WHEN THE MEANS BECOMES THE END. SOME NON-OPPORTUNISTIC THOUGHTS ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

Political and social changes following the collapse of communism in the last quarter of the 20th century and the globalization that progressed in the early 21st century led to the need of rebuilding academic institutions. This has also initiated discussions about the condition of the University. In this article, the author, taking Fr. Jacek Woroniecki's article Pupil or book (first printing 1918) as a starting point, shows that the university is in a state of permanent crisis. Its source is alienation, i.e. a situation in which what is only a means becomes an end through the activities of people and institutions, "art for art's sake." Just as in the days of Fr. Woroniecki's activity writing scientific books became an end in itself, the shortest and surest way to achieve a professorship, so in our modern times the tools of the so-called parameterization of scientific achievements have become alienated. Reading Fr. Woroniecki's article inevitably leads to the conclusion that alienation creates pathologies in social life. However, in each era it manifests itself in a different way.