Józef Stanisław Tischner (12 March 1931 – 28 June 2000) was a Polish priest and philosopher. The first chaplain of the trade union, "Solidarity" (Polish Solidarność).

Józef Stanisław Tischner
Born(1931-03-12)12 March 1931
Died28 June 2000(2000-06-28) (aged 69)
EducationJagiellonian University in Kraków
Parent(s)Józef Tischner and Weronika Tischner (Chowaniec)
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
Ordained26 June 1955
Congregations served
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kraków

Life edit

 
Tisznerówka House in Łopuszna houses a museum devoted to Tischner.

Tischner was born in Stary Sącz to a Góral family and grew up in the village Łopuszna in the south east of Poland. He studied at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. In the 1970s he became an important writer of the opposition movement against the socialist government of the People's Republic of Poland. In 1980s he was considered the semi-official chaplain of the Solidarity movement, and was praised by Pope John Paul II.

After the fall of communism in 1989, he continued preaching the importance of ethics in the new capitalist Poland. In September 1999, Tischner received the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest decoration.

Tischner remains a controversial figure in Poland. He frequently criticized Polish religiousness by calling it as flat (shallow) as a pancake, he also accused the Polish clergy of being extremely conservative, engaged in politics and antisemitism.

Fellow of Collegium Invisibile as a professor of philosophy.[1] He died in Kraków on 28 June 2000.

Selected publications edit

Tischner wrote and published more than 600 articles and books.

His two main works, in which he explained his original philosophical concepts, are:

  • The Philosophy of Drama (Filozofia dramatu) (1998)
  • The Controversy over Human Existence (Spór o istnienie człowieka) (1998)

Most notable among his Góral themed works is:

  • A Goral History of Philosophy (Historia filozofii po góralsku) (1997)

See also edit

Sources edit

  • "Nie ma rzeczy niemożliwych" . Magazyn Kulturalny Tygodnika Powszechnego nr 7/8 (56/57), 08 lipca 2001.
  • "Lektury nie tylko obowiązkowe". Dziennik Polski, 14 maja 2009.

References edit

  1. ^ "List of Fellows". ci.edu.pl. Retrieved 25 April 2011.

External links edit