To Shape the Person and the Community: On the Concept of the University, as seen in the Light of the Thought of John Paul II

Andrzej SZOSTEK

Faculty of Artes Liberales, University of Warsaw, ul. Nowy Świat 69, 00-46 Warsaw, Poland , Poland

Abstract

The first part of the article is focused on Karol Wojtyła’s views, proposed in The Acting Person, on shaping the person and the community. The key concepts discussed in the paper include the category of freedom conceived as self-determination based on truth and the category of participation as the dimension of the human person that enables him of her to create, together with others, a community of persons (communion personarum), to develop and reach her maturity within it. The second part of the article discusses particular guidelines John Paul II, referring to his rich academic experience, offered to the world of the university. The author of the paper emphasizes three such guidelines as specifically related to the university: to selflessly search for truth, to serve the human being, and to be open to God. As these characteristics of the university help shape the person in the community and, at the same time, seem to be threatened, the Pope calls for particular respect for them.

Keywords:

freedom, truth, community of persons, university, scientific research, education