Inkontrologiczna koncepcja wzajemności

This paper presents the issue of reciprocity in the context of Andrzej Nowicki’s incontrology. Reciprocity is one of the central problems of numerous concepts explaining social relations. It starts from the ancient principle of reciprocity (do ut des − I give that you may give) and end with contemporary theories of interactionism, theories of social exchange or the philosophy of the meeting. In the theory of social exchange reciprocity pertains to exchange. In the philosophy of the meeting this is not the case for reciprocity. Reciprocity does not signify exchange. What is common in various versions of the philosophy of the meeting is a restrictive condition of current reciprocity consisting in mutual and permanent transformation of personalities in people meeting each other. By creating his own concept of the philosophy of the meeting, namely incontrology, Andrzej Nowicki became one of many eminent thinkers focused on reciprocity. Andrzej Nowicki discovered the value of reciprocity, as a historian of philosophy in philosophies developed by Giordano Bruno, Julio Cesare Vanini or Girolamo Fracastoro and others. The author of incontrology discerned the importance of the notion of reciprocity for Władysław Witwicki’s theory of kratyzm. He used this theory to create his own division of meetings with a portrait. Though Andrzej Nowicki was not involved in studies on the principle of reciprocity, it holds a prominent position in incontrology. Its positive version (Bronisław Malinowski’s do ut des) may be expressed in the following manner: I create so that you might create, too. “Whenever I take the risk of ridiculousness,” admits the originator of incontrology, “I write about myself and my achievements. I do so in order to spur ambition in my disciples and readers [...]. Try it and you might be able to do something like this as well if you want”.67 For Andrzej Nowicki the most important value is culture, the creator of which is a human being, a co-originator existing in objects created by him (works) and in other people’s minds. A human being exists in mutual relations between the authors, artists and audience of high culture.