Religious and philosophical debate between Kyiv thinker Vasyl Ekzemplyarsky and Friedrich Nietzsche

Abstract

 The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the philosophical debate between Kyiv academic thinker V. Ekzemplyarsky and German philosopher Nietzsche in the work “The Gospel of Jesus Christ before Nietzsche’s Court” (1915). The work defines the subject area of the debate and reproduces the main points of V. Ekzemplyarsky’s substantive criticism of Nietzsche’s philosophical views concerning the latter’s understanding of the fundamental aspects of the Christian worldview and understanding of life. The author demonstrates the originality of V. Eksemplyarsky’s original approach to the analysis of Nietzsche’s philosophy, which consists, on the one hand, in revealing Nietzsche’s unique worldview and clarifying the underlying worldview intuitions of his work, and on the other hand, in interpreting Nietzsche’s ideas as a reflection of the spiritual demands of the time. As shown in the article, by conducting a comparative analysis of the two opposing value systems and ideals of Nietzschean and Christian ethical teachings, V. Ekzempliarsky highlights their common features, while at the same time explaining the fundamental differences between them. The article highlights the place and significance of the religious-philosophical polemic between V. Ekzemplyarsky and Nietzsche in the development of Ukrainian philosophical thought, proving that a thorough and professional critical analysis of Nietzsche’s philosophy enabled the Kyiv thinker to form his own original vision of the relationship between Christianity and the joy of life and love. The author has established that the creative work of the Kyiv thinker presents the experience of religious and philosophical understanding of the phenomenon of love, which, unlike its traditional, ascetic interpretation in Christianity, is revealed as an expression of the uniqueness and completeness of human existence.