Medusa 2025/I.

Medúza
Founded MMXXV.
2025/I.

Editorial Foreword to the First Edition

The very first issue, which opens this intellectual mission, focuses on the fading role and the search for direction of the humanities in the political and cultural climate of our time. Political scientist Ferenc Harmati discusses the transforming perception of the humanities and humanists, proposing a kind of new program for the humanistic intelligentsia in his piece titled “Why Write?”. This is followed by political philosopher Tamás Nyirkos’s incisive critique of the idolized nature of democracy, presented through a semantic analysis of a common phrase in his writing, “The Sacred Cow of Democracy.” Historian Máté Botos examines the linguistic determination of the nation and national identity, and its limitations, using a historical approach in his essay beginning with “Does the Nation Live in its Language?”. Author and literary scholar Regina Sallai returns to the theme of the transformation of arts and humanities in her literary and art-theoretical piece titled “Art Danger” (Mű vész), and the lineup is concluded by historian Miklós Kőszeghy’s lyric analysis, which is not without art-theoretical and aesthetic insights. The editorial board of the journal hopes that the ideas presented below will fall on fertile ground, blooming into the flowers of critical thinking, rational debate, broad horizons, and an openness toward the humanities. The explicit goal of Medúza is to provide a forum for the high-quality, critical, and even provocative ideas of young people who are emerging scholars or at the beginning of their intellectual careers. We are proud that the creation of this journal is realized in cooperation with the POLIP Association, and we hope that the values shared by these two forums will serve their mutual benefit and development. It is our firm conviction that cultural, social, and political education and engagement—no matter how few participants they might attract—possess an overall societal benefit, an educational impact, and an intrinsic value. Confident in high-quality future publications and the contribution of a mentally open youth: