DějinyGeschichteDejiny

A development of natural science in 2nd half of the 19th century and new scientific theories influenced and sharped an intellectual discourse throughout the Europe. The article focuses on the knowledge transfer in particular case of Slovak National Movement and discusses the process of reception of new ideas inspired by natural science, especially by Darwin´s Theory of Evolution. As a result of the lack of institutionalised “Slovak” science until 1918, the reception of scientific knowledge in the context of Slovak national movement was oriented rather to worldview and as such participated in wider phenomenon, so called “crash of beliefs”, the conflict of conservativism and modernism. The author reflects a mutual relationship between a reception of new ideas and the ideal(s) of national culture. The study comes to the conclusion that intellectuals who had supported progressive tendency of culture were keener to accept new scientific theories. On the other hand, those who preferred a cultivation of tradition were in they approach to science more sceptical, even dismissive. Moreover, the research based on analyses of Slovak journal´s articles and pamphlets showed the critic toward “modern science” was aimed predominantly on worldview oriented implications of scientific theories (materialism, atheism or deconstruction of Christian morality).