Christian Ethics in Poland in the Second Half of the 20th Century

The primary aim of the course is to show the specificity of Christian philosophy in Poland after World War II and the presentation of selected models of ethics, originated and emerged during this period.

In Poland, after 1945 ethical reflection was a very important part of the controversy between Christian thought and the communist system. The most interesting models of Christian ethics, developed at this time, including concepts of different great authors like Karol Wojtyła and Tadeusz Ślipko.

One of the most important proposals of this period is the ethics of solidarity that is connected with the experience of Solidarity Movement created in 1980. The main theoretician of this conception of ethics was Józef Tischner. It seems that the ethics of solidarity is extremely important today as one of the possible responses to the crisis of contemporary liberal democracy.

During the classes the ethical concepts will be presented in the wider context of the controversy between Christian thought and Marxist philosophy.

Topics

1. Philosophy in Poland after 1945

2. Main currents of Christian philosophy

3. Christian critique of Marxism

4. The specificity of Christian inspirations in ethics

5. Different models of Thomistic philosophy

6. Tadeusz Ślipko and his conception of ethics

7. The specificity of phenomenological ethics

8. From Max Scheler to Karol Wojtyła

9. Christian personalism and ethics

10. Moral aspects of the birth of Solidarity Movement in 1980

11. Solidarity as a philosophical category

12. Józef Tischner and the philosophy of drama

13. The philosophy of drama and the ethics of solidarity

14. The main dimensions of the ethics of solidarity

15. The role of solidarity in liberal democracy

Kobyliński Andrzej, The Role of Solidarity in an Open Society, in: Europske kontexty interkulturnej komunikacie [Intercultural Communication in the European Context], ed. Peter Ivanic, Martin Hetenyi, Zvonko Taneski, Univerzita Konstantina Filozofa v Nitre, Nitra 2009, p. 139-148.

Kobyliński Andrzej, Tischner and Metz: two Understandigs of Solidarity, in: Transformacia ludskej identity v strednej Europe po roku 1990 [Transformation of human Identity in Central Europe after 1990], ed. Helena Hrehovà, Trnavska univerzita v Trnave, Trnava 2009, p. 45-51.

Kobyliński Andrzej, From Nihilism to Communism. In Search of the Philosophical Roots of Totalitarian Regimes, Acta Moralia Tyrnaviensia VI – Sociálno-etické idey v súčasnej ruskej filozofii v kontexte slovanského sveta, ed. H. Hrehová, P. Rusnák, Trnavska univerzita v Trnave, Trnava 2015, p. 151-160

Ślipko Tadeusz, Bioetyka. Najważniejsze problemy [Bioethics. The most important Issues], Wydawnictwo PETRUS, Kraków 2009.

Tischner Józef, The Spirit of Solidarity, trans. Marek B. Zaleski and Benjamin Fiore, Harper & Row Publishers, San Francisco 1984.

Weigel Georg, The Final Revolution. The Resistance Church and the Collapse of Communism, Oxford University Press, New York – Oxford 1992.

Wojtyła Karol, The Acting Person, trans. Adam Potocki, D. Reidel Publishing Company, Boston – London 1979.

Wojtyła Karol, Person and Community: Selected Essays, trans. Theresa Sandok, Peter Lang Press, New York 1993.

KNOWLEDGE

Students describe the historical context of Christian philosophy in Poland in the second half of the twentieth century, they know some of the main models of Christian ethics developed in this period by the Polish thinkers.

SKILLS

Students are able to analyze and interpret philosophical texts on Christian ethics developed in Poland in the second half of the twentieth century

COMPETENCES

Students recognize the possibility of creating even today various models of Christian ethics, they see the need of moral reflection in the context of the axiological crisis of modern liberal democracy, they recognize the universal nature of an ethic of solidarity.

Assessment criteria:

• Attending classes

• Taking part in the discussions

• Submitting one essay on a chosen topic concerning Christian ethics in Poland in the second half of the twentieth century (6-8 pages)

The primary aim of the course is to show the specificity of Christian philosophy in Poland after World War II and the presentation of selected models of ethics, originated and emerged during this period.

In Poland, after 1945 ethical reflection was a very important part of the controversy between Christian thought and the communist system. The most interesting models of Christian ethics, developed at this time, including concepts of different great authors like Karol Wojtyła and Tadeusz Ślipko.

One of the most important proposals of this period is the ethics of solidarity that is connected with the experience of Solidarity Movement created in 1980. The main theoretician of this conception of ethics was Józef Tischner. It seems that the ethics of solidarity is extremely important today as one of the possible responses to the crisis of contemporary liberal democracy.

During the classes the ethical concepts will be presented in the wider context of the controversy between Christian thought and Marxist philosophy.

Duchliński Piotr, Kobyliński Andrzej, Podrez Ewa, Rozmarynowska Karolina, "Tadeusz Ślipko", Ignatianum University Press, Kraków 2019.

Hołda Miłosz, Jagiełło Jarosław, Pawliszyn Mirosław, Tarchała Andrzej, "Józef Tischner", Ignatianum University Press, Kraków 2019.

Kobyliński Andrzej, The Role of Solidarity in an Open Society, in: Europske kontexty interkulturnej komunikacie [Intercultural Communication in the European Context], eds. Peter Ivanic, Martin Hetenyi, Zvonko Taneski, Univerzita Konstantina Filozofa v Nitre, Nitra 2009, pp. 139-148.

Kobyliński Andrzej, Tischner and Metz: two Understandigs of Solidarity, in: Transformacia ludskej identity v strednej Europe po roku 1990 [Transformation of human Identity in Central Europe after 1990], ed. Helena Hrehovà, Trnavska univerzita v Trnave, Trnava 2009, pp. 45-51.

Kobyliński Andrzej, From Nihilism to Communism. In Search of the Philosophical Roots of Totalitarian Regimes, Acta Moralia Tyrnaviensia VI – Sociálno-etické idey v súčasnej ruskej filozofii v kontexte slovanského sveta, eds. H. Hrehová, P. Rusnák, Trnavska univerzita v Trnave, Trnava 2015, pp. 151-160.

Kobyliński Andrzej, Post-Communism, Liberalism and Solidarity in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe after 1989, „Seminare. Poszukiwania Naukowe” 39(2018)4, pp. 105-113.

Moń Ryszard, Podrez Ewa., Ethics, in: A Companion to Polish Christian Philosophy of the 20th and 21st Centuries, eds. Piotr Mazur, Piotr Duchliński, Paweł Skrzydlewski, Ignatianum University Press, Kraków 2020, pp. 145-166.

Tischner Józef, The Spirit of Solidarity, trans. Marek B. Zaleski and Benjamin Fiore, Harper & Row Publishers, San Francisco 1984.

Weigel Georg, The Final Revolution. The Resistance Church and the Collapse of Communism, Oxford University Press, New York – Oxford 1992.

Wojtyła Karol, The Acting Person, trans. Adam Potocki, D. Reidel Publishing Company, Boston – London 1979.

Wojtyła Karol, Person and Community: Selected Essays, trans. Theresa Sandok, Peter Lang Press, New York 1993.

No prerequisites