At the Centre of the Human Drama : The Philosophy of Karol Wojtyla/Pope John Paul II

Kenneth L. Schmitz examines the writings of Karol Wojtyla, from his early dramas to his later theological works. Wojtyla's primary philosophical interest lies in the field of ethics, but Schmitz also points out that Wojtyla's interest is worked out in the context of an understanding of the nature and destiny of human beings. Relying upon many translations (some not available in English) of Wojtyla's work, Schmitz locates Wojtyla's philosophy of human nature in the broad tradition of Christian personalism. More importantly, perhaps, Schmitz shows that Wojtyla relied upon phenomenological methodology to explore the inner region of human experience while endorsing the general lines of traditional metaphysics as represented in the work of the great philosophers of the Middle Ages. Finding that a coherent philosophical view is present throughout much of Wojtyla's work, Schmitz also discovers that Wojtyla's sensitivity to both modern and ancient thought and culture was already present in the work of the pope as a young student in Kracow. As Pope John Paul II continues to make his mark in the history of the Roman Catholic church and of the world, this book aims to be valuable to philosophers, theologians and educated readers who wish to learn more about the thought of the leader of one of the world's major religions.