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Six Para-Philosophical Exercises in Latvian Euro(Onto)Poiesis

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The following essay is intended to search for a new framework for the history of Latvian philosophy as a normal ingredient of an“essentially non-existent” Mid-European philosophy. The character of such“nonexistent” philosophy is determined by the particular geo-politico-psycho-graphical anamnesis of Europe’s body. I believe the most important (therefore, submerged in amnesia) points of its anamnesis are the two world wars, through which the First Republic of Latvia emerged, then perished, and is being reborn nowadays. But, it is well known that philosophy has nothing to do with the“first birth”, i.e. with birth from external causes; philosophy can be created only after a“second birth”. To obtain not only national but also intellectual independence, we should overcome the traditional antihistorical understanding of history. Namely, traditional history, which seeks reference only to the so-called objective external causes and hence accuses in all evils only“other” humans (occupants, communists, fascists, collaborationists, conformists, etc.), is to be gradually replaced by pluralistic histories which would try to elucidate, for example, what Latvia’s people had or had not done with themselves that eventually brought about the destruction of their statehood. Furthermore, such pluralistic histories can also help philosophers understand what they are or are not doing for their own selves in order to attain intellectual independence.