Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II
w Krakowie
Wydział Filozoficzny

At the heart of Karol Wojtyła’s anthropology and ethics is the concept of the truth about the good. This phrase recurs throughout his writings, from Person and Act through Veritatis Splendor. And yet this phrase has significant implications. From the perspective of Enlightenment thought—we may think especially of Hume and Kant—it is not at all clear that reason can grasp any truth about the good. “Good” is not the kind of reality about which there can be a truth. Within the post-Enlightenment scientific worldview, the objective order of knowledge has no room for good. The controversies of contemporary moral theology reflect this Enlightenment heritage, as Catholic and Protestant thinkers debate the nature, reality, and meaning of moral norms.

The lectures will introduce the status of the concept “good” in the context of post-Enlightenment thought and in especially the empirical sciences. The focus will then turn to Karol Wojtyła’s writings, especially Love and Responsibility, and Person and Act¸ the latter of which introduces the expression “truth about the good”, to determine his understanding of these concepts. Wojtyła’s analysis will be compared and contrasted with his principal modern interlocutors, Hume, Kant, Scheler, and the utilitarian school. The final portion of the course will address contemporary issues in moral theology, especially in the light of the Encyclical Veritatis Splendor.

The course will be taught in English. Students will be provided with the lecturer’s text and are expected to avail themselves of texts by Karol Wojtyła/John Paul II, whether from a library or by purchasing their own. Lectures will be informal and student participation and discussion are encouraged. The course should serve as an introduction to and investigation of the philosophical underpinnings of Karol Wojtyła’s thought.