Rhetoric Instead of Argumentation In Krytyka, No. 3 (77), 2004, pp. 17–18.

In Vasyl Lisovyi’s paper, the issue of the artificial construction of the concept of the “Kyiv worldview-anthropological school” is examined. The author demonstrates that the claim of a separate school’s existence is not supported by either methodological originality or the nature of its research approaches, and attempts to distinguish it as an independent intellectual direction are often driven by rhetorical manipulation. Lisovyi analyzes the debate between dialectical and logical-analytical approaches, highlighting the caution of Kyiv philosophers within the context of Soviet ideology and comparing their publications with the works of Western authors. The article demonstrates that the emphasis on worldview and anthropology in the so-called “school” is not specific to the Kyiv context and often mirrors broader trends of the era. The author shows that the school’s self-representation relies more on rhetoric than on genuine scholarly originality, emphasizing the importance of analytical precision in defining philosophical schools. Thus, the article clarifies the conceptualization of Kyiv intellectual tendencies in the second half of the twentieth century and critiques the oversimplification of the historical-philosophical context through rhetorical labels.