What is Philosophy for Ksenija Atanasijević?

This chapter provides a general discussion of Ksenija Atanasijević, widely recognized as a unique 20th-century Serbian philosopher. Her extensive knowledge of various philosophical fields, including ancient Greek philosophy, philosophies of the East, as well as Slavic and Serbian practical wisdom, combined with her critical, systematic, and resourceful mind, made her prominent in Serbian philosophy and culture. Her philosophical development occurred after the emancipation from the metaphysical thought of Branislav Petronijević, leading her to focus on more relevant questions grounded in the new tendencies of Slavic philosophy and Serbian culture. The chapter explores the relationship between the two different philosophical conceptions in her works before World War II. Despite their differences, I assume that both concepts of philosophy have something in common. This text particularly highlights Atanasijević’s philosophical fragments and how, after a significant “turn,” she articulated her own philosophical position based on ethics. After an overview of the fundamental claims and arguments of her ethical stance, the chapter provides a critical discussion of them.