@misc{Zowisło_Maria_Religiopolitical_2017,
 author={Zowisło, Maria},
 abstract={The paper concerns Polish philosophy of action with special regard to physical culture. I mean a peculiar philosophical current of Polish Romanticism (19th century) that focused, among others, on physical education and somatic improvement. The body practice was treated there as one of important components of political resistance during the period of the loss of Polish statehood and independence (1772–1918). I would like to draw special attention to the historiosophical aspect of physical culture as it was developed by August Cieszkowski, an outstanding Hegelian Polish thinker. In fact, he established the world known Polish philosophy of action in strong opposition to Hegelian speculative idealism, pointing out the necessity of real deeds as a means to individual and collective (national) self-realization and liberation. The body valiance was the base for that project. Thanks to body and material substance of nature the Kingdom of God on Earth is possible. God is a synthesis of earthly elements and the mind’s thoughts, nature and ideas. Human body and physical education and gymnastics attained a religious character in that philosophical background. I think that this aspect of body as it was understood by Polish romantic philosophers is of religiopolitical character. Nevertheless, Polish philosophy of action with its special focus on the power and harmony of human body has also got a peculiar mystic aspect labeled as messianism, a kind of national soteriology that indicated Poland as the Christ of Europe. Polish Romanticism was very sensitive to the ideas of political martyrdom, sacrifice and liberation and consequently used a religious language to express its projects. Perhaps the idea of mystical eschatology looks like a utopian dream. But all those dreams resulted in concrete deeds, e.g. the program of social reforms and among them physical education and health care as elementary conditions for real changes. Indeed, it developed the awareness of body and fitness culture and prompted some physical and sport movements and associations like in the sixties of the 19th century the Polish Gymnastic Society “Falcon” that formed national awakening and helped with final national revival and struggle for political independence during the last decades of the partition period.},
 type={rozdział},
 publisher={Wydawnictwo im. Stanisława Podobińskiego Akademii im. Jana Długosza w Częstochowie},
 title={Religiopolitical Dimensions of Physical Culture in Polish Philosophy of Action with Special Reference to August Cieszkowski},
 address={Częstochowa},
 year={2017},
 language={eng},
 keywords={physical culture, philosophy of action, historiosophy, Polish Romantic Messianism, integral development, personal self-realisation},
}