“Thinking in Values” (No 1) Solidarity

We are glad to recommend the first annual issue of Thinking in Values, which is dedicated to the topic of solidarity. Why solidarity? Not only is it one of the most important concepts of Tischner`s philosophy, but also, the Solidarity movement was one of the most important events in the recent history of both Poland and Europe. More importantly, solidarity is an idea which continually enriches our thinking about the modern world.

When Tischner began his studies on the idea of solidarity, due to the experience of August `80 in Poland, he was convinced that it could be saturated with concrete content. He believed that by analyzing this experience, he would find the ethical, social and religious dimensions of solidarity. In the section “Tischner on Solidarity” you will find a selection of texts that show Tischner`s engagements with the phenomenon of solidarity in the 80`s. We have also included Tischner’s text “Solidarity Years Later”, written from the perspective of the 90`s.

When considering solidarity, it is useful to clarify and understand what community means, and whether or not we ready to embrace this idea. The section “On Solidarity: Articles, Commentaries, Polemics” features articles that came into being in more recent years. They address Tischner`s analyses and the experience of August `80, however, above all, they demonstrate that solidarity remains a relevant social, moral, and ethical idea.

As further reading,we highly recommend Professor Karol Tarnowski`s book To Hear the Invisible, the closing chapter of which you can find at the end of this issue. Tarnowski’s book is a complete and especially profound study of the problem of faith. We also encourage you to take a look at the first article in our journal, from the section “Tischner`s Focus”, where we have prepared a short introduction to Tischner`s philosophy in general.

Please click here to read the full publication.