Constantin Rădulescu-Motru (; born Constantin Rădulescu, he added the surname ''
Motru
Motru () is a municipiu, city in Romania, Gorj County. It is situated on the river Motru (river), Motru and its tributary, the river Ploștina (river), Ploștina, in western Oltenia. The county capital Târgu Jiu is located about northeast. The ...
'' in 1892; February 15, 1868 – March 6, 1957) was a
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n philosopher, psychologist, sociologist,
logician
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure of arg ...
, academic, dramatist, as well as
left
Left may refer to:
Music
* ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006
* ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016
* ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023
* "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996
Direction
* Left (direction), the relativ ...
-
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
politician. A
member of the Romanian Academy after 1923, he was its vice president in 1935–1938, 1941–1944, and its president between 1938 and 1941.
Early life

Born in
Butoiești
Butoiești is a commune located in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Arginești, Butoiești, Buicești, Gura Motrului, Jugastru, Pluta, Răduțești, and Țânțaru.
Natives
* Constantin Rădulescu-Motru
Co ...
,
Mehedinți County
Mehedinți County () is a county () of Romania on the border with Serbia and Bulgaria. It is mostly located in the historical province of Oltenia, with one municipality (Orșova) and three communes (Dubova, Mehedinți, Dubova, Eșelnița, and Svi ...
, he was the son of Radu Poppescu, whose natural father was
Eufrosin Poteca, and Judita Butoi. His mother died during childbirth, and Radu Poppescu married Ecaterina Cernăianu, who gave birth to Constantin's nine half-siblings.
During his childhood, Constantin fell ill with
malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
. He also fractured a leg, resulting in a permanent physical impediment.
Radu Poppescu, who worked as a secretary for Poteca for part of his life, inherited a certain sum after the death of his employer and father; this was to take the form of a
scholarship
A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
for Constantin Rădulescu. He ultimately refused to make use of it, indicating that he would use instead revenue from his
estate in Butoiești; the scholarship was eventually awarded to
Gheorghe Țițeica, the renowned mathematician.
In 1885, he graduated from
Carol I High School in
Craiova
Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia.
It i ...
, and subsequently entered the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
, applying to both its Faculty of Law and Faculty of Letters. He was taught by
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 Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
, who was to become his mentor, and attended lectures by
Constantin Dimitrescu-Iași,
V. A. Urechia,
Grigore Tocilescu
Grigore George Tocilescu (26 October 1850 – 18 September 1909) was a Romanian historian, archaeologist, epigrapher and folkorist, and member of the Romanian Academy.
He was a professor of ancient history at the University of Bucharest, author ...
, and
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (; 26 February 1838 – ) was a Romanian writer and philologist who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history.
Life
He was born Tadeu Hâjdeu in Cristineștii Hotinului (now Kerstentsi in Chernivtsi ...
. He was part of the last generation of
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
s to participate in the activities of the ''
Junimea''
literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newslet ...
(where Maiorescu had endured as the major influence).
Rădulescu-Motru was awarded a law degree ''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' in 1888, and passed his philosophy exam the following year.
Studies abroad
In the summer of 1889, he accompanied Maiorescu on a trip to
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, notably visiting the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
and the
University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...
, establishing contacts with German academics. This brought his inclusion into the last stage of a program initiated by Maiorescu as the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...
's Minister of Education: alongside other important cultural and scientific figures (such as
Alexandru A. Philippide,
Ștefan Zeletin,
Ion Rădulescu-Pogoneanu,
Iorgu Iordan
Iorgu Iordan (; also known as ''Jorgu Jordan'' or ''Iorgu Jordan''; – September 20, 1986) was a Romanian linguist, philologist, diplomat, journalist, and left-wing agrarian, later communist, politician. The author of works on a large variety o ...
,
Simion Mehedinți,
Nicolae Bănescu
Nicolae P. Bănescu (December 16, 1878 – September 11, 1971) was a Romanian historian, elected a titular member of the Romanian Academy in 1936.
He was born in Călărași, the third of 14 children of Petre Bănescu, a lawyer, and his wife Ecat ...
,
P. P. Negulescu,
Teohari Antonescu, and
Constantin Litzica), he was given official assistance in order complete his education abroad (in order to provide Romania with a new generation of academics). Initially, he directed his interest towards studies in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, attending
Henry Beaunis' lectures in psychology at the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
during the fall of 1899.
Between 1890 and 1893, Rădulescu settled in Germany – he lived in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
and studied at the university for one semester (as a student of
Carl Stumpf
Carl Stumpf (; 21 April 1848 – 25 December 1936) was a German philosopher, psychologist and musicologist. He is noted for founding the Berlin School of experimental psychology.
He studied with Franz Brentano at the University of Würzburg be ...
), and then moved to
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, where he began working in the laboratory of
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (; ; 16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physiologist, philosopher, and professor, one of the fathers of modern psychology. Wundt, who distinguished psychology as a science from philosophy and biology, was t ...
at the
local university
Local colleges and universities (LCUs) are higher educational institutions that are being run by Administrative divisions of the Philippines, local government units in the Philippines.
A local government unit (LGU) maybe a barangay, a municipalit ...
. While completing his training with Wundt, he attended classes in physics,
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
,
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
,
psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior.
...
, and mathematics, as well as
Gustav Weigand's lectures in
Romanian philology. He married a German woman, who later refused to accompany him back to Romania; they eventually divorced. He took his
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
in 1893, with a thesis on
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works ...
's philosophy (''Zur Entwickelung von Kant's Theorie der Naturkausalität''), one notably quoted by
Henri Bergson
Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...
in his ''
Introduction à la Métaphysique''.
Academic and political career
After 1897, he served on the editorial board of
Spiru Haret's ''Albina''
popular science
Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...
magazine. On January 1, 1900, he also founded and edited ''
Noua Revistă Română'' (which published articles by, among others,
Nicolae Iorga,
Ion Luca Caragiale
Ion Luca Caragiale (; According to his birth certificate, published and discussed by Constantin Popescu-Cadem in ''Manuscriptum'', Vol. VIII, Nr. 2, 1977, pp. 179–184 – 9 June 1912), commonly referred to as I. L. Caragiale, was a Romanians, ...
,
George Coşbuc,
Lazăr Şăineanu,
Ioan Nădejde,
Ovid Densusianu,
H. Sanielevici, and
Garabet Ibrăileanu
Garabet Ibrăileanu (; May 23, 1871 – March 11, 1936) was a Romanian-Armenian literary critic and theorist, writer, translator, sociologist, University of Iași professor (1908–1934), and, together with Paul Bujor and Constantin Stere, fo ...
). Appointed to the chair of Philosophy at the University of Bucharest in 1906 (after three years of employment at the cultural foundation created by
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Carol I
Carol I or Charles I of Romania (born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; 20 April 1839 – ), was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as ...
), he was also the founder of the review ''Studii filosofice'' (later renamed ''Revista de filosofie''), and, in 1918, became head of the
National Theatre Bucharest
The National Theatre Bucharest () is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest.
Founding
It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Grand Theatre of Bucharest") in 1852, its first director ...
.
In 1923, Rădulescu-Motru joined
Virgil Madgearu,
Constantin Costa-Foru,
Victor Eftimiu,
Grigore Iunian,
Radu D. Rosetti,
Dem I. Dobrescu, and the
socialists
Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...
Constantin Titel Petrescu,
Nicolae L. Lupu, and
Constantin Mille
Constantin Mille (; December 21, 1861 – February 20, 1927) was a Romanian journalist, novelist, poet, lawyer, and Socialism, socialist militant, as well as a prominent human rights activist. A Marxism, Marxist for much of his life, Mille was not ...
, in creating ''Liga Drepturilor Omului'' (the League for
Human Rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
), protesting against measures taken by the
National Liberal cabinet of
Ion I. C. Brătianu in dealing with left-wing opposition forces. In 1925, Rădulescu-Motru,
Nicolae Basilescu, and
Traian Bratu were part of a government-appointed committee investigating the roles of
A. C. Cuza and
Corneliu Șumuleanu in the
anti-Semitic
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
violence having occurred at the
University of Iași
The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...
in 1923–1925.
Initially a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
,
[Ornea 1995, p.119] he became active inside the newly created
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; , or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an Agrarianism, agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It was formed in 1926 throu ...
towards the end of the 1920s, and adapted the group's advocacy of a peasant state that would favour small-scale agricultural property (an echo of
Poporanism
Poporanism is a Romanian version of nationalism and populism.
The word is derived from ''popor'', meaning "people" in Romanian language, Romanian. Founded by Constantin Stere in the early 1890s, Poporanism is distinguished by its opposition to Ma ...
), while taking a more
centrist
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
stand than his friend Madgearu. A member of the party's Study Circle, he took part in drafting a new party program (a 1935 initiative taken by
Ion Mihalache
Ion Mihalache (; March 3, 1882 – February 5, 1963) was a Romanian Agrarianism, agrarian politician, the founder and leader of the Peasants' Party (Romania), Peasants' Party (PȚ) and a main figure of its successor, the National Peasants' Party ( ...
and
Mihai Ralea, it also involved the left-wingers
Ernest Ene,
Mihail Ghelmegeanu, and
Petre Andrei).
It was at this time that his ideas on
ethnicity
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they Collective consciousness, collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, ...
(''Romanianism'') came to be debated by various figures on the
Right
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
, and were the subject of virulent criticism from
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
s sympathetic to the
fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard () was a Romanian militant revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary Clerical fascism, religious fascist Political movement, movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel M ...
, who notably rejected his commitment to
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
and Maiorescu's ''
Junimea'' tradition (
Mircea Vulcănescu spoke against "his hostile attitude, shared by his ''Junimist'' colleagues, against the penetration of a new, religious spirit, inside the University
f Bucharest), as well as from the nationalist
modernist
Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
Lucian Blaga
Lucian Blaga (; 9 May 1895 – 6 May 1961) was a Romanians, Romanian philosopher, poet, playwright, poetry translator and novelist. He is considered one of the greatest philosophers and poets of Romania, and a prominent philosopher of the twenti ...
. According to a later assessment of his work by Vulcănescu, who had since become influenced by the centrist National Peasants' Party member
Dimitrie Gusti
Dimitrie Gusti (; 13 February 1880 – 30 October 1955) was a Romanian sociologist, ethnologist, historian, and voluntarist philosopher; a professor at the University of Iași and the University of Bucharest, he served as Romania's Minister ...
, the latter's outlook on
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
was also in disagreement with Rădulescu-Motru's adherence to ''Junimist'' guidelines.
Toward the end of the 1930s, Rădulescu-Motru was involved in a dispute with the
far right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...
philosopher
Nae Ionescu
Nae Ionescu (, born Nicolae C. Ionescu; – 15 March 1940) was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist.
Life
Born in Brăila, Ionescu studied Letters at the University of Bucharest until 1912. Upon graduati ...
, who, although appointed his assistant at the Philosophy department, had begun to criticize his views in the pro-Iron Guard journal ''
Cuvântul''; writing to
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian History of religion, historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. One of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and in ...
in 1938, he accused Ionescu of various unacademic practices, including using lectures on Logic to promote "a sort of dilettante
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...
".
The President of the academy at the moment when
Carol II
Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, ...
assumed dictatorial powers, he chose to support the new
National Renaissance Front
The National Renaissance Front (, FRN; also translated as ''Front of National Regeneration'', ''Front of National Rebirth'', ''Front of National Resurrection'', or ''Front of National Renaissance'') was a Romanian political party created by King Ca ...
(FRN) regime, and moved away from party politics.
[Ţurlea] He remained in office after Carol's fall from power and the establishment of the Iron Guard's
National Legionary State
The National Legionary State () was a Totalitarianism, totalitarian Fascism, fascist regime which governed Kingdom of Romania, Romania for five months, from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941. The regime was led ...
government; in the autumn of 1940, as Madgearu and
Nicolae Iorga, who had been assassinated by the Guard's armed groups, were being buried, he led the delegation of academy members who defied the policies of
Horia Sima
Horia Sima (3 July 1906 – 25 May 1993) was a Romanian fascist politician, best known as the second and last leader of the fascist paramilitary movement known as the Iron Guard (also known as the Legion of the Archangel Michael). Sima was a ...
by attending the funeral. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he was supportive of the dictatorship of
Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...
and Romania's alliance with
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
against the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. As late as 1944 he abhorred the attempts of the Romanian opposition to negotiate the country's switch to the camp of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. Even after the war, in his personal journals he continued to adopt a position sympathetic to the Romanian and Nazi
war criminal
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
s, dismissing the
Nuremberg Trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials
{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...
and the
People's Tribunals.
[Ornea 1999]
Communist persecution
Critical of Romania's exit from the
Axis Powers
The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
(''see
Romania during World War II
The Kingdom of Romania, under the rule of King Carol II of Romania, King Carol II, initially maintained Neutral country, neutrality in World War II. However, fascist political forces, especially the Iron Guard, rose in popularity and power, urgi ...
''),
he was alarmed by the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
advances and the
eventual occupation; in his private notes, he deplored the fact that Romania failed to adopt the
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...
. In June 1948, six months after the establishment of a
communist regime
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
, Rădulescu-Motru was among
the members of the academy purged by the new authorities (he was reinstated post-mortem in 1990). Despite his protests, his entire work was dismissed by official
Stalinist
Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...
rhetoric as "
idealism
Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysics, metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, Spirit (vital essence), spirit, or ...
".
[Bagdasar, in Dumitrescu]
He was denied employment in his field of expertise, until two years before his death, when he was admitted to the minor post of researcher at the Psychology Institute; according to his biographer N. Bagdasar, his final years were marked by extreme poverty.
Granted assistance following the interventions of
Miron Constantinescu
Miron Constantinescu (13 December 1917 – 18 July 1974) was a Romanian communist politician, a leading member of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR, known as PMR for a period of his lifetime), as well as a Marxist sociologist, historian, academic ...
and
Constantin Ion Parhon
Constantin Ion Parhon (; 15 October 1874 – 9 August 1969) was a Romanian neuropsychiatrist, endocrinologist and politician. He was the first head of state of the Romanian People's Republic from 1947 to 1952. Parhon was President of the Physici ...
, Rădulescu-Motru was hospitalized in a
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
clinic for much of his final years.
He died while in there, and was buried in
Bellu cemetery.
Philosophy and politics
Outlook
Influenced by
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (; ; 16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physiologist, philosopher, and professor, one of the fathers of modern psychology. Wundt, who distinguished psychology as a science from philosophy and biology, was t ...
's theories on
introspection
Introspection is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings. In psychology, the process of introspection relies on the observation of one's mental state, while in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one's s ...
, Rădulescu-Motru moved away from
Kantian
Kantianism () is the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). The term ''Kantianism'' or ''Kantian'' is sometimes also used to describe contemporary positions in philosophy of mi ...
philosophy and its tenet regarding the impossibility of transcending reality as perceived through the senses. He considered
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
to be open to
objective scrutiny, and placed their knowledge at the summit of philosophical approaches.
Stating that there was, in effect, a unity between
person
A person (: people or persons, depending on context) is a being who has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations suc ...
and material nature, Rădulescu-Motru developed his own version of
Personalism
Personalism is an intellectual stance that emphasizes the importance of human persons. Personalism exists in many different versions, and this makes it somewhat difficult to define as a philosophical and theological movement. Friedrich Schleie ...
, which thought of the human being and its
personality
Personality is any person's collection of interrelated behavioral, cognitive, and emotional patterns that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life. These interrelated patterns are relatively stable, but can change over long time per ...
as the goal of
evolution
Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
in nature – a theory he called ''Energetic Personalism''. He recognized the influence of
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy and t ...
's views on the relation between
being
Existence is the state of having being or reality in contrast to nonexistence and nonbeing. Existence is often contrasted with essence: the essence of an entity is its essential features or qualities, which can be understood even if one do ...
and the
whole, arguing that his
idealist
Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, spirit, or consciousness; that reality is entir ...
concept of
externalization ("the belief that the world is being led by our ideal", which he deemed "transitory Personalism") had been the driving force behind all modern ideologies, from
Socialism
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
and
Anarchism
Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
to
Liberalism
Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
(''see
Right Hegelians and
Left Hegelians'').
Owing to Wundt's ''
Völkerpsychologie Völkerpsychologie is a method of psychology that was founded in the nineteenth century by the famous psychologist, Wilhelm Wundt. However, the term was first coined by post-Hegelian social philosophers Heymann Steinthal and Moritz Lazarus.
Wund ...
'', Rădulescu-Motru dedicated much of his work to assessing and defining
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
in Romanian social context. Concentrating his analysis on the impact of
modernization
Modernization theory or modernisation theory holds that as societies become more economically modernized, wealthier and more educated, their political institutions become increasingly liberal democratic and rationalist. The "classical" theories ...
and
Westernization
Westernization (or Westernisation, see spelling differences), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt what is considered to be Western culture, in areas such as industr ...
, he argued for a need to adapt forms to the
Romanian ethnicity (which he defined through
heredity
Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic infor ...
),
[Caraiani] and represented as the true social fundament (the "community of spirit"). He supported the existence of
human races and differences among them, as well as
eugenics
Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...
, even after the defeat of Nazi Germany led to the abandonment of such theories in the mainstream scientific world.
Views on modernization
In his ''Cultura română şi politicianismul'' ("Romanian culture and petty politics"), he devised a
hierarchy
A hierarchy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy ...
of cultures, placing
Western civilization
Western culture, also known as Western civilization, European civilization, Occidental culture, Western society, or simply the West, refers to the internally diverse culture of the Western world. The term "Western" encompasses the social no ...
at the top of the scale, and the
Far East
The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
at its bottom; he later confessed to
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian History of religion, historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. One of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and in ...
his reticence in dealing with
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...
(conversations between the two centered instead on
Indian nationalism
Indian nationalism is an instance of civic nationalism. It is inclusive of all of the people of India, Composite nationalism (India), despite their Demographics of India, diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Indian national ...
in general and ''
Satyagraha
Satyāgraha (from ; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone who practises satyagraha is ...
'' in particular). The system placed Romania in the margin of European progress, still subject to adopting cultural forms from Western societies:
"Nowhere have bourgeois
The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...
institutions stemmed out of natural spiritual needs of the peoples, but rather out of the needs of capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
; the complete harmonizing of these institutions with the popular psyche was a gradual, difficult enterprise, the more so in our country, where the dazzling development of capitalism has left the spiritual evolution, always more laborious, far behind."
Elsewhere, he argued that, despite a traditional pattern of
individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...
, Romanians lacked "
initiative
Popular initiative
A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition.
In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...
in economic and social life, the two characteristics traits of individualism as experienced by the cultured
Western peoples and constituting bourgeois spirit";
[Rădulescu-Motru, in Scurtu et al.] according to him, the common folk relied on collective work, which had ensured the survival of village communities during "cursed centuries"
(maintaining the mobility of villages "from plain to mountains",
but preventing their actual breakup during the
medieval period
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
).
In his chapters on the
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...
, the
parliamentary system
A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...
, and the
Romanian Constitution of 1923, Rădulescu-Motru expanded on this fundamentally
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
thesis, arguing that such reforms had come too soon to be properly integrated.
[Antonesei; Pantelimon] The main danger he saw in the process was the appearance of "petty politics" (''politicianism''), which, he argued, had a potential of destroying natural developments inside the nation.
Taking in view the characteristics of this evolution towards petty politics, he vehemently rejected
Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...
's theory on the almost exclusively foreign origin of the bourgeoisie inside the post-
Phanariote Old Kingdom
In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning –2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth Dynast ...
. Instead, Rădulescu-Motru expanded on
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 Culture of Romania, Romanian culture in ...
's criticism of "forms without fundament" (in reference to the discrepancy between the Westernized facade and the underdeveloped economic and social setting), viewing the class of low-ranking
boyars
A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russian nobility, Russia), Boyars of Moldavia and Wallach ...
, increasingly attracted to
Liberal currents during the 19th century, as the main agents of incoherent change – this attracted him the criticism of the
Poporanist Garabet Ibrăileanu
Garabet Ibrăileanu (; May 23, 1871 – March 11, 1936) was a Romanian-Armenian literary critic and theorist, writer, translator, sociologist, University of Iași professor (1908–1934), and, together with Paul Bujor and Constantin Stere, fo ...
, who argued that ''
Junimea'' was an
exclusivist school of criticism that "has never said
f foreign modelswhat, how much, and when should be imported". In this context, Ibrăileanu emphasized the gestures of boyars before and during the ''
Organic Regulation'' government, as indicative of a skeptical nationalist mood (rather than of a
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan ...
ideology).
''Romanianism'' and secularism
With ''Învăţământul filosofic în România'' ("Philosophical education in Romania"), his 1931 essay first published in ''
Convorbiri Literare'', Rădulescu-Motru introduced a polemic that was to mark numerous other writings of his during the following period: reacting to the growth in appeal of
far right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...
magazines that claimed to follow a
Romanian Orthodox
The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the Eastern Orthodox Church. S ...
philosophy – ''
Cuvântul'' and ''
Gândirea
''Gândirea'' ("The Thinking"), known during its early years as ''Gândirea Literară - Artistică - Socială'' ("The Literary - Artistic - Social Thinking"), was a Romanian literary, political and art magazine.
Overview
Founded by Cezar P ...
'' –, he made a difference between a "
belletristic" trend in higher learning and a "scientific" one, arguing in favour of the latter, and presenting the former as the objective source of
anti-intellectualist attitudes he observed inside the new political phenomenon (which emphasized the "human need for mystery"). In essence, the
secularist
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
Rădulescu-Motru followed the ''Junimea'' tradition of rejecting
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...
, viewing it as the unwanted characteristic of a
working class
The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
mentality.
He questioned the
subjective approaches of
Lucian Blaga
Lucian Blaga (; 9 May 1895 – 6 May 1961) was a Romanians, Romanian philosopher, poet, playwright, poetry translator and novelist. He is considered one of the greatest philosophers and poets of Romania, and a prominent philosopher of the twenti ...
,
Nichifor Crainic, and
Nae Ionescu
Nae Ionescu (, born Nicolae C. Ionescu; – 15 March 1940) was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist.
Life
Born in Brăila, Ionescu studied Letters at the University of Bucharest until 1912. Upon graduati ...
: developing his ''Romanianism'', Rădulescu-Motru stated his support for cultural and national dialogue ("and not the isolation of each people in its own ethnicity"),
[Rădulescu-Motru, in Ornea 1995, p.85] and for the ultimate integration of Romanian culture in the highest section of European culture. He even argued that principles supported by the Right in defining Romanian specificity were in fact being shared with other cultures (answering Blaga's emphasis on
Romanian folklore
The folklore of Romania is the collection of traditions of the Romanians. A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. First, the rural character of the Romania ...
, he pointed out that its themes were commonplace in neighbouring
Balkan
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
cultures; replying to Ionescu's views on allegedly particular tendencies toward
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
and
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
inside national culture, he stated his belief that "the prestige of the
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
, the attraction towards mystery and the
ontology
Ontology is the philosophical study of existence, being. It is traditionally understood as the subdiscipline of metaphysics focused on the most general features of reality. As one of the most fundamental concepts, being encompasses all of realit ...
of the
ethnos ..only show themselves from the second quarter of the 20th century onwards,
nd are under the influence offoreign university circles
..;
he also rejected Crainic's views on Orthodoxy as the source for specificity, arguing for
Christian universalism
Christian universalism is a school of Christian theology focused around the doctrine of universal reconciliation – the view that all human beings will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God. "Christian universalism" ...
in detriment of "nationalist spirituality" – an idea nevertheless interpreted by Crainic as evidence of "militant philosophical
atheism
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...
").
Peasant doctrine
After joining the
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; , or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an Agrarianism, agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It was formed in 1926 throu ...
, Rădulescu-Motru maintained a particular approach towards the group's doctrines and policies after 1935: adapting his criticism of
individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...
(a trait he associated with the
National Liberals) to the
Poporanist doctrine of the "peasant state", he defined the latter as necessarily "
totalitarian
Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...
":
" tdiffers from other totalitarian states in that it sets among its norms, first and foremost, the preeminence of the permanent interests of the peasant population. Unlike the Fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
, the National-Socialist
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...
, and the Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
states, it believes that it can serve the totality of the population it is supposed to govern, not on the basis of a glorious imperialist
Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power ( diplomatic power and cultural imperialism). Imperialism fo ...
tradition, or through the cultivation of a race relation, or through industrial structuring on the basis of a dictatorial plan, but through the creation of a healthy, moral, and labouring peasantry, ready to defend the country's borders as the geographical and historical conditions demand it."
A pro-
authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
critic soon reproached that such an ideal, despite its aim to compete with purely nationalist trends, was in fact
social class
A social class or social stratum is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class and the Bourgeoisie, capitalist class. Membership of a social class can for exam ...
-based, and its "numerical, that is to say
democratic" definition (around the argument that peasants formed the majority in Romania) was leading to "peasant
anarchy
Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...
".
[Nicolae Roşu, in Ornea 1995, p.126]
Rădulescu-Motru came to support
Carol II
Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, ...
's
National Renaissance Front
The National Renaissance Front (, FRN; also translated as ''Front of National Regeneration'', ''Front of National Rebirth'', ''Front of National Resurrection'', or ''Front of National Renaissance'') was a Romanian political party created by King Ca ...
(FRN) and the
one-party system
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or en ...
in 1938, speaking out in favour of the kings' initiative to introduce
uniform
A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency serv ...
s for members of the academy (clashing over the matter with his fellow academic
Nicolae Iorga, in February 1939).
Works
*''F. W. Nietzsche. Viața și filosofia sa'' ("
F. W. Nietzsche. His life and philosophy"), 1897
*''Problemele psihologiei'' ("Issues in psychology"), 1898
*''Știință și energie'' ("Science and energy"), 1902
*''Cultura română și politicianismul'' ("Romanian culture and petty politics"), 1904
*''Psihologia martorului'' ("The psychology of the witness"), 1906
*''Psihologia industriașului'' ("The psychology of the industrialist"), 1907
*''Puterea sufletească'' ("Power of the spirit"), 1908
*''Psihologia ciocoismului'' ("The psychology of
boyars
A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russian nobility, Russia), Boyars of Moldavia and Wallach ...
"), 1908
*''Poporanismul politic și democrația conservatoare'' ("Political Poporanism and
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
), 1909
*''Naționalismul cum se înțelege. Cum trebuie să se înțeleagă'' ("
Nationalism
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
as it is being understood. How it should be understood"), 1909
*''Sufletul neamului nostru. Calități bune și defecte'' ("The spirit of our nation. Its good qualities and its flaws"), 1910
*''Din psihologia revoluționarului'' ("From the psychology of the revolutionary"), 1919
*''Rasa, cultura și naționalitatea în filosofia istoriei'' ("
Race, culture and
nationality
Nationality is the legal status of belonging to a particular nation, defined as a group of people organized in one country, under one legal jurisdiction, or as a group of people who are united on the basis of culture.
In international law, n ...
in the
philosophy of history
Philosophy of history is the philosophy, philosophical study of history and its academic discipline, discipline. The term was coined by the French philosopher Voltaire.
In contemporary philosophy a distinction has developed between the ''specul ...
"), 1922
*''Curs de psihologie'' ("Lectures in psychology"), 1923
*''Personalismul energetic'' ("The Energetic Personalism"), 1927
*''Țărănismul. Un suflet și o politică'' ("Peasant doctrine. A spirit and a policy"), 1927
*''Elemente de metafizică pe baza filosofiei kantiene'' ("Elements of
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
on the basis of
Kantian
Kantianism () is the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). The term ''Kantianism'' or ''Kantian'' is sometimes also used to describe contemporary positions in philosophy of mi ...
philosophy"), 1928
*''Învățământul filosofic în România'' ("Philosophical education in Romania"), 1931
*''Centenarul lui Hegel'' ("
Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...
's centennial"), 1931
*''Psihologie practică'' ("Practical psychology"), 1931
*''Vocația, factor hotărâtor în cultura popoarelor'' ("
Vocation
A vocation () is an Work (human activity), occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.
...
– a determining factor in peoples' culture"), 1932
*''Ideologia statului român'' ("The ideology of the Romanian state"), 1934
*''Românismul. Catehismul unei noi spiritualități'' ("Romanianism. The
Catechism
A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
of a new
spirituality
The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
"), 1936
*''Psihologia poporului român'' ("Psychology of the Romanian people"), 1937
*''Timp și destin'' ("Time and destiny"), 1940
*''Etnicul românesc. Comunitate de origine, limbă și destin'' ("The Romanian
ethnos. A community of origins, language, and destiny"), 1942
Notes
References
*Texts by Rădulescu-Motru:
*
''Enciclopedia României'' article on the specificity of Romanian traits, in Ioan Scurtu, Theodora Stănescu-Stanciu, Georgiana Margareta Scurtu, ''Istoria românilor între anii 1918-1940''** Excerpts from his ''Journal''
an
1949 - on Memoria.ro (collected by Gabriela Dumitrescu)*
*
*
Gheorghe Adamescu,
ttp://biblioteca.euroweb.ro/adamescu/iv.htm ''Istoria literaturii române. IV: Literatura care se formează (1900-1910)''
Liviu Antonesei, ''Demagogie, populism și realism politic, în strînsă legătură cu chestiunea educaţiei publice – învățămintele istoriei''*Ovidiu Caraiani,
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080907140735/http://www.crvp.org/book/Series04/IVA-22/chapter_vi.htm ''National Identity and Political Legitimacy in Modern Romania''*
Garabet Ibrăileanu
Garabet Ibrăileanu (; May 23, 1871 – March 11, 1936) was a Romanian-Armenian literary critic and theorist, writer, translator, sociologist, University of Iași professor (1908–1934), and, together with Paul Bujor and Constantin Stere, fo ...
''Spiritul critic în cultura românească'' ''Evoluția spiritului critic - Deosebirile dintre vechea școală critică moldovenească și "Junimea"''''Primul junimist: Costache Negruzzi''* Ionuț Isac
* Lucian Nastasă
*Vasile Niculae, Ion Ilincioiu, Stelian Neagoe, ''Doctrina țărănistă în România. Antologie de texte'', Editura Noua Alternativă, Social Theory Institute of the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ) 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 bylaws, the academy's ma ...
, Bucharest, 1994
*
Z. Ornea, ''Anii treizeci. Extrema dreaptă românească'',
Editura Fundației Culturale Române, Bucharest, 1995
*
Z. Ornea"C. Rădulescu-Motru în 1946-1947" in ''
România Literară'', 24, 1999
* Cristinel Pantelimon
''Geopoliticianismul''*
Constantin Schifirneț
Constantin Schifirneț (born August 29, 1945) is a Romanian sociologist and historian of philosophy.
Biography
He was born in Bahna, Neamț County, son of Maria Schifirneț, née Movileanu, and of Neculai Schifirneț. In 1968 he graduated fro ...
, ''C. Rădulescu-Motru. Viața și faptele sale'', vol. I-III, 2003–2005
*
Henri H. Stahl ''Gânditori şi curente de istorie socială românească. IV: Titu Maiorescu și criza "formelor fără fond"''*
in ''Magazin Istoric'', February 2001
*
Tudor Vianu
Tudor Vianu (; January 8, 1898 – May 21, 1964) was a Romanian literary criticism, literary critic, art critic, poet, philosopher, academic, and translation, translator. He had a major role on the reception and development of Modernism in Liter ...
, ''Scriitori români'', Vol. II, Ed. Minerva, Bucharest, 1971
*
Mircea Vulcănescu''Școala sociologică a lui Dimitrie Gusti. IX: Semnificaţia generală a învățământului gustian'' ("The Sociology School of Dimitrie Gusti. IX: The General Significance of Gusti's Teaching")
''Constantin Titel Petrescu'' at social-democrati.ro
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radulescu-Motru, Constantin
1868 births
1957 deaths
People from Mehedinți County
20th-century Romanian philosophers
Carol I National College alumni
Junimists
Chairpersons of the National Theatre Bucharest
Romanian logicians
National Peasants' Party politicians
Romanian political philosophers
Presidents of the Romanian Academy
Romanian male biographers
Romanian dramatists and playwrights
Romanian eugenicists
Romanian human rights activists
Romanian magazine editors
Romanian magazine founders
Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Romanian political scientists
Romanian psychologists
Romanian critics of religions
Romanian sociologists
University of Bucharest alumni
Academic staff of the University of Bucharest
Leipzig University alumni
20th-century Romanian biographers
Romanian male dramatists and playwrights
Romanian male essayists
20th-century Romanian essayists
20th-century Romanian male writers
People from the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia
Burials at Bellu Cemetery
Romanian schoolteachers
Proponents of scientific racism