Kiek kartų gali atgimti tauta?
LTVisus šioje knygoje esančius tekstus sieja bendra gija. Juose ieškoma atsakymo į vieną pamatinį klausimą. Jis iškilo beveik prieš tris dešimtmečius, kai atsidurta gyvenimo kryžkelėje ir prireikė apsispręsti, kuriuo keliu eiti toliau. Sis sprendimas buvo priimtas 1989 m. vasarą. Apie jį tenka užsiminti, nes jeigu apsisprendimas būtų buvęs kitoks, greičiausiai nebūtų buvę nei šios knygos, nei daugumos kitų per šį laiką parašytų tekstų. Taip jau susiklostė, kad, būnant aukštosios mokyklos dėstytoju ir ramiai dirbant mėgstamą akademinį darbą, likimas atvedė į didžiąją politiką. Drįsčiau ją šitaip vadinti, nes, kad ir kaip šiandien būtų vertinamas Sąjūdis, jo išsikeltas tikslas ir pastangos atkurti nepriklausomą Lietuvos valstybę tikrai nebuvo įprastinė - kasdienius reikalus ir palyginti rutuliškas problemas sprendžianti ramių laikų politika. Jos užmojis ir polėkis žavėjo ir viliojo keisti profesiją ir pasilikti politikoje visam laikui. 1989 m. vasarą jau buvo akivaizdu, kad Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimas yra neišvengiamas tik aplinkybių ir laiko klausimas. Buvo aišku ir tai, kaip ji bus atkurta ir kas tai padarys - sovietinės "pertvarkos" sąlygomis palyginti laisvai išrinkta LSSR Aukščiausioji Taryba. Galimybės į ją patekti atrodė tikrai nemenkos, tad atsakymas, kuriuo gyvenimo ir profesinės veiklos keliu eiti toliau, tarsi buvo savaime akivaizdus ir neturėjo kelti abejonių [Iš Pratarmės].
ENThe author of this book has a unique place in the philosophical community of post-communist Lithuania: He is a thinker who successfully combines his unique experience as a political activist in the era of Sąjūdis with a profound knowledge of political philosophy and history. This puts the author into a category of practical philosophers - thinkers who manage to bridge the gap between theoretical philosophy and real-world problems. Author's philosophical explorations demonstrate an exceptional sensitivity to the shortcomings of Lithuanian politics, and show that the "great political questions", which first arose in the era of Sąjūdis, are just as relevant 30 years later as they were back then. One of the "great political questions" which the author claims to be of particular relevance today is, essentially, an ontological one - can post-communist Lithuanians exist as a sustainable political community? This book is a collection of papers which explore the current condition and future prospects of Lithuanian political community and Lithuanian state. The overarching theme that binds these studies together can be summarised with a provocative question which the author asks in the introduction of this book: Is it possible that long years of occupation and sovietisation have irreversibly transformed Lithuanians into an apolitical community which will never be able to restore and maintain a fully functional state with a vibrant political community? This collection of selected papers, written in the period between 1988 and 2017, is divided into 9 parts. Each part contains papers on a particular political topic, which are presented in a chronological order.The first part, titled "Recollection: The Inspirational Peoplc/In Memoriam: The Inspirational People/In Memoriam: My Inspirations", contains papers in which the author pays tribute to the three personalities from different historical periods who inspired the development of his ideas - Antanas Maceina, Romualdas Ozolas, and Alfonsas Svarinskas. The author portrays these personalities as symbols of commitment to the idea of a Lithuanian state. The second part, tided "Sąjūdis: From Genesis/Emergence to Counterrevolution", contains papers describing author's experiences as a member of Sąjūdis movement. The reader will find an authentic recollection of the emergence and transformation of Sąjūdis, as well as a recollection of the subsequent counterrevolution against the ideas promoted by this movement, which, according to author, was a major contributing factor to the pervasive social and political problems, of post-communist Lithuania. The third part, titled "A State that Did Not Happen", contains papers exploring an increasing gap between Lithuania's socio-political reality and its self-portrayal as a country of great socio-economic success, as well as papers revealing the oligarchic nature of Lithuania's political system. The author illuminates a connection between the self-replicating soviet mentality and the current socio-economic problems of the Lithuanian state - mass emigration, poverty, and a culture of verbal and physical abuse. The fourth part, titled "Democracy and the Civil Society: The Cost of Confused Concepts", contains a collection of papers exploring the notion of civil society. The author asks the question of whether a functional civil society always contributes to the common good and political freedom of the country, and whether continuous attempts to create an open civil society in Lithuania has contributed to the liberation of its people from apolitical soviet mentality.The author also explores the question of whether a narrow-minded focus on the development of the institutions pertinent to the existence of civil society in Lithuania has not hindered the development of other, non-institutionalized, forms of political participation. The fifth part of the book, titled "The Politics of Historical Memory" explores the concept of politics of historical memory, its theoretical and practical implications for a political community. What are the effects of market-inspired reforms of the higher education system of Lithuania? Who are the "winners"? Who are the "losers"? These are some of the questions that the author explores in the sixth part of the book, titled "A "Reform" of Higher Education". The author unmasks the neo-liberal ideological assumptions underlying the higher education reforms in Lithuania, and discusses its negative social effects. In the seventh part of the book, titled "Quo vadis, Europa?" the author explores the ideological foundations and evolution of the European integration process, and provides theoretically informed predictions concerning the post-Brexit evolution of the European Union. The book ends with a part dedicated to the contemplation of the future prospects of the Lithuanian state in an era of heightened geopolitical tensions. In this part of the book, titled "Future prospects", the author defends the claim that the present social, economic and political problems of the Lithuanian state provide justified reasons for scepticism concerning the sustainability of existence of the Lithuanian state, yet there is still hope that the heightened geopolitical tensions will strengthen the political identity of Lithuanians, thus providing a basis for the resolution of the persistent problems which plague the Lithuanian state.
