ABSTRACT
Living within the truth, for Havel, to begin with, becomes articulate in a particular way, at the point at which something is born that might be called the independent, spiritual, social and political life of society. While the prior Southern and Eastern grounding was in human, and more-than-human, community, as well as cultural evolution, respectively, now the emphasis shifts toward the grounding of the social and political system, including law and justice. As far as the economic life of society goes, Havel believes in self-management. Havel believes that a distinctive Central European scepticism is inescapably part of the spiritual, cultural and intellectual phenomenon that is Central Europe. The ethnic variety of the area, and life under foreign hegemony, have created different mutations of a specific Central European provinciality. There is an unfortunate economic tailpiece, though, to Havel's avowed political European preoccupation, for living the truth.
