Inspiracje myślą Jacques’a Maritaina w koncepcji narodu Karola Wojtyły – Jana Pawła II

Abstract

The concept of the nation in Karol Wojtyla’s (John Paul II’s) thought was the result not only of his academic work, but also of his own cultural, historical and social and political experiences. John Paul II enriched his experiences with intellectual insights. In this regard, he often drew from reflections of Jacques Maritain, under whose influence many countries in Europe, in the United States and in Latin America were. The latter’s solutions in the field of social and political philosophy significantly influenced the decisions of the Second Vatican Council, of which he himself was a participant. It turns out that both intellectuals shared similar foundations for understanding the nation and its sustainability. First of all, they paid attention to the fundamental role of the human person. As a personal being, he or she enters into relationships with other people creating a community. The common good that every person should care for is an element that unites all people. According to Maritain, this unity is revealed in a category of ‘integral humanism’, while John Paul II pointed to the ‘theory of participation’. Both agreed that the subjective dignity of people creating a national community is a foundation of a nation.