DESCRIPTION: The author of the text is Prof. Andrzej Grzegorczyk (1922-2014), a Polish mathematician and philosopher specialising in logic, the basics of mathematics and the mathematical foundations of computer science. He also dealt with the basics of a rational view of the world and the creation of his own philosophical system. He was a participant in the Warsaw Uprising. He was involved in independent ecumenical activities, in particular in the context of dialogue with Orthodoxy, organised meetings with the Russian intelligentsia in his flat, and also promoted the idea of non-violent struggle among the opposition. The presented article refers to the latter aspect of his activity. The author addresses the evils of war, which he defines as the destruction of life and other human values. He also points to the good of peace as mutual assistance between people in the process of achieving values. Acts of peace are concerned with avoiding the evils of war and strengthening the good and can be justified by utilitarian, solidaristic or absolutist ethics. Many positive actions can be justified by any of these versions of ethical commitment. However, the absolutist justification seems to be the most in line with the Christian spirit. "The goal of peace efforts is at least to mitigate or remove a certain type of evil, even if only for a short period of time. This evil can be called war, armed conflict or physically devastating exploitation based on violence. The aim of peace efforts is also to create a sustainable state characterised not only by the absence of evil, but also by qualities opposite to those described above: friendly relations between all communities, cooperation and mutual assistance. Even if we set ourselves the broadest goal, the slightest improvement in this area is not without significance" (p. 141). Grzegorczyk's analysis remains extremely relevant today, when the threat of world war has increased significantly and there is a war in Ukraine and many other local conflicts. Although the author prefers solutions rooted in absolutist ethics, he does not completely depreciate utilitarianism, pointing out its practical significance: "(...) I have the impression that as part of the natural utilitarian way of thinking, human communities easily succumb to a certain confusion and relativism. Absolutist ethics are a kind of transcendence that points the way for reason. Without this transcendence of utilitarian thinking, it would be too easy to justify killing, lying and violence. Thus, absolutist ethics are an important factor in peace work. But as we said before, utilitarian ethics in the broad sense, which cares for both the material and spiritual benefits of all of humanity, also contributes to building peace, although it is a less radical stance. (…) However, when it comes to choosing between utilitarian and absolutist ethics, mutual tolerance should prevail, in accordance with the centuries-old tradition of our culture" (p. 158).
SUMMARY: 1. The evil of war – the good of peace, axiological analysis. 1.A. The evil of war: essence, emergence, development. 1.B. The good of peace. 2. Two ethical foundations of peaceful action. 2.A. Utilitarian and solidaristic approaches. 2.B. Absolutist ethics. 3. Controversy and attempts to reconcile utilitarian and absolutist positions.
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Język Polski