In current research on the work of Franz Kafka, war issues occur rather incidentally. In the presented article, the Author points out the omission of kafkology and tries to indicate possible directions of belumic interpretation. The sketch for Kafka’s war portrait is inspired by the short story Fratricide. The text, which shows the inspiration of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, is a beginning of Kafka’s thinking about a world determined by violence, controlled by a bloody conflict. The first (...) assassination is a prototype of mass destruction, war and genocide. Kafka seems to have subordinated his future feature projects on the subject of war. The author of the article postulates the reading of Kafka’s books as texts about war, not only about the metaphorical one but also the real one. (shrink)

Niektóre fragmenty książki mogą przywodzić na myśl filozofię Gianniego Vattimo, który dokonuje bardzo ciekawej reinterpretacji tradycji katolickiej, ale w wersji zsekularyzowanej i całkowicie immanentnej. Głębsze rozważenie tego wątku mogłoby wzbogacić i tak niezwykle erudycyjną oraz bardzo fachowo napisaną książkę. --------------- Zgłoszono: 06/09/2020. Zrecenzowano: 31/10/2020. Zaakceptowano do publikacji: 24/11/2021.

Catholics in the liberal pluralism state. Facing secularisation in the monthly Znak : The aim of this paper is to analyse the philosophical, sociological, politological, theological and press articles on the issue of secularisation that were published in the monthly Znak during 1989–2000. A definition of secularisation is employed that was coined by Charles Taylor in A secular age. It is understood as the endurance of religion in a plural society. The paper delineates three stands that the Znak Catholics have (...) taken when facing secularisation: an open catholicity; a liberal faith; and an ambiguous one. The first approach involves confronting one’s liberal, secular partners in public debates, with a focus on finding some of their points acceptable according to the Church doctrine. Nevertheless, it is burdened with the anxiety of losing one’s own identity. The second approach emphasises some of the connections between liberal and Christian ideas. A particular meaning of liberty and authenticity in human existence is stressed. In the third approach, although it does not admit to its malevolence, the liberal ideas are treated with sharp criticism. Liberalism is accused of limiting the role of religion in a plural society. In the conclusion to the paper, an attempt is made to present the current relations between liberalism and Christianity in Po‑ land. A deep recent transformation is revealed. It is believed that Znak will lose its function as a continuity sustainer in the next few years. (shrink)

In this article I propose a new concept: The Embodied Mind of God. I also point out the benefits that can flow from using it. This concept is combination of two concepts broadly discussed in contemporary philosophy: „The Mind of God” and „The Embodied Mind”. In my opinion this new concept can be very useful in the area of Philosophical Christology, because one of the most important questions there concerns the mind of Jesus Christ - Incarnate Son of God. I (...) present my own model of Christ’s mind that is able to avoid at least part of the problems faced by christology and sheds the new light on some of epistemological issues. (shrink)

W artykule O wątpliwej moralności pewnych rozpowszechnionych form modlitwy Saul Smi- lansky rekonstruuje założenia moralnie niedopuszczalnej modlitwy. Założenia te dotyczą sposobu, w jaki Bóg wysłuchuje próśb modlących się ludzi, moralnego poziomu bóstwa i tych, którzy się modlą, a także natury relacji między modlitwą a wysłuchaniem jej przez Boga. W niniejszym artykule, podaję powody, dla których uważam, iż dokonana przez niego rekonstrukcja nie jest poprawna. Argumentuję, że niedopuszczalna moralnie modlitwa, o jakiej pisze Smilansky, w ogóle nie jest możliwa. Wskazanych przez niego (...) założeń nie da się odnaleźć wśród założeń faktycznie modlących się ludzi. Nawet gdyby dało się je odnaleźć, niemożliwe jest ich łączne występowanie. Każdy, kto się modli, robi tym samym coś dobrego. Krytyka Smilansky’ego skierowana jest przeciwko czemuś, co faktycznie nie istnieje i nie może istnieć, dlatego nie dostarcza powodów, dla których należałoby uznać za niedopuszczalną jakąkolwiek modlitwę. (shrink)

That which connects ethics and epistemology is the concept of truth. The threads concerned with the ethical and epistemological understanding of truth are interwoven throughout the history of philosophy. They are also interwoven in Józef Tischner’s philosophy. In Tischner’s thought, the description of this interweave and its consequences, as well as ways of dealing with it, are very inspiring. In the present paper, I address Tischner’s highly interesting analysis of the development of the “political reason.” Then I juxtapose this analysis (...) with Tischner’s demand concerning the “ethics of truth.” I also show how Tischner, by referring to the Gospel and proposing a peculiar ‘Christological imperative,’ resolves dilemmas emerging at the interface of epistemology and ethics. Thanks to the reference to Christ, who not only realizes the ideal of the “ethics of truth,” but also becomes the privileged “vantage point of the world,” and thus a peculiar epistemological centre, the connection between the epistemological and ethical dimensions of truth is established. Also, a sufficiently solid justification for the demand that the “ethics of truth” be realized becomes possible, and the way of defending oneself against the charm spread by the “political reason” and its works is identified. (shrink)

Boża ukrytość jest problemem, który domaga się potraktowania z należytą powagą. Nie należy od tego problemu uciekać. Nie należy również ułatwiać sobie sprawy z Bożym ukryciem przez wprowadzanie rozwiązań, które sprawiają, że napięcie związane z problemem ukrytości znika lub zostaje złagodzone. Zaproponowane przeze mnie w książce Źródło i noc. Wprowadzenie do współczesnego absconditeizmu rozwiązanie, które nazwałem absconditeizmem, jest próbą zmierzenia się z problemem ukrytości w jego najmocniejszej możliwej postaci. Rozważam ten problem, biorąc pod uwagę również najmocniejszą wersję teizmu, którą określa (...) się jako klasyczny teizm. Artykuł stanowi łączną odpowiedź na teksty, których autorami są Maciej Bała, Ryszard Mordarski oraz Marek Słomka. Odnoszę się do pojawiających się w wyżej wymienionych tekstach krytyk, doprecyzowuję moje stanowisko oraz przedstawiam racje, dla których uważam, iż proponowany przeze mnie absconditeizm, stanowiący poważne i unikające ułatwień ujęcie problemu ukrytości, jest właściwym sposobem podejmowania tego zagadnienia. (shrink)

In the contemporary version of the discussion around the problem of God’s hiddenness, which was initiated by the argument presented by John Schellenberg, the problem is posed in a way that differs significantly from its traditional presentation. However, there is no shortage of references to thinkers of the past who have grappled with the problem of divine hiddenness. Among these, there are occasional references to authors belonging to the medieval period: Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas. However, none of the (...) authors involved in the contemporary dispute refers to the thought of Bonaventure. In my paper, I intend to present and discuss the themes related to divine hiddenness that can be found in the theological works of Bonaventure. I will show their place and importance in the theological system of the Master of Bagnoregio. I will also indicate possible ways in which these themes can be used in contemporary philosophical discussion. (shrink)

W książce Między ukryciem a jawnością. Esej z filozofii religii i teologii filozoficznej Jacek Wojtysiak podejmuje między innymi zagadnienie Bożej dobroci. Poszukuje najbardziej przekonującej odpowiedzi na pytanie o to, jak pogodzić z istnieniem Boga wielki fakt zła. Proponuje także reinterpretację tradycyjnego ujęcia Bożej dobroci poprzez rozwinięcie koncepcji Briana Daviesa. Uważam, że podjęta przez J. Wojtysiaka próba może zostać uzupełniona o kilka istotnych kwestii. W niniejszym tekście wskazuję możliwe uzupełnienia i dopowiedzenia. Zwracam uwagę na możliwe niepożądane konsekwencje płynące z niektórych proponowanych (...) przez J. Wojtysiaka rozwiązań. Pokazuję także, w jaki sposób można by uzupełnić propozycję Autora, by możliwe było uniknięcie tych konsekwencji. Zwracam uwagę na wskazywane w dyskusjach wokół problemów zła i Bożej ukrytości niebezpieczeństwa związane z modyfikacją przypisywanego Bogu atrybutu dobroci. Dyskutuję zagadnienie „łaski kreacyjnej”, umieszczając je w nieco innym, niż to czyni Autor, kontekście. Na koniec, podejmując wyzwanie rzucone przez J. Wojtysiaka, polegające na próbie pogodzenia wielkiego faktu zła z Bożą dobrocią, przedstawiam propozycję nowego ujęcia tego zagadnienia. (shrink)

In the paper I propose a modification of the position called “Skeptical Theism.” It was created as a response to two most serious arguments against the existence of God: “the argument from evil” and “the argument from hiddenness.” The paper attempts to answer the questions: how sceptical theism differs from other forms of theism? Is “Skeptical Theism” a step forward in dealing with the problem of evil and the problem of hiddenness? Is it possible to modify “skeptical theism” in such (...) a way that it is able to cover individual cases of experiencing evil and the feeling that God is absent. “Individualized Skeptical Theism” that I propose not only contains all the new elements that “Skeptical Theism” has brought to the discussion of the problem of evil and the problem of hiddenness, but also secures the element of individuality that is present in every person’s struggle with these problems. It also allows us to outline strategies that may prove useful for supporters of theism, the most important of which is the testimony of one’s own struggle with the problem of evil and the problem of hiddenness. (shrink)

Organizations pride themselves on their creation of rational structures based primarily on a male perspective of interaction. Workers are expected to set aside interpersonal behaviours that do not directly contribute to task performance. As more women enter management, norms concerning appropriate interpersonal relationships at work are undergoing strain. In addition, the phenomenon of mutual sexual attractions between co-workers is demanding attention. This study systematically describes attitudes, attributions and anticipated consequences of mutual sexual attractions at work. Findings suggest that gender stereotypes (...) are significant factors in people's judgments of persons involved in sexual attractions at work. (shrink)

Figner, Mackinlay, Wilkening, and Weber (2009) developed the Columbia Card Task (CCT) to measure risk-taking attitudes. This tool consists of two versions: in the COLD version the decision maker needs to state in advance how many cards (out of 32) they want to turn over (so called static risk taking), in the HOT version they have the possibility of turning over all 32 cards one-by-one until they decide to finish (dynamic risk taking). We argue that the HOT version confounds an (...) individual’s willingness to accept risk with their beliefs in trend continuation vs. trend reversal in a prognostic task. In two experimental studies we show that people believing in trend continuation (momentum subjects) turn over more cards than those believing in trend reversal (contrarians) in the HOT version of the task. However, this is not the case in the COLD version. Thus, we provide evidence that, when considered as a dynamic risk propensity measure, the number of turned over cards in the HOT version of the CCT is a contaminated measure and reflects two phenomena: (1) risk preference and (2) the decision-maker’s belief in trend continuation. We speculate that other dynamic risk taking measures can also be biased by a momentum strategy. (shrink)

What is the political meaning of justice combined with aletheia, that is, the truth understood as revealing, disclosing, and unconcealment? On the basis of an immanent analysis of certain excerpts from Plato’s work we could find the answer. First of all, in Plato the question of justice is not a technical issue, a question of good or bad ruling over the polis, a good or bad law. It concerns matters of much greater significance: existential issues. That is why justice is (...) more important than wealth, both to a man and to a political community. Only through other people, in a political community, is man capable of acquiring an identity, a unity between what he is by nature and what he becomes through education, during the process of adapting to a community to which he belongs. If we succeed in creating such a structure of a political community in which people recognize their proper place and can identify with it, then they will be able to identify with the whole political community. Only a political community thus united can be true, that is, just. Internal unity, which is an expression of justice, is the source of a political community’s power, it is the basis for coexistence and cooperation. When there is no justice, bonds among people die out. Through injustice they become above all incapable of cooperating. (shrink)

In this paper, the concept of political culture is considered in reference to the notions of G.A. Almond, S. Verba and J. Rawls. It is defined as a specific educational project, which is linked to the idea of a fair, democratic and constitutional system. The author also points to potential contemporary obstacles to implementation of this project. Deepening inequalities arising from personal culture are the first threat to liberal civic education. The second threat is associated with the development of new (...) media and the related changes in the public sphere, including various forms of political and civic activity. (shrink)

What is the philosophy of politics in contemporary times and how can the need for its presence be justified? The philosophy of politics is no longer needed by politicians themselves, primarily because it cannot be applied to an electoral campaign and will thus not ensure them an electoral victory. Public opinion probably feels no such a need either, bearing in mind that what it expects is more along the lines of new episodes of a political serial rather than a holistic (...) philosophical interpretation of political reality. Public opinion might begin to feel such a need if it were to prove possible to restore, partly at least, its civic awareness, which is to say, the awareness that emerges on becoming conscious of the necessity for political freedom, for there is no politics without citizens; there is, at most, social policy and its clientele. Without a community of the free and equal, which may consist of citizens alone, there will be no philosophy itself, including that of politics. Philosophy should not treat politics as a certain, particular field or a distinct area of study, It has to learn to recognise in it the basis of this particular form of being, a community of ‘good life’ which is also its own fount. (shrink)

L’auteur présente un nouveau projet éducatif rattaché au modčle de société bien ordonnée de Rawls. L’élément le plus important de ce projet est l’éducation morale. Le libéralisme moderne assimile l’éducation morale ŕ l’instruction civique. L’auteur trouve que cette maničre de concevoir la participation individuelle ŕ la vie sociale et politique est intéressante et utile. Cependant, quelle forme le fondement anthropologique de ces conceptions revęt-il? L’idée męme de l’ętre humain – exclusivement en tant qu’individu doué de raison – y est prise (...) pour sujet du processus éducationnel. L’auteur essaie de montrer que cette idée est trčs proche du concept de l’ętre humain que l’on pourrait qualifier de virtuel. (shrink)