This text analyzes the specific relationship between Jan Patočka and the personality and work of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The author highlights the inherent ambiguity and duality in Patočka’s reflections, which often shifted in emphasis depending on the contemporary political climate. While Patočka, as a phenomenologist, criticized Masaryk’s positivist foundations, he was simultaneously deeply and personally influenced by the ideas of Masaryk and Emanuel Rádl. The article emphasizes that Patočka succeeded in redefining and reinterpreting many of Masaryk’s concepts for modern thought, providing them with a form that remains relevant in today's philosophical context. Although Patočka did not systematically develop these impulses into a comprehensive philosophical system—with the notable exception of his work on negative Platonism—he left behind a series of formulations that serve as a challenge for future scholarship. The text reflects the tension between Masaryk’s realism and Patočka’s phenomenological orientation, highlighting Patočka’s ability to update Masaryk’s legacy and demonstrate its enduring value beyond the limits of its original positivist framework.