Filozofia „negatywna” Jana Pawła II

The characterization of Karol Wojtyła’s philosophical position most often points to two dominant trends: thomism and phenomenology. However, it is not so obvious whether the philosophical standpoint of Pope John Paul II can be characterized in the same way. Therefore, it is not surprising that the official statements of John Paul II (encyclicals and books from the pontificate period) more often criticize and reject than affirm certain philosophical trends. This strategy – reminiscent in many respects of the way the social teaching of the Church is formulated – gives grounds for distinguishing the ‘negative’ philosophy of John Paul II. It consists of what from the beginning Wojtyła referred to as the ‘philosophy of consciousness’ and what with time, as Pope, he also connected with the criticism of socio-political systems which originated from Descartes and the philosophy of Enlightenment.