The article reviews the book Granice pojęciowe metafizyki [The Conceptual Boundaries of Metaphysics], by Sebastian Tomasz Kołodziejczyk.

This project envisages a study of Eric Voegelin (1901-1985) and of the role played by metaxy in his vision of political philosophy. Metaxy already defined by Plato as the "in-between" matrix of the human condition is for Voegelin a powerful notion that symbolizes the intermediate state in which man experiences diverse and opposing tensions such as the ones between immanence and transcendence or mortality and immortality. The metaxy constitutes the realm of the divine-human mutual participation (methexis), and its locus resides (...) in human consciousness (nous), there where the divine reality manifests itself as the origin of being. Being the field of intermediation between opposing forces, man has to keep the balance of consciousness in order to differentiate the noetic and pneumatic dimensions and so attune his life to the divine ground of being. This project claims that for Voegelin metaxy shapes the possibility of the philosophical, historical, political and religious orientation in life. Indeed, Voegelin's approach deserves recognition as an option adequate for addressing the intellectual challenges engendered by modern and postmodern philosophies. (shrink)

Jubilees induce one to reflect, to look back. It is a good opportunity to make some summaries, one ponders over the achievements of the past. It is also a good moment to express one's appreciation and gratitude. Such an expression of appreciation and a form of gratitude is the book Philosophy Leaning Towards Man, dedicated to Rev. Stanisław Kowalczyk, a professor of philosophy on the occasion of forty years of his scientific work at the Catholic University of Lublin and the (...) fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. This joint publication, dedicated to Prof. Kowalczyk and edited by Edward Balawajder, Arkadiusz Jabłoński and Jan Szymczyk, comprises numerous studies by his associates, colleagues and students. The whole work is thematically organized into three parts. The first part contains texts that raise anthropological issues, the second - social issues, and the third - issues concentrated around the relation between God and religion. This organization perfectly reflects the spectrum of the interests of Prof. Kowalczyk. (shrink)

Economic education is frequently blamed for negatively affecting students’ values and attitudes. Economists are reported as less cooperative, more self-interested, and more prone to free-riding. However, empirical evidence is inconclusive – certain studies support while others gainsay the so-called indoctrination hypothesis. We contribute to the discussion by running a Public Good Game quasi-experiment. Working with economics and non-economics graduates, we compared contributions to the common fund by representatives of both subsamples. Students’ contributions were then juxtaposed against the scores they achieved (...) from the exam items, testing their command of game theory to detect the supposed influence of economic teaching. We hypothesised that holders of a bachelor’s degree in economics and management would contribute less to finance the common good. We also expected that those whose exam scores were higher would donate less to the common fund in the PGG. Contrary to expectations and prior empirical evidence, students holding a bachelor’s degree in economics and management made higher contributions to the common fund than their non-economics counterparts. Also, we found no correlation between the level of donations and exam scores. We conclude that there are no grounds for considering economic teaching as promoting uncooperativeness and exerting the supposed harmful influence on students’ character. We claim that economic departments provide education rather than indoctrination. (shrink)

The paper is devoted to the problem of formal representation of prescriptive obligation, i.e., the obligation concerning the way in which an action is to be performed. Improper representation of prescriptive obligation leads to Forrester's Paradox. In the paper I first present a new version of Forrester's Paradox that generalizes the observation on which the original version is based. Then I challenge the two existing solutions to the paradox. I reject the solution of H.-N. Castañeda and analyze problems to which (...) the solution of W. Sinnott-Armstrong leads. I conclude the paper with a proposal for how to improve Sinnott-Armstrong's solution. (shrink)

On the 11th of January, 2001 the Philosophical Circle of the University School of Philosophy and of Education Ignatianum in Cracow organised a philosophical symposium on: The subject of metaphysics and the way of its determination. This problem seems important nowadays, although it has been discussed throughout the whole philosophical tradition. Solutions concerning basic philosophical problems have their impact on the understanding of reality, first of all the human being and the culture created by him which is expressed in knowledge, (...) morality, arts and religion. Reflection on the foundations of philosophy is especially important in the contemporary intellectual climate which is dominated by relativism and nihilism. This is demonstrated by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Fides et Ratio, which also proposes the way of overcoming the crisis through the return to the philosophy of being, that is metaphysics. The guests invited to the symposium belong to the above-mentioned philosophical trend. (shrink)

Thomas von Aquin geht davon aus, dass Gott die erste und einzige Ursache der Wirklichkeit ist, und somit alle Vollkommenheiten der geschaffenen Seienden in Gott auf eminente und vollkommene Weise zu finden sind. Deswegen ist die Weisheit aufgrund der Analogie als Eigenschaft Gottes zu verstehen, und zwar als Wesenseigenschaft. Diese Weisheit besteht in der Erkenntnis, mit der Gott sich selbst erkennt. Die Weisheit bezieht sich auch auf die zweite Person der Trinität, die als das gezeugte Wort die Weisheit des Vaters (...) ist. Betreffs des Schöpfungswerkes ist Gott als Schöpfer nicht nur causa efficiens der Seienden, sondern auch causa exemplaris und causa finalis. Mit der causa exemplaris ist die Weisheit Gottes gemeint. (shrink)

Współczesne nauki o zdrowiu podejmują współpracę z psychologią w celu zbadania subiektywnego postrzegania choroby. Jedną z dyscyplin psychologicznych, szczególnie istotną dla realizacji tego celu jest psychologia zdrowia. Wielowymiarowa Skala Istoty Choroby (MEDIS) opracowana przez J. Saka nawiązuje do metodologii badawczej tej dyscypliny. Wyodrębnione czynniki skali MEDIS opisują: ograniczenia samorealizacji, dysfunkcję psychiczną, dysfunkcję fizyczną, infekcję oraz wycofanie społeczne. Skala składa się z 28 pozycji odnoszących się do „bycia chorym”.

Polish hospital chaplaincy, because of the unique political and sociological context in which it finds itself, presents a sort of triple beholdenness. It carries particular loyalties to the state, to Catholic doctrine, and above all, it is called to be faithful to the unique suffering person. In this article, I argue that the biggest challenge for Polish chaplaincy resides within the domain of loyalty to the patient, where the profound and immediate need for robust formation of individual Christian conscience through (...) catechesis is needed. Although hospital chaplaincy’s involvement in catechesis and instructing the faithful might not be clearly evident for the reader, nevertheless I prove my point by bringing a story from my practice as a chaplain in one of Poland’s hospitals. (shrink)

Matteo Ricci is one of the most important Christian missionaries in China whose groundbreaking method of accommodation in the context of the Chinese culture was paradigmatic and influenced the history of relationship between China and the West. Ricci’s work had a profound impact on Chinese culture. He introduced new ideas in astronomy, mathematics, cartography, and other fields. He also helped to spread Christianity in China through the means of science and dialogue built on authentic friendship. In this article we offer (...) a discussion about his missionary work that left mark on the history of evangelization of China by considering his scientific contribution, his missionary spirituality and accommodation method resulting in his personal experience of intercultural encounter leading to his profound self-transformation. As the Catholic church already officially recognized his “heroic virtues” putting Matteo Ricci on the path to sainthood, it is important to reflect about contribution of this great Jesuit to the dialogue between China and the West. Abstrak Matteo Ricci adalah salah seorang misionaris Kristen terpenting di Tiongkok, karena membuat terobosan berupa metode akomodasi yang akan menjadi paradigma kultural yang memengaruhi sejarah relasi antara Tiongkok dan Barat. Pengaruh Ricci terhadap kebudayaan Tiongkok sangat dalam karena ia memperkenalkan astronomi, matematika, kartografi, dan bidang ilmu lainnya. Ia membantu penyebaran Kristianitas di Tiongkok lewat jalan ilmu pengetahuan serta lewat dialog berdasarkan persahabatan tulus. Artikel ini mendiskusikan karya Ricci yang menandai sejarah evangelisasi di Tiongkok dengan secara khusus menyoroti kontribusinya dalam bidang sains dan dengan menelisik metode akomodasi beserta spiritualitas penginjilannya yang berakar pada perjumpaan interkultural yang membuahkan transformasi mendalam dalam kehidupan pribadinya. Mengingat Gereja Katolik telah secara resmi mengakui keutamaan-keutamaan heroik Matteo Ricci serta telah memulai proses kanonisasinya, penting kiranya merefleksikan kontribusi misionaris Yesuit ini dalam hal dialog antara Tiongkok dan Barat. Kata-kata kunci: Matteo Ricci, Tiongkok, spiritualitas, akomodasi, misi, dialog. (shrink)

This article starts with the hypothesis that the measure of first-person experience of initiative is not, as it has been customary to believe, the present moment. Jean Nabert’s philosophy (and especially his early work titled L’expérience intérieure de la liberté) provides tools that make it clear that the sense of initiating action that one has in the present moment carries the stigma of illusoriness. If I experience initiative in the present moment, it means that I have taken part in an (...) activity initiated before. Therefore, even though the very moment of initiating action remains unavailable to me, the measure of initiative experience should be sought not in the present but in the past. To this end, one needs to consider the genesis of motives propelling my action. In line with Nabert’s conception, these motives—manifesting themselves as some kind of representations—are grounded in actions that I have not completed. However, the fact that the initiative I demonstrate is conditioned by these unfinished actions does not imply that my actions so far make up, by definition, a harmonious arrangement. Nevertheless, all these actions coalesce in one history, embracing my “desire to be” that constitutes my existence. (shrink)

This article argues that Christianity has the potential to strengthen people’s health when solving the forgiveness dilemma. However – paradoxically – the starting point for the analysis is the presumption that a hasty and imprudent decision to forgive may negatively impact the health of the decision-maker, and that Christianity may contribute to people making unconsidered decisions by prompting them to forgive. In the first part of the analysis, the concept of health and its biblical understanding are discussed. The second part (...) includes both a reflection on forgiveness-related dilemmas and the tension between the decision to forgive and the feeling of regret that may negatively influence health. In the third part, the Christian concept of forgiveness with reference to the aforementioned issues is discussed. (shrink)

'Zugang' ist der bislang übersehene Grundbegriff von Martin Heideggers Denken bis zum Hauptwerk 'Sein und Zeit' (1927). Menschsein bedeutet demnach: Zugänge erschliessen zu dem, was ist. Ermöglicht wird diese Form der Existenz durch unser gebrochenes Selbstverhältnis: die Fraktur der Subjektivität"--Page 4 of cover.

The uniqueness of Poland’s experience with the 2020 coronavirus lays in the interplay of two factors: the decisive governmental response to the pandemic, and the overlap of the pandemic with the country’s presidential election scheduled on May 10, 2020. The government’s fast reaction, combined with the citizens’ discipline, resulted in the suppression of the virus’s spread. The ratings of the current President Duda skyrocketed well above 50% needed for re-election in the first round. However, the expectation was that they would (...) be going down with the pandemic and lockdown fatigue. For almost two months, the government tried to organize the elections under the normal schedule while the opposition tried to block them. Finally, the opposition won, and the elections were rescheduled on June 28, with the President Duda’s ratings substantially lower. Nevertheless, in the runoff on July 11, Duda won. Our conclusion goes against the common opinion that electoral engineering is always one-sided. The reconstruction of the pre-electoral political maneuvers shows that many independent players were simultaneously involved in complex engineering, and that the final outcome was hard to predict until almost the very end. (shrink)

The presence of reference frameworks in psychology is complemented by the existence of this concept in transactional analysis. In their current understanding, they are the structure of interrelated responses from the integrated ego-state to specific stimuli. Reference frameworks provide an individual with the opportunity to develop a general perceptual, intellectual and emotional system that influences his behaviour. They constitute a system used to define oneself, other people and the world. The system of reference is present in the individual’s script, his (...) psychological games and transactions. As far as transactions are concerned, they are often tangential, blocking, or refracted. Apart from individual reference frameworks, transactional analysis is interested in their broader social and cultural contexts, which constitute their subsystem functioning as a source of identity. It reveals itself during intercultural exchanges or confrontations. Reference frameworks, being a kind of a window to the world, influence interpersonal relations and the links that exist within them. (shrink)

At Swim, Two Boys, a 2001 novel by Jamie O’Neill, tells a story of gay teen romance in the wake of the Easter Rising. This paper considers the ways in which the characters engage in patterns of masculine behaviour in a context that excludes queer men, and the rhetorical effect of transgressive strategies to form a coherent identity. These patterns include involvement with the masculine and heteronormative nationalist movement, as well as a regime of physical exercise, and a religious upbringing (...) in 20th-century Ireland. The strategies of broadening the practices of masculinity include their renegotiation and redefinition, as well as attempts to construct the Irish and the gay canons of history and literature. These strategies, as exemplified by character development, become a rhetorical basis for the novel’s main argument for inclusiveness. This analysis deals with the central metaphors of space and continuity in the novel in the light of a struggle between identities. It also observes the tradition of parallels drawn between the emasculated position of the gay man and the Irish man at the beginning of the 20th century, and O’Neill’s rhetorical deployment of the shared telos in construction of a coherent gay Irish revolutionary identity. (shrink)

Ostatnie osiągnięcia w kosmologii i fizyce cząstek prowadzą do zaskakujących wniosków. Sugerują istnienie wielu odmiennych – od naszego – wszechświatów. Hipoteza multiwszechświata pojawia się jako wynik rozważań przeprowadzanych zarówno w największej skali na gruncie tzw. teorii wiecznej, chaotycznej inflacji jak i w skali najmniejszej z możliwych – jako wniosek płynący z teorii superstrun, wyartykułowany jako propozycja tzw. kosmicznego „krajobrazu”. Koncepcja multiwszechświata mogłaby w racjonalny sposób wyjaśnić pochodzenie naszego Wszechświata, sposób jego zaistnienia a także szczegóły jego funkcjonowania, w szczególności kwestię jego (...) „dostrojenia” dla rozwoju życia. Ale czy spekulacje na temat wszechświatów, których nigdy nie będziemy mogli zobaczyć oparte na teoriach, które być może nigdy nie będą testowalne empirycznie są jeszcze nauką czy już filozofią? (shrink)

Thomas geht davon aus, dass die Weisheit, gemäß der aristotelischen Definition, in der Erkenntnis der ersten Ursachen besteht. Nach Thomas ist die Theologie diese Weisheit, weil sie die Erkenntnis über Gott als erste Ursache des ganzen Universums ist und zugleich die Erkenntnis über alles in Bezug auf Gott als ihren Ursprung und Ziel. Angenommen, dass für Thomas die Theologie die Weisheit ist, kann die logische Struktur seines Hauptwerkes Summa theologica anders wie gewöhnlich interpretiert werden und zwar, nicht nach dem neoplatonischen (...) Schema: exitus—reditus, sondern als Realisation des Programms der Theologie als Weisheit. (shrink)

The paper presents Husserl’s conception of the relation between science and the living world, i.e. the world of everyday experience and communication. In Husserl view, science, or, more precisely, its basic aprioric structure is founded on the primal, essential core of the living world from which it obtains its sense. Science modifies, idealizes, and mathematizes the primal aprioric Lebenswelt. Due to those operations scientific theories can represent empirical reality.

Journal of Philosophy of Education, EarlyView.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of my paper is to determine the consequences of including an education for forgiveness in the context of developing prudence. I aim to answer two questions: what is prudent forgiveness; what constitutes education for prudent forgiveness? I present my analyses in six parts. After introduction, I point to the advantages and doubts concerning forgiveness. Then, I present prudence as a basic virtue guiding human actions. I draw mainly on the approach proposed by Thomas Aquinas, who argued that prudence (...) refers to the perfection of the command. The fourth part addresses the question of the mechanisms of prudent forgiveness. I note that a decision to forgive cannot be made in haste; that it is a decision concerning some good that the victim wants to attain in the future; finally, that forgiveness is prudent in its achievement. In the last part, I transfer prior analyses to the pedagogical level. (shrink)