ("The Concept of Spirit in Constantin Noica's and in ]Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religiou ...
's Vision"), in Manole, Georgică (2010), ''Lumină lină'', ''Luceafărul'', Botoşan
Retrieved on 7 June 2016. ISSN 2065-4200: "Noica talked to me about Greek philosophy, particularly Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ...
and Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
and about German philosophy, particularly Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...
. I remember that philosopher Noica highlighted that one cannot have a personality if one does not read these authors. He said it, then he referred to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...
. His face brightened when I had mentioned his name. The readings on Romanian culture are important, as well. Noica drove my attention towards writers, such as: Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active membe ...
, Titu Maiorescu
Titu Liviu Maiorescu (; 15 February 1840 – 18 June 1917) was a Romanian literary critic and politician, founder of the ''Junimea'' Society. As a literary critic, he was instrumental in the development of Romanian culture in the second half of ...
and Lucian Blaga
Lucian Blaga (; 9 May 1895 – 6 May 1961) was a Romanian philosopher, poet, playwright, poetry translator and novelist. He was a commanding personality of the Romanian culture of the interbellum period.
Biography
Blaga was born on 9 May 1895 ...
, and particularly to authors who had been forbidden during the communist regime, such as the following: Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religiou ...
, Emil Cioran
Emil Mihai Cioran (, ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorisms. ...
and Mircea Vulcănescu
Mircea Aurel Vulcănescu (3 March 1904 – 28 October 1952) was a Romanian philosopher, economist, ethics teacher, sociologist, and far-right politics, far-right politician. Undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance from 1941 to 1944 in the ...
. He insisted on the need for learning languages, emphasizing on the study of classical languages and especially ancient Greek, as well as modern languages, out of which he warmly recommended German".
Books
* 1934 – ''
Mathesis or simple pleasances'' ("Mathesis sau bucuriile simple")
* 1936 – ''Open concepts in the history of philosophy in
Descartes,
Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathema ...
and
Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aest ...
'' ("Concepte deschise în istoria filozofiei la Descartes, Leibniz și Kant")
* 1937 – ''De caelo. Essay around knowledge and the individual'' ("De caelo. Încercare în jurul cunoașterii și individului")
* 1937 – ''Life and philosophy of René Descartes'' ("Viața și filozofia lui René Descartes")
* 1940 – ''Sketch for the history of How is it that there is anything new'' ("Schiță pentru istoria lui Cum e cu putință ceva nou")
* 1943 – ''Two introductions and a passage to idealism'' ("Două introduceri și o trecere spre idealism")
* 1944 – ''Philosophical journal'' ("Jurnal filosofic")
* 1944 – ''Pages on the Romanian soul'' ("Pagini despre sufletul românesc")
* 1962 – ''"
Phenomenology of Spirit
''The Phenomenology of Spirit'' (german: Phänomenologie des Geistes) is the most widely-discussed philosophical work of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel; its German title can be translated as either ''The Phenomenology of Spirit'' or ''The Phenomen ...
" by
G.W.F. Hegel narrated by Constantin Noica'' ("''Fenomenologia spiritului'' de G.W.F. Hegel istorisită de Constantin Noica")
* 1969 – ''Twenty-seven levels of the real'' ("Douăzeci și șapte trepte ale realului")
* 1969 – ''Platon: Lysis''
* 1970 – ''The Romanian philosophical utterance''
[The title is built on a word game: "rost" = ''sense'', ''meaning'', but "a rosti" = ''to pronounce'', translated here by ''to utter''.] ("Rostirea filozofică românească")
* 1973 – ''Creation and beauty in Romanian utterance''
("Creație și frumos în rostirea românească")
* 1975 – ''
Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active memb ...
or Thoughts on the complete man of Romanian culture'' ("Eminescu sau Gânduri despre omul deplin al culturii românești")
* 1976 – ''Parting with
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
'' ("Despărțirea de Goethe")
* 1978 – ''The Romanian sense of being'' ("Sentimentul românesc al ființei")
* 1978 – ''Six maladies of the contemporary spirit. The Romanian spirit at the conjuncture of time'' ("Șase maladii ale spiritului contemporan. Spiritul românesc în cumpătul vremii")
* 1980 – ''Narrations on man'', after
Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
's "
Phenomenology of Spirit
''The Phenomenology of Spirit'' (german: Phänomenologie des Geistes) is the most widely-discussed philosophical work of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel; its German title can be translated as either ''The Phenomenology of Spirit'' or ''The Phenomen ...
" ("Povestiri despre om")
* 1981 – ''Becoming in-to Being'',
[Noica uses the old Romanian word "întru" (< Lat. ''intro''), now rarely used and substituted in the current use of the language by "în" (= Eng. ''in''). See here how Noica explains its use:]
"If a nourishing plant, that we can not find elsewhere, would grow on the Romanian soil, we should have to answer for it. If words and meanings that can enrich man's soul appeared in our language, but they didn't appear in others speech or thought, we should also have to answer for them.
Such a word is ''întru''; such a meaning appears to be that of beingness. Actually, our peculiar understanding of beingness is, maybe, the result of the peculiar meanings of ''întru'', that came to seemingly express the beingness ''from within'', suggesting that «to be» means «to be into /''întru''/ something», that is to be, but not fully, in something, to rest but also to aspire, to close oneself but also to open oneself. In this way the beingness was pulled out from stillness and shook. But if it wouldn't be shaking, would it still be truly? What kind of beingness is the one that has no place for neither a vibration, nor an advance?". vol. 1: ''Essay on traditional philosophy'', vol. 2: ''Treatise of
ontology
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophy, philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, Becoming (philosophy), becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into Category ...
'' ("Devenirea întru ființă", vol. 1: "Încercare asupra filozofiei tradiționale", vol. 2: "Tratat de ontologie")
* 1984 – ''Three Introductions to Becoming in-to Being''
("Trei introduceri la devenirea întru ființă")
* 1986 – ''Letters on the Logic of Hermes'' ("Scrisori despre logica lui Hermes")
* 1988 – ''De dignitate Europae'' (in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
)
* 1990 – ''Pray for brother Alexander!'' ("Rugați-vă pentru fratele Alexandru")
* 1991 – ''Journal of Ideas'' ("Jurnal de idei")
* 1992 – ''Sunday essays'' ("Eseuri de duminică")
* 1992 – ''Simple introductions to the kindness of our time'' ("Simple introduceri la bunătatea timpului nostru")
* 1992 – ''Introduction to the Eminescian miracle'' ("Introducere la miracolul eminescian")
* 1997 – ''Cîmpulung manuscripts'' ("Manuscrisele de la Cîmpulung")
* 1998 – ''The spiritual equilibrium. Studies and essays (1929–1947)'' ("Echilibrul spiritual. Studii și eseuri (1929–1947)")
References
External links
* Noica's page at the
Humanitas publishing house
Humanitas ( ro, Editura Humanitas) is an independent Romanian publishing house, founded on February 1, 1990 (after the Romanian Revolution) in Bucharest by the philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu, based on a state-owned publishing house, Editura Politi ...
br>
* Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba
Filosofia lui Noica între fantasmă și luciditate Ed. E&B, 1992
* Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba
In labirintul răsfrângerilor. Nae Ionescu prin discipolii săi: Petre Țuțea, Emil Cioran, Constantin Noica, Mircea Eliade, Mircea Vulcănescu si Vasile Băncilă cu o prefață de Ion Papuc, Slobozia, 2000,
* Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba
Pelerinaj la Păltinișul lui Noica* Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba
Himericul discipolat de la Păltiniș, pretext de fină ironie din partea lui Noica* Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba
An adventure beyond which everything is possible, except repetition* ''Doing Time''. An anthology of Noica's works "for the benefit of the students that Noica was never allowed to have", with the volume ''Brother Alexander'' translated into English by his wife, Katherine Muston, and an introductory essay (''Atitudinea Noica'') by
C. George Sandulescu, the Contemporary Literature Press (Bucharest University
* Noica Anthology. Volume Two: ''General Philosophy'', edited by
C. George Sandulescu, Contemporary Literature Press (Bucharest University
* Noica Anthology. Volume Three: ''Rostirea româneascǎ de la Eminescu cetire'', edited by
C. George Sandulescu, the Contemporary Literature Press (Bucharest University
* ''Counterfeiting Noica! Controversatul Noica rǎsare din nou!'', edited by
C. George Sandulescu, Contemporary Literature Press (Bucharest University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noica, Constantin
1909 births
1987 deaths
Members of the Romanian Academy elected posthumously
People from Teleorman County
Spiru Haret National College (Bucharest) alumni
Romanian philosophers
Romanian essayists
20th-century Romanian philosophers
Epistemologists
Romanian logicians
Ontologists
Philosophical anthropology
20th-century essayists
Herder Prize recipients
Members of the Iron Guard