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Introduction:InPolandIdeasAlwaysCountedMost
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YetgiventhateastismuchmoresignificantinPolishintellectualhistory
thanisgenerallyassumed,theseessays,takentogether,poseaninteresting
questionaboutthefuture.Ifhistoryisanyguide,Polishthinkerswhofeelbe-
trayedordisappointedbythewestmightlookforinspirationtotheeast.At
amomentwhentheEuropeanUnionisincrisis,andwhenyoungergenera-
tionsofPolestakethebenefitsofbelongingtotheEuropeanUnionforgranted,
suchaturnshouldnotbeexcluded.Polesarenowsoaccustomedtoseeing
themselvesasuEuropeans”thatthepotentialforsuchatransformationisper-
hapsunderestimated.AconservativelikeWielopolskiwantedRussianrevenge
uponahypocriticalwest,anationalistlikeDmowskisidedwithRussiaover
afrighteningwest,asocialistlikeLuxemburgcouldonlythinkonthegrand
scaleofaRussianEmpire.NowtheSovietUnionisgone,andanimperialRus-
siahasreturned.Itscoreideologyseemstobeakindofnihilistprovincialism,
anditspropagandaofferssomethingforeveryonewhodreamsofdestruction.
TheRussiangoalofdestroyingtheEuropeanUnion,forexample,appealsto
thefarrightandthefarleft,iffordifferentreasons.TothefarrightRussiapro-
posesapartitionofUkraine,tothefarleftresistancetoNATO.Themoment
thattheRussianideathattheWestisudecadent”extendsbeyondtheextremes
isthemomentthatRussiaitselfreturnstoPolishthought.Thehistoryofideas
demonstratesthatpresentconvictionsareveryoftenbaseduponfluidsubstruc-
tures,andthatthehorizonofpossibilityisbroaderthanitseems.
