Letter from Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz written 01/02.03.1938

Author Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz

Category incoming correspondence, Polish researchers

Archive Ingarden Family archives

Related places Lviv, Zakopane

Reference code in archive ARI

Resource type letter

Subject matter academic issues, personal issues

Field biology, philosophy

Tags #? Helwig, #academic work, #bad feeling, #beer, #Biological Principles, #book, #books, #brochure, #cigarettes, #comments request #opinion request, #criticism, #death, #dissertation, #Encyclopedia of Education, #financial problems, #Foundations of Organic Philosophy, #Hans Cornelius, #health problems, #id, #idealism, #illness, #Jan Leszczyński, #Jan Świderski, #Joseph Henry Woodger, #Lviv, #manuscripts, #Moritz Geiger, #Neil Campbell, #philosophical polemics, #Philosophical Review, #philosophy of physics, #pipe, #polemics, #polemics with Leszczyński, #print, #reading, #review, #Roman Ingarden, #Rudolf Carnap, #smoking, #Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, #Stefan Szuman, #Studia Philosophica, #summary, #Szumcio, #Tadeusz Kotarbiński, #thanks, #war, #Witkacy, #work on Carnap, #writings of Ajdukiewicz, #Zakopane

1/2.III 1938
Honoured and Dear Professor:
Thank you very much for commissioning the delivery of the book for which I sent the payment. Thank you also for having contributed to the printing of my abridged paper, which gave me quite a pleasure. Cornelius wrote that he did not understand what Ajdukiewicz was talking about in his writings. Kotarbiński said the same (and to him [Ajdukiewicz] too, for which he brutally “scolded” him). Since this sparked my curiosity, I bought two volumes of the Encyclopedia of Education to find out a little bit about this phenomenon. Thank you for your intention to send my MS to Z[akopane] and I apologize for the TR[rouble], but I will bear all the CST[costs]. You may graciously keep On R[ealism] and Id[ealism] until you read it. I would be very interested in your thoughts on this subject. I continue my polemic with Leszczynski and I am drawing worse and worse conclusions about the subject of idealism. Also, if you can, kindly send me the manuscript of the abridged text in French. I would like to send it to Cornelius. The old man feels great, he is taking up philosophy again under the influence of the “Polnische Reise” [German: “Polish journey”] and he is building a new study. We have to take an example from this and not age prematurely. But he does not smoke and he drinks 2 doses of beer a day. I implore you, do not begin to smoke. I am now writing to you while (S[moking]) and I feel a hide-oh-ous [sic] failure – tomorrow I will stop for an unlimited time – unless the war comes. I have to write for the Ph[ilosophical] R[eview] a criticism of this Świderski, which is a hopeless thing. (The Foundations of [Organic Philosophy], etc.) He probably sent it to you. Then I will take up Carnap. I have a lot of interesting reading in front of me: Woodgen’s biology (anti-mech[anistic]), Campbell’s phil[osophy] of physics. Now I’m reading Geiger about the subconscious – a wise fellow á mon avis [in my opinion]. But I have a bad feeling about this year. A prophecy of kicking the bucket during the 54th year of life – it’s a bit early, just at the entrance into a new era of life and work. Zakopane is now hideous – rain and slush, after a few days of a wonderful winter. The financial outlook is mediocre.
ERFB [I enclose words of respect and friendship for you both] F.G. [family greetings] 3W [Your faithful Witkacy].
Have you heard about Helwig? Szumcio recommended him to me. They were both very nice. The sickness, during which he looked death in the eye, made him much better.