Moralne i religijne aspekty życia politycznego. Karl Jaspers a szkoła Joachima Rittera

• Authors: Józef Kożuchowski

Title variants

EN

MORAL AND RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF POLITICS. KARL JASPERS AND JOACHIM RITTER’S SCHOOL

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The first section of the paper seeks to establish the relevance of religious and moral issues in Karl Jaspers’ and Joachim Ritter’s philosophy. It outlines in detail Jaspers’ views on politics. In his prolific works on the subject Jaspers drew primarily on the thinking of Immanuel Kant, Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. As a recognized exponent of existentialism, Karl Jaspers was preoccupied with the moral grounds of politics, but he denied their fundamental role in that sphere of life. He claimed that the choices that meet the criteria of permanent, existential authenticity are far more important, as they reveal the true nature of a human being. The paper analyses Jaspers’ romantic approach to ultimate situations, i.e. challenges. It presents in more detail Lübbe’s view, who thought the German psychiatrist’s philosophical and political views were deeply permeated with moralism. Jasper’s view on the insignificance of religion in politics may strike as controversial for an existential philosopher. His contribution to the democratization process of the young German republic and the authenticity of his views are indisputable, however. The second section of the paper analyses the approach to moral and religious aspects of politics represented by Joachim Ritter and his followers. It stresses the importance of the sources that shaped Ritter’s view on that issue. Aristotle’s political philosophy is one of them. It is of foremost importance when it comes to understanding and interpretation of present political reality in ethical categories. In Ritter’s opinion, law takes precedence over subjective, ethical convictions. Therefore, Ritter’s proponents consider Hegel’s political philosophy as the second main source that shaped their views. At the same time they acknowledge the necessity of common sense approach in democracy. Religion is perceived as a fundamental component of social life. All attempts to deprive religion of its leading role result in acts of terror and cultural devastation. Religion in politics is deemed more important than morality. This political vision significantly contributed to the legitimization of the rising democracy in Western Germany and the formation of liberal-conservative movement.

Keywords

EN

KARL JASPERS; RITTER’S SCHOOL; PHILOSOPHY; RELIGION; POLITICS; MORALITY

• Publisher: Oficyna Wydawnicza Epigram
• Journal: Filo-Sofija
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1(16)
• Pages: 149-164

Contributors

author

Józef Kożuchowski