Ludwik Krzywicki
Encyclopedia
Ludwik Krzywicki was a Polish
anthropologist, economist and sociologist. One of the early champions of sociology
in Poland, he approached historical materialism
from a sociological viewpoint. From 1919 to 1936 he was a professor at the University of Warsaw
.
, Taine, Ribot
and Comte
.
Krzywicki studied mathematics
at the University of Warsaw
in partitioned Poland. After obtaining his degree, he enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine but was expelled from the University on account of his political activities. He then went abroad, first to Leipzig
, Germany
, then Zurich
, Switzerland
, and finally in 1885 to Paris
, France
, where most of the Polish Socialist émigrés in Europe lived. It was in Paris
that he began studying anthropology
, archaeology
and ethnology
.
n hill forts. Between 1900 and 1914 he conducted archeological digs in Samogitia
and elsewhere, photographing and excavating fortress hills. In 1908 he published Żmudż starożytnia (Ancient Samogitia), in which he sought to correlate his findings with chronicles that mentioned the castles and fortifications that he was investigating. In the same year he published an article entitled, W poszukiwaniu grodu Mendoga, dealing with where he believed the castle of King Mindaugas
had been located. Krzywicki donated a large part of his findings to the Culture Museum in Kaunas
, Lithuania, in 1939.
One of his most important contributions was the theory of the "migration of ideas": that ideas, which are created from and spread thanks to social needs and social expectations, can "migrate" to other places or times, which are not yet capable of expressing them autonomously. When that happens, if those new ideas succeed in embodying needs and expectations encountered at this new place, they will take root and accelerate socio-economic development.
After World War I he abandoned all political activity and focused on scientific research, intending to complete the works that he had never had the peace of mind or time to finish. However, he did take part in the organization and management of scientific bodies. He served as vice-director of the Central Statistical Office
, taught at the University of Warsaw
(1919-36) and other institutions of higher education, and directed the Socio-Economic Institute.
During World War II he was injured in an air raid
on Warsaw, and the bomb that destroyed his apartment also caused the loss of most of his papers and manuscripts. His working conditions became increasingly worse. He died of heart disease soon after, in 1941.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
anthropologist, economist and sociologist. One of the early champions of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in Poland, he approached historical materialism
Historical materialism
Historical materialism is a methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history, first articulated by Karl Marx as "the materialist conception of history". Historical materialism looks for the causes of developments and changes in human society in the means by which humans...
from a sociological viewpoint. From 1919 to 1936 he was a professor at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
.
Biography
Ludwik Krzywicki was born in 1859 into an aristocratic but impoverished family. From an early age he showed an interest in psychology, philosophy and natural sciences, and studied the works of DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, Taine, Ribot
Théodule-Armand Ribot
Théodule-Armand Ribot , French psychologist, was born at Guingamp, and was educated at the Lycée de St Brieuc.In 1856 he began to teach, and was admitted to the École Normale Supérieure in 1862...
and Comte
Auguste Comte
Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte , better known as Auguste Comte , was a French philosopher, a founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism...
.
Krzywicki studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
in partitioned Poland. After obtaining his degree, he enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine but was expelled from the University on account of his political activities. He then went abroad, first to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, then Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and finally in 1885 to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where most of the Polish Socialist émigrés in Europe lived. It was in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
that he began studying anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
.
Contribution to science
Krzywicki was one of the first scholars to research LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n hill forts. Between 1900 and 1914 he conducted archeological digs in Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
and elsewhere, photographing and excavating fortress hills. In 1908 he published Żmudż starożytnia (Ancient Samogitia), in which he sought to correlate his findings with chronicles that mentioned the castles and fortifications that he was investigating. In the same year he published an article entitled, W poszukiwaniu grodu Mendoga, dealing with where he believed the castle of King Mindaugas
Mindaugas
Mindaugas was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians...
had been located. Krzywicki donated a large part of his findings to the Culture Museum in Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania, in 1939.
One of his most important contributions was the theory of the "migration of ideas": that ideas, which are created from and spread thanks to social needs and social expectations, can "migrate" to other places or times, which are not yet capable of expressing them autonomously. When that happens, if those new ideas succeed in embodying needs and expectations encountered at this new place, they will take root and accelerate socio-economic development.
Return to Poland
Krzywicki returned to partitioned Poland in 1893 and continued his political activity. He was arrested many times, notably when he took part in the 1905 revolution. During this period, he edited the paper of the Socialist Party. He took a doctorate in Lvov with an ethnographic dissertation. Before World War I he lived in great hardship, but when the war broke out he was back in the front line of social activity, taking part in various workers' and trade union organizations even though his relations with the Socialist Party had cooled.After World War I he abandoned all political activity and focused on scientific research, intending to complete the works that he had never had the peace of mind or time to finish. However, he did take part in the organization and management of scientific bodies. He served as vice-director of the Central Statistical Office
Central Statistical Office, Poland
Central Statistical Office is Poland's chief government executive agency charged with collecting and publishing statistics related to the country's economy, population and society, at both national and local levels...
, taught at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
(1919-36) and other institutions of higher education, and directed the Socio-Economic Institute.
During World War II he was injured in an air raid
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
on Warsaw, and the bomb that destroyed his apartment also caused the loss of most of his papers and manuscripts. His working conditions became increasingly worse. He died of heart disease soon after, in 1941.
See also
- memeMemeA meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
- Central Statistical OfficeCentral Statistical Office, PolandCentral Statistical Office is Poland's chief government executive agency charged with collecting and publishing statistics related to the country's economy, population and society, at both national and local levels...
- Eusapia Palladino
- List of Poles
External links
- Polish Philosophy page: Ludwik Krzywicki, at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...