Efekt Notre Dame. Rzecz o aksjologicznych reperkusjach katastrofy

The purpose of this analysis is to diagnose axiological consequences of catastrophic events. To this end, a graph is used whose geometry is determined by two axes representing changes that are symptomatic of the modern times: one marking our transition from rationality to emotionality and the other indicating the transfer of privacy to the public sphere. The graph allows us to distinguish four conceptual areas and assign to them categories of phenomena and types of disaster axiology. The first area emerges at the intersection of privacy and rationality, with rational choice theory as its theoretical background. It is a theory that identifies axiologies of individual interests based on the premise of profit and loss. The second area combines public sphere with rationality, shifting the focus of the said axiology and coping strategies from the individual to the social system. In the third area, privacy encounters emotional sphere. This is where individual axiology may be explored through the prism of individual experience, while introducing the category of spiritual transformation. The fourth area juxtaposes emotionality with making things public. This is where phenomena such as moral panic or collective elation are embedded. This is also where the eponymous Notre Dame Effect manifests itself at its very core: emotionality enters the public area while collective elation gains a more permanent form as short-term emotions turn into long-term symbols. This effect shows how important the sense of community is in the axiological reconstruction of the damage to the cathedral.