Tomas Garrigue Masaryk

This volume is dedicated to Tomas G. Masaryk, professor of philosophy, first President of the Czechoslovakian Republic and critical realist. The author examines Masaryk's philosophical works and their application to political reality. A critical realist approach is a precondition for intellectual and societal progress. Before Masaryk himself became actively involved in politics in the late 1880s, he studied current affairs intently and was a driving force in his nation's quest for independence. Masaryk saw in the democratic ideal of the Allied forces the opposing position to the imperialist form of rule of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Masaryk's democratic theory is embedded in a spiritual humanistic agenda. During his presidency, he encouraged the development of autonomy and self-administration of individuals, classes and nations; at the same time he endorsed the idea of a united, democratic Europe.