The Relationship between »Culture« and »the Religious« in An Introduction to the philosophy of history by Julije Makanec

Abstract

This paper deals with the relationship between culture and the religious in the work titled, An Introduction to the Philosophy of History by the Croatian philosopher Julije Makanec. The essay consists of two sections. The first acquaints us with his life and most important works, while the second discusses the central theme involving Makanec’s thoughts on culture and its relationship to the religious, namely, Makanec’s understanding of culture, his grasp of the religious, the values of each in relation to the other, the need for absolute values, and finally, the relationship between religious values and the sacred. Makanec’s vision of culture transcends the naturalistic–materialistic vision, and he is more inclined to affirm the divinity of the world than the omnipotence of time. This conviction leads him to the conclusion that eternity has dominion over the transient, or negatively expressed, that matter cannot ever be the ultimate reality.