Against the Current: On Friendship and Education

Furio PESCI

Sapienza-Università di Roma, Facoltà di Filosofi a, Dipartimento di Psicologia dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione, Via Carlo Fea 2, 00161 Roma, Italy , Italy

Patrycja ` MIKULSKA

John Paul II Institute, Faculty of Philosophy, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland , Poland

Abstract

In this extensive essay the author elaborates on the contrast between the currently prevailing mentality, with the related educational goals, such as self-fulfilment or success, and the traditional ideals of personal maturity, virtue and friendship. In particular, he emphasizes the fact that the success-oriented upbringing makes the development of true friendships diffi cult, or even impossible, as friendship requires overcoming self-centeredness. The author claims that personal maturity, which should be offered the young generation as a goal to achieve, involves the capacity of making the gift of self to others combined with an acceptance of oneself as one is. In his analyses, the author draws mainly on Pope John Paul II’s concept of love as the gift of self, Alain Caillè’s antiutilitarian ideas, René Girard’s theory of mimetic violence, Christopher Petreson’s and Martin Seligman’s positive psychology, and Alasdair MacIntyre’s discussion of virtue. His other references include, among others, Ludwig Binswanger, Victor Frankl, Marcel Mauss, Ulrich Beck, and Zygmunt Baumann.

Summarized by Patrycja Mikulska

Keywords:

friendship, maturity, virtue, self-fulfi lment, the gift of self, antiutilitarianism, positive psychology