The dissertation is a holistic study of the concept of freedom in the European philosophical tradition as a fundamental basis for the formation and development of the European civilization matrix and its national and cultural incarnations against the background of historical development.
The paper differentiates some sources of research not only on the basis of their origin, importance and influence, but also on the main objectives of the work. Primary sources and critical literature are considered separately for each of the topics of our dissertation: the ancient understanding of freedom, its biblical-Christian interpretation, medieval interpretations and separately national-specific conceptualization of this concept in the Modern era and in modern times.
The research methodology is based on the dual identity of the history of philosophy as a section of philosophy and historical discipline. Given the specifics of the subject of research and the tasks to be solved, the choice was made in favor of hermeneutic methodology. Etymological hermeneutics is chosen among the variety of hermeneutic methodological practices and approaches. However, the paper uses such historical methods as: the method of rational reconstruction of the text, the method of historical and cultural attribution and historical-comparative (comparative) method.
The dissertation reveals the genesis of the Western concept of "freedom", which is seen in the ancient Greek philosophical and legal paradigm. The paper proves that the ancient "ἐλευθερία" became a marker of Hellenic identity. However, the further transformation of this concept is considered, which becomes a philosophical category in the metaphysical systems of Plato and Aristotle, Stoics, Epicureans and Neoplatonists. The paper reveals fundamental differences in the interpretation of this concept in the Epicureans and Stoics and their deep kinship, based on the idea of cosmic harmony, which must correspond to the inner harmony of the human soul. The paper argues that the end of the ancient paradigm is Neoplatonism, which saw in freedom the possibility of a mystical union with the One, which is given religious, theological attributes.
It was this philosophical current that provided the opportunity for a synthesis of the ancient "ἐλευθερία" with the Jewish "herut (freedom)" and became the basis of the Christian concept of freedom, which appears in the epistles of the Apostle Paul and the Gospel of John.
The paper examines the problem of the relationship between "Gratia Dei" (Divine Grace) and "liberum arbitrium" (freedom of choice) in medieval scholasticism.
The dissertation notes that the concept of "freedom", presented in European medieval Latin by the term "libertas", received various national-linguistic interpretations in the 14th-16th centuries, in some way defining the identification matrices of the French, British, Germans and Slavic peoples.
In particular, it is pointed out that the concept of "Liberté" became the value basis of its French identity.
The paper argues that the British understanding of freedom is based on the Anglo-Saxon concept of "liberty-freedom", which reflects primarily "negative" freedom. It is based on the ideas of T. Hobbes, J. Locke, D. Hume and A. Smith. Political, religious and economic freedom are seen as non-interference of the state in decision-making by individuals while respecting the rights of others.
The dissertation research reveals the religious and philosophical sources of the German concept "Freiheit", the substantive core of its interpretation is rationality, morality and responsibility. Luther's rather rigid doctrine of predestination and "slavery of the will" was later transformed into a philosophical interpretation of freedom as a responsibility. In representatives of German classical philosophy (especially Hegel), the realization of absolute freedom is seen as a task of the German Spirit, which has a world-historical mission.
The dissertation reveals that Slavic concepts of freedom are mostly dual in nature. The most representative of them are considered: Polish "wolność-swoboda", Russian "svoboda / volnost-volya" and Ukrainian "volya-svoboda". The studied historical transformation of the Russian concept of "freedom" allowed us to assert that it was verbally "freedom" initiated by Polish influences and the Ukrainian Orthodox tradition. The paper points to the role of the November Uprising of 1830 in the final demarcation of these concepts, which influenced the formation of Russian, Polish and later Ukrainian political identities. The study notes that in the Polish and Ukrainian mentalities, the concept of "freedom" is associated with the acquisition of independence and political rights, and for Russia it acquires a deterministic meaning ("freedom as a perceived necessity"). The paper concludes that this understanding of freedom is the source of modern Russian anti-liberal discourse, which poses a threat to Western civilization.
