Milestones of European symbolism of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century have been indicated and the meaning of prometheism as fundamental category of symbolism has been determined. It has been explored that the origins of Lithuanian symbolism do not only date back to Russian symbolism but through it they are connected with the broader co-European context. It has been established that one of the fundamental categories of Baltrušaitis’ and Papini’s viewpoint is prometheism, its political aspect characteristic to both authors has been analysed. It has been determined that Baltrušaitis’ promethean viewpoint is based on the philosophy of Solovyov according to which “God-man” is the synthesis of humanity and divinity; whereas Papini’s promethean viewpoint refers to Nietzsche’s idea of “superhuman” as an absolute category, a man who became God. The connection of Papini’s identity metamorphoses and prometheism viewpoint has been investigated; it has been demonstrated that prometheism influenced the twists of Baltrušaitis’ intellectual biography and the changes of his relation with Lithuanity. The connections of Baltrušaitis’ and Papini’s prometheism with the political attitude of authors has been analysed, it has been established that the differences of this attitude were determined by diverse philosophical fundamentals of Russian and Italian prometheism. / Darbe pažymėtos XIX a. pabaigos – XX a. pradžios Europos simbolizmo gairės ir nustatyta prometėjizmo kaip pamatinės simbolizmo kategorijos reikšmė. Ištirta, kad lietuviškojo simbolizmo ištakos siekia ne tik rusiškąjį simbolizmą, bet per jį ir platesnį europietiškąjį kontekstą. Nustatyta, kad pagrindinė Baltrušaičio ir Papini’o kultūrinio dialogo kategorija yra prometėjiškoji pasaulėjauta, išanalizuotas abiem kūrėjams būdingas politinis jos aspektas. Atskleista, kad prometėjizmas, iš pradžių suartinęs du kūrėjus, vėliau, dėl istorinių aplinkybių vystęsis skirtingais keliais, savo ruožtu juos ir išskyrė. Nustatyta, kad Baltrušaičio prometėjiškoji pasaulėjauta remiasi Solovjovo filosofija, teigiančia, kad „dievažmogis“ yra žmogiškumo ir dieviškumo sintezė; tuo tarpu Papini’o – Nietzsche’s „antžmogio“ kaip absoliučios kategorijos, žmogaus, tapusio Dievu, idėja. Ištirta Papini’o tapatybės metamorfozių ir prometėjizmo pasaulėjautos sąsaja, įrodyta, kad prometėjizmas yra viena kertinių Baltrušaičio pasaulėjautos kategorijų, lėmusių poeto intelektualinės biografijos vingius ir santykio su lietuvybe pokyčius. Išnagrinėtos Baltrušaičio ir Papini’o prometėjizmo sąsajos su politine kūrėjų laikysena, nustatyta, kad jos skirtumus lėmė skirtingi rusų ir italų prometėjizmo filosofiniai pagrindai.

As seen from cultural history, shape-shifting is a very widespread literary motif, which suggests that it has high inspirational power and general appeal. Shape-shifting has not been critically examined in the detail it merits: it is mostly examined as a part of other theories. Examination of Freud‟s psychological theories and modern literature such as Dracula, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains shows strong connections between the power of this motif and repressed animal instincts – an animal within. This connection usually manifests symbolically rather than as an actual representation of an unearthing of repressed material. There are connections to religious beliefs and a wish to be more than human which raises questions about what is implied by changing into an animal – less than human – shape. The relation between shape-shifting and repression causes an uncanny atmosphere about the motif, something which is used extensively in The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains and Dracula. There is also evidence suggesting the possibility that psychosis and neurosis might manifest as a sort of mental shape-shifting. In literature this can be seen in the were-wolf Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Berserkers of the Norse. Examination of the Boggart and Lupin of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and of the Norse berserkers show that the empowerment of shape-shifting mostly lies in control. All of this considered, and with the lack of critical examination in mind, shape-shifting seems severely underestimated and under-examined.

This thesis "The Cosmological Education by E. Fink" represents modified and extended text of the publication (2018), which was the result of the grant project GA UK. Through commented translations of the excerpts of Fink's books, parts of his diaries, unpublished notes from his written inheritance, stored in the University archive in Freiburg, this thesis aims to bring new perspective and to provoke discussion about his cosmological philosophy as a possible way of the future social self-development in the nihilistic era. The cosmological philosophy of education shows Fink, the best former student and assistant of the founder of phenomenology, Edmund Husserl, in a quite surprising light - as a radical thinker of Nietzsche's philosophical and educational legacy. Fink knowingly departs from husserlian phenomenology, what is closer described here in the additional chapter dedicated to the problem of technique, science and work. The method of the research intuitively seeks and critically reflects Fink's own way of thinking about the problem of education, which is inseparable from his constant dialogue with the history of philosophy, necessity of the revaluation of the metaphysical bounds and consecutive understanding of a man as ens cosmologicum, what reflects also the structure of the thesis. KEYWORDS...

The paper thematizes the concept of science in mid- and late thinking of Friedrich Nietzsche in the context of his understanding of scientific cognition of both: human and its world. The study introduces the problem of science and cognition in general in connection with significant motives of Nietzsche's thinking: morality, the revaluation of all values, thinking and living "beyond good and evil", freedom, human body, the superhuman motive, ascetic ideals, and more. Emphasis is put on the problem of veracity in the context of Nietzsche's attitude to idealism. Keywords Human; Superhuman; Nietzsche; Moral Philosophy; Cognition; Truth; Error; Intelect; Body; The Will to Power; Drive and Instinct; Evolution; Idealism; Nihilism; Amor fati; Beyond Good and Evil; Freedom; Ascetic ideals