Report "S.L. Frank: Participation in the Intellectual Life of Germany and the Netherlands (Based on Archives)" by Theresa Obolevich
On February 10, 2020, as part of the seminar "West and East: Universalism of Culture" of the International Laboratory for the Study of Russian and European Intellectual Dialogue, the chief research fellow of the Laboratory, professor Theresa Obolevich made a report
In her report, Teresa Obolevich, Professor of the Department of Philosophy at the Pontifical University of John Paul II (Krakow), demonstrated the involvement of the outstanding philosopher S.L. Frank into the intellectual life of Europe, in particular, Germany and the Netherlands.
Frank was fluent in German, which allowed him to give lectures both at the University of Berlin (on the topic “Worldview of the Great Russian Writers of the 19th Century”), at various institutions, and even make popularizing reports in Protestant churches. Using archival materials, the professor spoke about Frank's own contacts with German scientists (including the physicist A. Einstein, the philologist M. Fasmer, the pastors C. Everbeck and A. Hettling, the sister of F. Nietzsche E. Förster-Nietzsche) and organizations. It was separately noted that during his stay in Germany, S.L. Frank made many lecture tours throughout Europe, in particular, during 1930-1934, the philosopher Frank visited the Netherlands five times. There he gave lectures and taught summer courses organized by the International School of Philosophy in Amersfoort. The lecture also noted Frank's contacts with Dutch scholars: Frank closely communicated and corresponded with the outstanding German-Dutch philologist Bruno Becker, the founder of the Slavic department in the Netherlands, as well as A. Einstein's friend and collaborator, P. Ehrenfest.