Edward Abramowski

<infobox> <title source="name"/> <image source="image">

</image> <group> <label>Aliases</label> <label>Relatives</label> <label>Affiliation</label> </group> <group> <header>Biographical information</header> <label>Marital status</label> <label>Date of birth</label> <label>Place of birth</label> <label>Date of death</label> <label>Place of death</label> </group> <group> <header>Physical description</header> <label>Species</label> <label>Gender</label> <label>Height</label> <label>Weight</label> <label>Eye color</label> </group> </infobox>Józef Edward Abramowski (1868 - 1918) was a psychologist, sociologist, ethical philosopher and anarcho-syndicalist. He helped organised cooperatives in Poland and was seen as a 'spiritual leader' of libertarian socialism in Poland, inspiring the Workers' Defense Committee and Solidarity.

Life

Youth

Edward was born to a wealthy family of landlords and spent the first 11 years of his life in Ukraine. He moved to Warsaw, Poland in 1879 and was privately educated, becoming increasingly interested in the philosophies of Marx, Darwin and Spencer, as well as the ideas of socialism.

In 1885, he began physical and biological studies at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. As a student, he organised a socialist youth group and began smuggling in illegal left-wing books from abroad. From 1886 to 1889 he studied philosophy at the University of Geneva. He became increasingly radical, becoming a dedicated speaker and organiser, eventually dropping his studies. Upon his return to Warsaw, he began to spread critiques of capitalism and private property, but became alienated by the socialists movements call for terrorism.

Withdrawal from Socialism

In 1893, he fell into a deep depression, but began to organise socialists in France, but soon contracted tuberculosis and went to Switzerland for treatment. He resigned from politics as he became increasingly cynical about Marxism and trade unions, but devoted himself towards studying psychology and sociology. He felt marxism lacked an understanding about human subjectivity and the necessity for a change in culture before a change in material conditions, leading him to anarchist conclusions, he returned to Warsaw in 1897 with this task.

Return to Socialism

He began to work hard spreading his ideas throughout Poland, writing articles, speaking and helping to organise groups and cooperatives. He also became increasingly interested in psychology, organising the Polish Psychological Association in 1907, and Chair of Psychology at the University of Warsaw, lecturing about experimental metaphysics at the university.

Death

He became increasingly sick as he aged, and became seriously ill in May 1918, dying on the 21st of June and buried in the Powązki Cemetery.