Życie intymne uczonych

The paper presents cases, found in Polish academic life, of exceptional and moving violations of moral standards bound with the ideal of a scholar. These cases were made public by actors themselves (Wincenty Lutoslawski, Eugeniusz Romer), uncompromising historians (Henryk Barycz, Stanislaw Pigon) or widely known decision-makers (Rev. Bronislaw Zongollowicz). They argued that the ethics of scholars has not only normative character, but also a descriptive one, in many cases different that normative decisions. So conceived normative ethics should encompass the intimate life, particularly if it were made public due to a scandal. Such a scandal should call not condemnation, but intellectual reflection.