Anthopological and Social Dimension of Philosophy: Foreword and Translation of Leszek Kołakowski’s Essay «Substantive and Functional Understanding of Philosophy»

This is a Ukrainian translation of the article "Substantive and Functional Definition of Philosophy" by the famous Polish thinker, researcher and critic of Marxism, epistemologist Leszek Kolakowski. It examines the nature of philosophy, its purposes, and its functions, which it performs in the life of an individual as well as in social life. Therefore, the author examines various definitions of philosophy from different positions: scientific, transcendental, traditional and functional. The latter is the main one, because Leszek Kolakowski adheres to it. Philosophy is a natural phenomenon in human life and human communities. It is a manifestation of a human being's desire to express a discursive view of the world