Petre Tutea
Encyclopedia
Petre Ţuţea (ˈpetre ˈt͡sut͡se̯a; October 6, 1902 - December 3, 1991) was a Romania
n philosopher, journalist
and economist
.
, Muscel region (now in Argeş County
). His father, Petre Bădescu, was a Romanian Orthodox
priest and his mother, Ana Ţuţea, was of peasant stock. After the First World War, Ţuţea left his village to finish high school in Cluj and went on to study law at he University of Cluj. After graduating, he obtained a PhD in Administrative Law, also at the University of Cluj.
Ţuţea moved to Bucharest and in 1932 he founded, together with Petre Pandrea, a leftist newspaper, "Stânga" ("The Left"), that was quickly and forcefully closed by the government. According to an anecdote told by Emil Cioran
Ţuţea once went to a newspaper stands and bought the Soviet newspaper Pravda
despite not being able to read Russian
, then kissed it, showing his appreciation for Marxist ideology
. Nevertheless, later in life, he would change his political views, departing from the Marxism and later became a devout Orthodox Christian.
In 1935 Ţuţea and four other writers published a nationalist program of economic and social development, "Manifestul revoluţiei naţionale" ("Manifesto for a National Revolution"). Around the same time he met the influential philosopher Nae Ionescu
and wrote for his famous newspaper "Cuvântul" along with Mircea Eliade
, Emil Cioran
, Radu Gyr
, Mircea Vulcănescu
, Mihail Sebastian
and other known writers.
Ţuţea was a member of the Criterion literary society and, like many other fellow members, became a sympathizer of the Iron Guard
, a right-wing, ultra-nationalist organization. According to various published interviews, at that time Ţuţea reckoned that democracy would have not guaranteed the sovereignty of the Romanian people. He also noted that many Romanian intellectuals had supported the Legionnaires, because "their radical position against the harmful influence of Russian Bolshevism", which he considered to be "controlled by Jews" (see Judeo-Bolshevism). Speaking of the Iron Guard, he notes the main difference between this organization and Fascism
or National Socialism was its avowed Christian character.
Between 1936 and 1939, he was a director in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in charge of the Office of Economics Publications and Propaganda, then, he was a director of the research office in the Ministry of Foreign Trade. As the National Legionary State
was proclaimed in 1940, he was a member of the Romanian delegation to Moscow
for economic negotiations. He returned after the National Legionary State
was abolished (after January 1941).
As the war against the Soviet Union began, he asked to be sent to the front, but his request was refused. He worked as a director in the Ministry of War Economy and after August 23, 1944, a director of studies in the Ministry of National Economy.
in 1949, and was sent, without a trial, to "re-education" (euphemism for forced labor) at Ocnele Mari
state prison. He was released in 1953 and, unable to find work, he lived with friends and relatives. Arrested again in 1956, he was tried for "Conspiracy against the State" (common charge against political rivals at the time). He was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years of hard labor, of which he served 8 years in various prisons, ending up in the infamous Aiud prison
.
After the release of all political prisoners in 1964, Petre Ţuţea became famous as a Socratic type of philosopher. He also started to write books and essays, created an original dramatic form, "Theater as Seminar" and produced a philosophical manifesto, "The Philosophy of Nuances" (1969). Due to censorship very little of his work could be published and virtually nothing appeared after 1972. Under permanent observation, Ţuţea had many of his manuscripts confiscated by the Romanian secret police, the Securitate
. In the late 1980s he started working on a massive unfinished project in five volumes, "Man, a Christian Treatise of Anthropology".
A very popular book (sold in more than 70,000 copies) is 322 de vorbe memorabile, a collection of aphorism
s taken from various interviews, ordered alphabetically. In these interviews Ţuţea adopted a hyperbolic, rhetorical style and the editor's choices included several controversial topics, such as atheism
, Communism
and Anti-Semitism
. He generally adopts a hardline Orthodox Christian point-of-view, being critical of various groups, including atheists
(whom he names "weasel
s"), communists
(naming communism a "social cancer") and Jews
(whom he finds responsible for the existence of Anti-Semitism
).
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n philosopher, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
.
Early years: from Marxism to the Legionary Movement
Petre Ţuţea was born in the village of BoteniBoteni
Boteni is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of four villages: Balabani, Boteni, Lunca and Muscel....
, Muscel region (now in Argeş County
Arges County
Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...
). His father, Petre Bădescu, was a Romanian Orthodox
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
priest and his mother, Ana Ţuţea, was of peasant stock. After the First World War, Ţuţea left his village to finish high school in Cluj and went on to study law at he University of Cluj. After graduating, he obtained a PhD in Administrative Law, also at the University of Cluj.
Ţuţea moved to Bucharest and in 1932 he founded, together with Petre Pandrea, a leftist newspaper, "Stânga" ("The Left"), that was quickly and forcefully closed by the government. According to an anecdote told by Emil Cioran
Emil Cioran
-Early life:Emil M. Cioran was born in Răşinari, Sibiu County, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. His father, Emilian Cioran, was a Romanian Orthodox priest, while his mother, Elvira Cioran , was originally from Veneţia de Jos, a commune near Făgăraş.After studying humanities at the...
Ţuţea once went to a newspaper stands and bought the Soviet newspaper Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
despite not being able to read Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, then kissed it, showing his appreciation for Marxist ideology
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
. Nevertheless, later in life, he would change his political views, departing from the Marxism and later became a devout Orthodox Christian.
In 1935 Ţuţea and four other writers published a nationalist program of economic and social development, "Manifestul revoluţiei naţionale" ("Manifesto for a National Revolution"). Around the same time he met the influential philosopher Nae Ionescu
Nae Ionescu
Nae Ionescu was a Romanian philosopher, logician, mathematician, professor, and journalist. Near the end of his career, he became known for his antisemitism and devotion to far right politics, in the years leading up to World War II.-Life:...
and wrote for his famous newspaper "Cuvântul" along with Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religious studies that persist to this day...
, Emil Cioran
Emil Cioran
-Early life:Emil M. Cioran was born in Răşinari, Sibiu County, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. His father, Emilian Cioran, was a Romanian Orthodox priest, while his mother, Elvira Cioran , was originally from Veneţia de Jos, a commune near Făgăraş.After studying humanities at the...
, Radu Gyr
Radu Gyr
Radu Gyr was a Romanian poet, essayist, playwright and journalist....
, Mircea Vulcănescu
Mircea Vulcanescu
Mircea Vulcănescu was a prominent Romanian philosopher, economist, ethics teacher and sociologist.-Biography:He studied philosophy and law at the University of Bucharest, graduating in 1925...
, Mihail Sebastian
Mihail Sebastian
-Life:Sebastian was born to a Jewish family in Brăila. After finishing his secondary studies, Sebastian went on to study law in Bucharest, but was soon attracted to the literary life and the exciting ideas of the new generation of Romanian intellectuals, as epitomized by the literary group...
and other known writers.
Ţuţea was a member of the Criterion literary society and, like many other fellow members, became a sympathizer of the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
, a right-wing, ultra-nationalist organization. According to various published interviews, at that time Ţuţea reckoned that democracy would have not guaranteed the sovereignty of the Romanian people. He also noted that many Romanian intellectuals had supported the Legionnaires, because "their radical position against the harmful influence of Russian Bolshevism", which he considered to be "controlled by Jews" (see Judeo-Bolshevism). Speaking of the Iron Guard, he notes the main difference between this organization and Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
or National Socialism was its avowed Christian character.
Between 1936 and 1939, he was a director in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in charge of the Office of Economics Publications and Propaganda, then, he was a director of the research office in the Ministry of Foreign Trade. As the National Legionary State
National Legionary State
The National Legionary State was the Romanian government from September 6, 1940 to January 23, 1941. It was a single-party regime dictatorship dominated by the overtly fascist Iron Guard in uneasy conjunction with the head of government and Conducător Ion Antonescu, the leader of the Romanian...
was proclaimed in 1940, he was a member of the Romanian delegation to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for economic negotiations. He returned after the National Legionary State
National Legionary State
The National Legionary State was the Romanian government from September 6, 1940 to January 23, 1941. It was a single-party regime dictatorship dominated by the overtly fascist Iron Guard in uneasy conjunction with the head of government and Conducător Ion Antonescu, the leader of the Romanian...
was abolished (after January 1941).
As the war against the Soviet Union began, he asked to be sent to the front, but his request was refused. He worked as a director in the Ministry of War Economy and after August 23, 1944, a director of studies in the Ministry of National Economy.
Communist era
Ţuţea was arrested by the Communist regimeCommunist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
in 1949, and was sent, without a trial, to "re-education" (euphemism for forced labor) at Ocnele Mari
Ocnele Mari
Ocnele Mari is a town located in Vâlcea County, Romania. The town administers eight villages: Buda, Cosota, Făcăi, Gura Suhaşului, Lunca, Ocniţa, Slătioarele and Ţeica.-References:...
state prison. He was released in 1953 and, unable to find work, he lived with friends and relatives. Arrested again in 1956, he was tried for "Conspiracy against the State" (common charge against political rivals at the time). He was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years of hard labor, of which he served 8 years in various prisons, ending up in the infamous Aiud prison
Aiud prison
Aiud prison is a prison complex in Aiud, central Transylvania, Romania.It is infamous for its political inmates, especially during the reign of Romania's by Nazi allies and later communists...
.
After the release of all political prisoners in 1964, Petre Ţuţea became famous as a Socratic type of philosopher. He also started to write books and essays, created an original dramatic form, "Theater as Seminar" and produced a philosophical manifesto, "The Philosophy of Nuances" (1969). Due to censorship very little of his work could be published and virtually nothing appeared after 1972. Under permanent observation, Ţuţea had many of his manuscripts confiscated by the Romanian secret police, the Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
. In the late 1980s he started working on a massive unfinished project in five volumes, "Man, a Christian Treatise of Anthropology".
After the 1989 revolution
After the 1989 Romanian Revolution, Ţuţea was embraced by Romanian intellectuals, receiving frequent requests from journalists and TV crews for interviews while living for one year with a student in theology, Radu Preda. Ţuţea spent the last year of his life in a Christian hospice, "Christiana". He died at age 89 before seeing any of his books published.A very popular book (sold in more than 70,000 copies) is 322 de vorbe memorabile, a collection of aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
s taken from various interviews, ordered alphabetically. In these interviews Ţuţea adopted a hyperbolic, rhetorical style and the editor's choices included several controversial topics, such as atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. He generally adopts a hardline Orthodox Christian point-of-view, being critical of various groups, including atheists
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
(whom he names "weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
s"), communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
(naming communism a "social cancer") and Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
(whom he finds responsible for the existence of Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
).