Tymieniecka’s First Philosophy

Abstract

Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka’s philosophic output has been prodigious, but only lately has she turned to the topic of first philosophy specifically. This paper presents an exegesis of her summary document, “THE GREAT METAMORPHOSIS OF THE LOGOS OF LIFE IN ONTOPOIETIC TIMING.” Her study is more than a précis, although it does recall her previous inquiries. My review necessarily rehearses some of this material, but focuses on her latest reflections. Tymieniecka explores the force of the Logos of Life through its two dimensions of temporality, as it informs all life forms. The telos of the Logos finds appropriate instruments in embodied beings which work out the vital significance of life in creative, moral and interpersonal dimensions. In Tymieniecka’s system, we can see the interconnected nexus of life forms, which, nonetheless, forms a hierarchy. All life times its operations, but human timing persists through various stages of the journey inspired by the Logos. In its timings, the Logos discloses itself.