Solidarity, dark solidarity, the commons and the university

Abstract

Since the late 20th century, the Solidarity breakthrough of the Polish social movement has been a huge political success. Solidarity, as a specific idea, has become not only a social and political power, but also a more profound category of ethical discourse. Therefore, especially in terms of Polish public awareness, solidarity is one of the most popular theoretical notions, which is used in many different social contexts. Divergent political ideologies develop and use the language of solidarity as a tool to create divisions in society. The language of solidarity seems to create additional difficulties because it is used by conservative, neo-liberal and leftist parties. This language does not have its own identity or meaning. Considering the problems involved in the category of solidarity, the authors want to move the debate around this concept onto grounds for discussion about the university and the concept of the commons. Their research is located in the field of the philosophy of education, but they refer their reflections also to some empirical works.