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Józef Tischner

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(1931–2000) – philosopher, writer, Catholic priest; professor at the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Kraków, president of the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna, member of the editorial teams of “Tygodnik Powszechny” and “Znak”.

Józef Tischner was the most popular Catholic thinker and essayist in Poland in the 1990s. His books have become bestsellers, and Tischner himself is seen as one of the few authentic moral and intellectual authorities. As a scholar, Tischner dealt mainly with the philosophy of man and value theory. His position is sometimes described as being related to phenomenology, and close to the thought of Emmanuel Lévinas, although Tischner himself liked to refer to it as “philosophy without a label”, meaning a kind of exploration that cannot be fully identified with any of the existing philosophical trends. He also developed an orientation called the philosophy of the encounter, which was a creative extension of the views of Martin Buber.

Tischner’s book “Etyka solidarności” (The Ethics of Solidarity) is a unique text in Polish philosophical literature; it followed the political events of 1980–1981, and above all, the formation of the Solidarity movement, and attempted an ethical interpretation of what happened. It was in this book that Tischner coined the famous definition of solidarity as “brotherhood for the stricken”, based on the principle of “bearing one another’s burdens”.

Tischner wrote various texts intended for a wider audience, including “Między Panem a Plebanem” (Between Manor and Vicar), which was a bestseller in its year of publication. The book comprised an extended conversation between Tischner and Adam Michnik. Their debate touched upon major political and ideological issues, with the most prominent being the dialogue between the secular left and the Catholic Church in Poland. His next publication, “Tischner czyta Katechizm” (Tischner Reads the Catechism), also gained popularity due to the vividness and freedom of language used by the author to comment on the basic issues of Christian ethics.

Tischner’s next book, “Historia filozofii po góralsku” (The Highlander’s History of Philosophy), also aroused a lot of interest. It was written with the aim of popularising philosophical knowledge. Tischner’s idea with this book was to introduce complex phenomena using the simplest possible language of the uneducated highlanders among whom he was raised. The book was adapted into a TV series, “Historia filozofii po góralsku według ks. Józefa Tischnera” (The Highlander’s History of Philosophy According to Father Józef Tischner).

Tischner received a number of awards, including the Kisiel Prize and the Alfred Jurzykowski Prize. He was also awarded the Order of the White Eagle. The Father Józef Tischner Znak and Hestia Prize has been awarded since 2001.

Bibliography (selected)

  • Świat ludzkiej nadziei, Cracow: Znak, 1975.
  • Etyka solidarności, Cracow: Znak, 1981.
  • Polski kształt dialogu, Paris: Editions Spotkania, 1981.
  • Lewica odkrywa Kościół, Katowice: [s.n.], 1981.
  • Czas zakorzenienia, Gdańsk: [s.n.], 1981.
  • Polski kryzys pracy, Cracow: Niezależna Oficyna Studentów, 1981.
  • Myślenie według wartości, Cracow: Znak, 1982.
  • W kręgu filozofii pracy, Cracow: [s.n.], 1983.
  • Polski młyn, Kraków: Instytut Wydawniczy Księży Misjonarzy „Nasza Przeszłość”, 1991.
  • Świat ludzkiej nadziei. Wybór szkiców filozoficznych 1966–1975, Cracow: Znak, 1992.
  • Nieszczęsny dar wolności, Cracow: Znak, 1993.
  • Jak żyć?, Wrocław: Tum Wydawnictwo Wrocławskiej Księgarni Archidiecezjalnej, 1994.
  • Między Panem a Plebanem [with Adam Michnik and Jacek Żakowski], Cracow: Znak, 1995.
  • Tischner czyta Katechizm [with Jacek Żakowski], Cracow: Znak, 1996.
  • Książeczka Pielgrzyma, Milanówek: Wydawnictwo Libellus, 1996.
  • W krainie schorowanej wyobraźni, Cracow: Znak, 1997.
  • Historia filozofii po góralsku, Cracow: Znak, 1997.
  • Filozofia dramatu, Cracow: Znak, 1997.
  • Spór o istnienie człowieka, Cracow: Znak, 1998.
  • Ksiądz na manowcach, Cracow: Znak, 1999.
  • Myśli wyszukane, Cracow: Znak, 2000.
  • Pomoc w rachunku sumienia, Cracow: Znak, 2000.
  • Drogi i bezdroża miłosierdzia, Cracow: Wydawnictwo AA, 2000.
  • Wieści ze słuchanicy [with Wanda Czubernatowa], Cracow: Znak, 2001.
  • Słowo o ślebodzie. Kazania spod Turbacza 1981–1997, Cracow: Znak, 2003.
  • O człowieku. Wybór pism filozoficznych, Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 2003.
  • Myślenie w żywiole piękna, Cracow: Znak, 2004.
  • Idąc przez puste błonia, Cracow: Znak, 2005.
  • Etyka solidarności oraz Homo sovieticus, Cracow: Znak, 2005.
  • Studia z filozofii świadomości, Cracow: Instytut Myśli Józefa Tischnera, 2006.
  • Zrozumieć własną wiarę, Cracow: Znak, 2006.
  • Etyka a historia. Wykłady, Cracow: Instytut Myśli Józefa Tischnera, 2008.
  • Wiara ze słuchania. Kazania starosądeckie 1980–1992, Cracow: Znak, 2009.
  • Rozmowy z dziećmi. Kazania niecodzienne, Cracow: Znak, 2010.
  • Inny. Eseje o spotkaniu, Cracow: Znak, 2017.
  • Wędrówki w krainę filozofów. Cracow: Znak, 2017 .
  • Krótki przewodnik po życiu. Nieznane teksty. Cracow: Znak, 2017.

Translations

Belarussian:

  • Мысленне ў кантэксце каштоўнасцей [Myślenie według wartości], trans. Lilija Iluszyna, Minsk: Izdateelskij centr Ekonompress, 2012.

Bulgarian:

  • Мислене, основано на ценности [Myślenie według wartości], trans. Desislawa Nedalkowa, Sofija: Indatielstwo Sonm, 2004.
  • Спорът за съществуването на човека [Spór o istnienie człowieka], trans. Sylwia Borisowa, Sofija: Izdatielstwo Panorama+, 2005.
  • Философията на драматa [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Prawda Spasowa, Sofija: Sont, 2008.

Czech:

  • Etika solidarity [Etyka solidarności], trans. b.d., Mnichov: Opus Bonum, 1985

English:

  • The Spirit of Solidarity [Etyka solidarności], trans. Marek B. Zaleski, Benjamin Fiore, San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1984.
  • The Philosophy of Drama [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Marek B. Zaleski, Benjamin Fiore, San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1984.
  • Marxism and Christianity: the Quarrel and the Dialogue in Poland [Polski kształt dialogu], trans. Marek B. Zaleski, Benjamin Fiore, Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1987.
  • Thinking in Values; The Challenge of Totalitarianism; Thinking from Within a Metaphor [Myślenie według wartości], Kraków: Instytut Myśli Józefa Tischnera, 2005.

French:

  • Éthique de solidarité [Etyka solidarności], trans. Krystyna Jocz, Ewa Kazimierczak, Jadwiga Dabrowska, Limoges: Criterion, 1983
  • La philosophie du drame [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Maryla Laurent, Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf, 2012

German:

  • Der unmögliche Dialog: Christentum und Marxismus in Polen [Polski kształt dialogu], trans. Theo Mechtenberg, Graz: Styria, 1982.
  • Ethik der Solidarität. Prinzipien einer neuen Hoffnung [Etyka solidarności], trans. Rembert Schleicher, Elżbieta Schleicher, Graz–Wien–Köln: Styria, 1982.

Hungarian:

  • A drama filozòfiája [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Irén Fejér, Erzsébet Szenyán, Budapest: Euròpa, 2000.
  • Hogyan éljünk? [Jak żyć?], trans. Márta Éles, Budapest: Vigilia Kiadó, 2001.
  • Rövid életkalauz [Krótki przewodnik po życiu], trans. Márta Éles, Budapest: Orpheusz, 2019.

Italian:

  • Etica della solidarietà [Etyka solidarności], trans. Antonio Setola, Bologna: Paperbacks/Tracce, 1981.
  • Il libro del pellegrino [Książeczka Pielgrzyma], trans. Antonio Setola, Bologna: Centro Studi Europa Orientale, 1982.
  • Filosofia del dramma [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Tadeusz Sierotowicz, Lecce: Pensa MultiMedia, 2019.
  • La controversia sull’esistenza dell’uomo [Spór o istnienie człowieka], trans. Tadeusz Sierotowicz, Kraków: Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie. Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 2022.
  • La filosofia greca raccontata dai montanari polacchi [Historia filozofii po góralsku], trans. Tadeusz Sierotowicz, Roma: Castelvecchi, 2023.

Russian:

  • Мышление в категориях ценности [Myślenie według wartości], trans. Jelena Twierdisłowa, Moskwa: Rosspen, 2005.
  • Философия драмы [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Jelena Twerdisłowa, Moskwa: Rosspen, 2005.

Swedish:

  • Solidaritetens etik [Etyka solidarności], trans. Anders Bodegård, Hudiksvall: Asak, 1984.

Slovak:

  • Etika solidarity [Etyka solidarności], trans. Ján Langoš, Viliam Mojžiš, Bratislava: Kalligram, 1998.
  • Medzi slobodou a porobou. Výber z esejí [wybór esejów], trans. Jozef Marušiak, Bratislava: Kalligram, 2001.
  • Filozofia ľudskej dramy [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Jozef Marušiak, Bratislava: Serafín, 2007.

Slovenian:

  • Filozofija drame [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Urša Zabukovec, Celje: Celjska Mohorjeva družba, 2021.

Ukrainian:

  • Розмови між паном і панотцем [Między Panem a Plebanem], trans. Andrij Pawliszyn, Kyjiw: Duh i litera, 2013.
  • Філософія драми [Filozofia dramatu], trans. Tetiana Pawlinczuk, Kyjiw: Duh i litera, 2019.
  • Тішнер читає Катехизм [Tischner czyta Katechizm], trans. Bogdan Pankiewicz, Andrij Pawliszyn, Brusturiv: Discursus, 2021.

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