The dispute about the concept of society and the value of the individual as a context and a challenge for Polish pedagogical thought

Jeśli uprawia się pedagogikę w wiedzotwórczej więzi z analizami filozoficznymi i przestrzega kultury logicznej, to podejmując kwestie wskazane w tytule, należy zwracać uwagę na - mające konsekwencje pedagogiczne - rozstrzygnięcia ontologiczne, dotyczące sposobu istnienia społeczeństwa i ontycznych zależności między statusem bytowym społeczeństwa i jednostki. Co jest ontycznie (bytowo) prymarne: jednostka czy społeczeństwo? Jakie są ontyczne zależności między istnieniem jednostki a istnieniem społeczeństwa? Co bez czego istnieć nie może? Czy może istnieć społeczeństwo, jeśli nie będą istnieć jednostki, jeśli nie będą wchodzić z sobą w relacje, dzięki którym kształtują się i utrwalają różnego typu więzi między nimi? Ontyczną prymarność jednostki akcentuje Andrzej Niesiołowski (1889-1945), dopełniając w "Zarysie pedagogiki ogólnej" dwie tezy o rzeczywistości: (1) "zjawiska społeczne wyrastają ze stosunków między jednostkami" i (2) "zjawiska społeczne tylko w odniesieniu do jednostki są rzeczywiste". Analiza zależności ontycznej między faktem istnienia jednostki a sposobami funkcjonowania społeczeństwa otwiera pole problemowe dla refleksji pedagogicznej. Prowadzi do kolejnych doniosłych pedagogicznie kwestii. Wymagane są bowiem w refleksji pedagogicznej rozwinięcia i konkretyzacje - także z uwzględnieniem doświadczeń historycznych konstatacji o ontycznej prymarności istnienia jednostki oraz społecznotwórczej roli relacji i więzi między jednostkami. Analizy doprowadzone są w artykule do momentu, w którym można kontynuować rozwijanie propozycji kształtowania jednostki podmiotowo współuczestniczącej i współdziałającej w tworzeniu życia społecznego, które powinno nie ulegać niepożądanej alienacji.If pedagogy is pursued in the knowledge-creating relationship with philosophical analyses and respects logical culture, taking up the issues indicated in the title it should pay attention to - having pedagogical consequences - ontological decisions concerning the existence of society and ontological relations between the social status of the society and the individual. What is ontically (live) primary: individual or society? What are the ontical relationships between the existence of an individual and the existence of society? What cannot exist without what? Can there be a society if there are no individuals, if they do not enter into relations with each other, thanks to which they form and consolidate diff erent types of bonds between them? Andrzej Niesiołowski (1889-1945) accentuates the on-going primary character of the unit, completing the two theses on reality in "Outline of general pedagogy": (1) "social phenomena arise from relations between individuals" and (2) "social phenomena only in relation to the individual are real". The analysis of ontic dependence between the existence of an individual and the ways in which society functions, opens the problem area for pedagogical refl ection. It leads to further important pedagogical issues. Amplifi cations and concretization in the pedagogical refl ection - also with regard to historical experiences - are required for the conclusion of the ontical primacy of the existence of the individual and the socio-creative role of the relations and bonds between the individuals. Analyzes are carried out in the article until the moment when it is possible to continue developing the proposition of shaping a unit that participates in the co-creation and cooperates in creating social life, which should not be subject to undesirable alienation

“Society under construction - opportunities risks” Eds. P. Bałdys, K. Piątek, 207 pp. Bielsko-Biała: Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Akademii Techniczno-Humanistycznej, 2015. – recenzja

Recenzja książki “Society under construction - opportunities risks” Eds. P. Bałdys, K. Piątek, 207 pp. Bielsko-Biała: Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Akademii Techniczno-Humanistycznej, 2015

Metaphysical realism as the inspiration of educational thought : about Stefan Swieżawski's anthropological-pedagogical reflections and their importance for educational theory and meta-pedagogical analysis

Integralną częścią dociekań filozoficznych Stefana Swieżawskiego jest refleksja antropologiczno-pedagogiczna. Pedagogiczne powinności są, według Swieżawskiego, częścią niezbywalnych zadań filozofii uprawianej w nurcie metafizycznego realizmu, dążącej do całościowego rozpatrywania i afirmowania ludzkiego istnienia. Według niego filozofia jako paideia jest niezbędna w wychowaniu i samowychowaniu, gdyż w rozwijanie człowieczeństwa wpisane jest uprawianie filozoficznego (intelektualnego, kontemplacyjnego) namysłu nad rzeczywistością. Związki filozofii z religijnym doświadczeniem i obrazem świata w myśli Swieżawskiego przywołują problem takich samych związków pedagogiki oraz naprowadzają na dyskusje dotyczące jej statusu jako pedagogiki związanej z religią, o inspiracji chrześcijańskiej czy katolickiej.Anthropological-pedagogical reflection is an integral part of Stefan Swieżawski's philosophical research. Pedagogical duties, according to Swieżawski, are an inalienable part of the tasks of philosophy practiced in the trend of metaphysical realism, a philosophy intended to provide an overall consideration and affirmation of human existence. According to Swieżawski, philosophy as paideia is an inalienable element of education and self-education, because human development requires philosophical (intellectual, contemplative) reflection on reality. Within Swieżawski's thought, the relationships between philosophy, religious experience and the image of the world, evoke the problem of the same relations within pedagogy, and guide discussions on the relationship between pedagogy and religion, as well as on Christian or Catholic inspiration within education

"Etos życia : wychowanie do małżeństwa w założeniach etyki rozwoju" - recenzja

The book by Grzegorz Grzybek, Etos życia. Wychowanie do małżeństwa w założeniach etyki rozwoju (The Ethos of Life. The Marriage Education in the Premises of the Development Ethics), is characterized by a very clear structure and a well‑thought‑out division of the publication’s contents. The book’s introduction gives its main assumptions and familiarizes the Readers with basic terms. Even though a particular structure is visible due to the main five chapters of the book, separate titles have been given to the fragments of distinctive reasoning of the author, and distinguished as subchapters. Grzybek’s dissertation also contains the conclusions, the complementary bibliography, as well as the bibliography presenting current achievements of the author

“Filozofia polska na tle filozofii europejskiej w XX wieku”. Ed. Maciej Woźniczka, 614 pp. Częstochowa: Wyd. Akademii im. Jana Długosza (JDU), 2014

Recenzja książki “Filozofia polska na tle filozofii europejskiej w XX wieku”. Ed. Maciej Woźniczka, 614 pp. Częstochowa: Wyd. Akademii im. Jana Długosza (JDU), 2014

Mała szkoła jako wielka sprawa – i szansa – edukacji

Small school is presented here in a model and idealizing approach as well as an “island of educational resistance”, which opposes the processes of educational destruction. As a model and a metaphor of school education and as a source of inspiration for shaping the teacher’s imagination, small school still constitutes a topical challenge for pedagogical reflection. What is explored in this study are the principles of functioning and characteristic values of the small school, particularly in the context of the dominating “educational giants”. This also becomes an occasion to promote the slogan: “Small school as a great matter and a chance for education”. Small school may be recognized as a way of thinking about the right functioning of the educational system and as a space favorable to pedagogical activities aimed at building independence and subjectivization. The presented article may be read as a thought experiment concerning a vision of school which fulfils the desired values. Partially, this is also a manifesto postulating a particular model of education, implementation of which is enhanced in a small school

Revaluations of the times of pandemics : on the interference of the pandemic in the world of human values

Experiencing the destructive effects of a pandemic as a realistic view of currently unfolding events, one reads Roman Ingarden's conundrums from his analyses of human nature: "As the spiritual power of man weakens or disappears, the layer of Human Reality in the world seems to obliterate and fade away." In contrast to the concepts of values, which postulate their "eternal permanence," Ingarden realistically draws attention to the fragility of the world of values and the dependence of existence on man's active concern to learn and realize them. Experiencing the destructive effects of a pandemic, one also experiences a re-evaluation in the world of human values taking place at an accelerated pace: what is valued and what is preferred in actions as something particularly valuable, something more important than something else. It is a characteristic of pandemic times that what seemed certain, stable and even unchangeable - also in economic and political activity with its long-range goals - becomes at once highly questionable or no longer valid; and that which was considered valuable from the axiological point of view turns out to be very fragile and susceptible to annihilation. In this way, we experience, for many, the pandemic's intrusion into the world of human values, which is unexpected and beyond the horizon of imagination. It is an intervention which also generates and intensifies conflicts of values, between which one has to make an unrepeatable choice: either one chooses this good or that good, at the cost of losing other goods; either one gives up this good or that good, or one has to give up on some particular good, because one cannot preserve them simultaneously (one does not have the necessary forces or means), and the decisions which have been made are not reversible in time. In the situation of struggling with the advancing pandemic, when in various areas of human activity one experiences increased and disturbing cognitive disorientation, when one feels painfully aware of the lack of reliable knowledge about what is really happening (what are the causes, how to accurately recognize the actual threats, how to effectively counteract what threatens health and life in various ways) and how it can probably further develop, the more necessary in the reliable practice of science is - highly valued by Ingarden - "attacking matters that have so far been settled with hackneyed platitudes, realizing that one actually understands nothing", because in practice one bears horrendous costs of only seemingly settling matters (of great importance) with "hackneyed platitudes" and of seemingly understanding phenomena. Effective recognition of the sources and multiple effects of a pandemic (and ways to counteract it) requires interdisciplinary discussions, transcending the artificial barriers of institutionalized science and involving representatives of various scientific fields in the debate, including philosophy, logic, and ethics

O kulturowym dziedzictwie wypasania owiec i symbolice pasterskiej oraz o kunszcie kucharskim i dobrym smaku

A great culture-creating event “The Carpathian Sheep Graze — Transhumance 2013”, organized with due respect for pastoral tradition, and “Lamb Meat Feast” in Ustroń are examples of restitution and popularization of the cultural heritage of sheep farming and pastoral symbolics. Both events appeal to very deep layers of tradition, which raise reflection on culture-creating aspects of sheep farming (one of the oldest forms of agricultural economy), on the signs of pastoral customs and symbolics, and on culinary traditions. Pastoral elements still seem to be present in modern culture, especially in the religious symbolic imagination. However, most frequently there is no direct presence of sheep and shepherds, which might make them only a “relic” of the past

Opowiadanie rzeczywistości : konwergencja i jej przejawy a możliwości ponowoczesnego "bycia" w świecie - recenzja

Review: Monika Miczka-Pajestka: Opowiadanie rzeczywistości. Konwergencja i jej przejawy a możliwości ponowoczesnego „bycia” w świecie (Narrating Reality. Convergence and Its Manifestations and Possibilities of Postmodern “Being” in the World) Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2018, pp. 25