Juozas Girnius (May 23, 1915 in Sudeikiai, Utena district – September 13, 1994 in Boston, Massachusetts) was a Lithuanian

existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

philosopher. His philosophy combined existentialism,

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and Lithuanian

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

. Together with Antanas Maceina and Stasys Šalkauskis, Girnius became a cornerstone of modern Lithuanian philosophy. In 1994, he was awarded the

Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this O ...

. In 1932, he enrolled for philosophy studies at

Vytautas Magnus University Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was known ...

in Kaunas. He studied at European universities, including Catholic University of Leuven,

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemb ...

, and

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

, where he attended lectures by

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th ce ...

. Girnius became interested in existentialism and chose this theme for his graduation thesis, titled ''The Principles of Heidegger's Existential Philosophy''. During 1941–1943 he lectured at Vytautas Magnus University. At the end of World War II, he left Lithuania as a

displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...

. While in Germany he published a pamphlet on the Lithuanian character. In this work, Girnius favorably compared the Lithuanians with neighboring nationalities and concluded that they are warmer than the Germans and more open than the Russians. In 1949, Girnius settled in the United States. In 1951, Montreal University (Canada) awarded him PhD for his thesis ''Liberty and Being. Existential Metaphysics of

Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (, ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. After being trained in and practicing psychiatry, Jaspe ...

'' (original in French: ''La metaphysique existentielle de K. Jaspers''). Thus educated in Lithuania and Western universities, Girnius managed to avoid influence of Russian philosophers, common among other Lithuanian thinkers. In 1964 he published his major work ''A Man Without God'' (original in Lithuanian: ''Žmogus be Dievo''), a psychological analysis of non-believers. Girnius expressed his concerns regarding spreading atheism. According to him, believers strive for infinity while those who reject god lead empty lives. Later he devoted himself to Lithuanian cultural activity, editing

Lithuanian encyclopedias Lithuanian encyclopedias are encyclopedias published in the Lithuanian language or encyclopedias about Lithuania and Lithuania-related topics. The first known attempt to create a Lithuanian encyclopedia was in 1883, when Jonas Jacevičius failed ...

(1953–1969) and '' Aidai'' (1965–1980), participating in various events or organizations, including Ateitininkai (a Lithuanian Catholic organization).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Girnius, Juozas 1915 births 1994 deaths 20th-century Lithuanian philosophers Existentialists Christian existentialists Lithuanian emigrants to the United States Lithuanian encyclopedists Lithuanian male writers Recipients of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Vytautas Magnus University alumni Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni University of Freiburg alumni Collège de France alumni Université de Montréal alumni