Czech Negative Platonism Rádl and Patočka

Ladislav Hejdánek

Emanuel Rádl is demonstrated to be one of the sources of inspiration for Patočka’s project of „negative Platonism“. The pure appeal of transcendence, as well as the „sheer supra-objectivity“ of the Idea, contrasted by Patočka with „real universe“ and its „objects“, are inspired by the concept of the idea in Rádl’s Consolation of Philosophy. When, subsequently, Patočka substitutes the idea, as a term, with the concept of truth (typically in the phrase „living in truth“), he maintains a link to the understanding of truth as a non-objective appeal, characteristic for the Czech intellectual tradition and attaining a philosophical expression precisely in Rádl.