Męska przyjaźń i jej odcienie w Towarzystwie Filomatów

Abstract

The Philomath Society, which was set up on the 1st of October 1817 in Vilnius, is a great example of friendship. The amity became a main motive of society’s birth and a main rule of its functioning. There were two aspects of friendship – a value and the relationships between Philomaths. The Society members idealised friendship and credited it with worthy qualities. Moreover, the companionship was treated as a virtue and was contrasted the selfishness, hated by Philomaths. The Philomaths’ friendship evolved because of their departures as well as the characterological changes. They befriended as the young students but with time they became the men who started their adult life. That is why the relations were not free of conflicts or misunderstandings. However, their interactions influenced and determined their fates strongly. In some cases the friendship survived till the end of Philomaths’ lives.