Útěcha z ontologie

by Egon Bondy

In "The Consolation of Ontology", Egon Bondy examines both the theistic and materialistic forms of the substantial model of reality--the notion that there is some substance, some "thing", idea, being, or principle that creates, underlies, or transcends the universe in which we live--showing how both are logically untenable and dangerous in their consequences. Though little known outside the Czech Republic, Bondy's writings represent a provocative philosophical examination of belief. He challenges the idea of ontological substance and demonstrates how the subsequent teleology of a "higher" level of being establishes a pattern of privilege and subordination in human relationships. In contrast, the nonsubstantial alternative--prefigured by the thinking cultures which developed independently of Greece--the author argues, is simpler, more logically consistent and removes all limits to freedom and creativity. Presented here for the first time in English translation, this challenging thesis asks that we leave certain comfortable assumptions behind and understand how the struggle for genuine freedom, equality, and ontological clarity presuppose each other and are mutually independent.

First published December 30, 2001

About the author

Born Zbyněk Fišer, Bondy was a Czech philosopher, writer, and poet. In the late 1940s, he was active in a surrealist group. From 1957 to 1961, he studied philosophy and psychology at Prague's Charles University. From the 1960s, Bondy was one of the main figures of the Prague underground, writing song lyrics for The Plastic People of the Universe. His non-conformism brought him into conflict with the communist regime in occupied Czechoslovakia, and his writings were circulated only as samizdat.