In What Sense Can One Speak of National Philosophy?

In recent years, the term “national philosophy” has become very common in scientific circles. One can speak of “national philosophy” in connection with the task of building “sovereignty in the sphere of ideas” in countries that gained independence in the second half of the 20th century and striving to strengthen their national cultural identity, and in countries with a long political history, looking for a way to build a picture of the history of philosophy from the positions of their own country, not only as the history of Western philoso­phy. The article attempts to clarify in what sense one speaks of national philo­sophy? For this reason, the paper distinguishes between the concept of national philosophy in the sense of political science and the concept of national philo­sophy in the sense of anthropology, and also shows the difference between the meanings of the word “philosophy” in the singular and plural forms. It is argued that “national philosophy” is essentially a term of philosophy and poli­tics, and the emphasis is on “nation” rather than “philosophy”. In addition increased attention paid to the concept of “national philosophy” is the hall­mark of the intelligentsia of some countries of “catching up” development. The question “Do we have a philosophy?” cannot be reconstructed from with­in philosophy itself; “National philosophy” is a concept both necessary and superfluous.