Józef Tischner on Upbringing and Hope


Abstract

The present article examines Józef Tischner’s idea of upbringing (wychowanie) in establishing the new awareness of solidarity among the Polish workers and people through an awakening to conscience. The present moment served as a revolutionary alternative to socialism. I look at Tischner’s critique of Marxism and the central issue surrounding base and superstructure. Then I turn to his recovery of the Polish tradition of ethical ideals, especially in the person of Maximilian Kolbe and John Paul II. The text provides a detailed analysis of the chapter on upbringing in The Spirit of Solidarity. Tischner’s notion that upbringing is a personal bond established in trust to live in hope for improvement in mind and heart is placed in the context
of the solidarity as a social bond establishing an ethical community transcending the political quest for power and the need to find an enemy. The text analyzes the various counterfeit forms of education in order to deepen our awareness of the meaning of authentic upbringing. Salient points of his teaching are discussed in conclusion.


Keywords

Tischner; Pope John Paul II; solidarity; education; hope; Marx and Marxism; theses on Feuerbach; Maximillian Kolbe; conscience

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Published : 2022-04-19


HittingerJ. (2022). Józef Tischner on Upbringing and Hope. Philosophy and Canon Law, 8(1), 1-36. https://doi.org/10.31261/PaCL.2022.08.1.06

John P. Hittinger  jphittinger@gmail.com
University of St. Thomas Houston  United States
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0660-9653




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