Bogusława Wolniewicza rozumienie fenomenu śmierci
Bogusław Wolniewicz’s Approach to the Phenomenon of Death

Summary/Abstract: The phenomenon of death is one of the most essential issues in Bogusław Wolniewicz’s philosophical deliberations. The philosopher discusses it within a context related to religion, euthanasia and capital punishment. The issue of religion is crucial because, according to Wolniewicz, religiosity is inseparably linked with the phenomenon of death, as death is the source of every religion. Death is something sacred which evokes both respect and trepidation. Death is a mystery; it indicates the existence of a dark side of reality. Religiosity emerges from the realization that we are subjected to the unchangeable laws of nature. We are both rational and mortal, a combination that is the essence of human nature. In addition to this, rationality and mortality linked together make our position in the world tragic. However, the human being does not want to die, does not want to come to terms with his own mortality. We possess a strong desire to influence our fate or at least delay our end. That is why progress which is taking place in the medical sciences gives us a deceptive hope that we will be able to live forever, and that human death will be soon overcome. According to Wolniewicz, scientific progress is changing human awareness of our own tragic fate. As a result, we are becoming less and less sensitive to our tragic position in the world.

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