liberty

Liberty – Equality – Fraternity, or Rudolf Steiner’s Concept of Threefold Society

Prof. UMK dr hab. Marta BARANOWSKA

Mikołaj Kopernik University in Toruń

English abstract: The research objective of the article is to present Rudolf Steiner’s concept of threefold society, as well as to attempt to indicate whether the ideas he raised have a place in the contemporary discourse in social and political philosophy. The research questions to be asked in this context are: is it possible to include Steiner’s views in a specific ideology? Did he consider it possible to realize the ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity in social life? How did he perceive the relationship between the individual and the community? Achieving the research goal requires analysing and interpreting Steiner’s writings and analysing the scientific literature devoted to this issue. First of all, he believed that the three ideas: liberty, equality, fraternity, are impossible to implement when the social organism is treated as an integral whole. The original solution to this problem was to suggest dividing the social organism into three parts. Each part would implement one of these ideas. The spiritual sphere would be based on freedom from influence of the state and the economy, while the economic sphere would be based on brotherhood and not on the liberal egoistic desire to get rich or on the socialist pursuit of equality. In this context, he also presented a concept that resembles basic income, an idea raised more and more often in contemporary social philosophy. Finally, the political sphere would be based on democratic equality. Steiner emphasized that he was not creating a new ideology because a permanent social order would never be possible. He also introduced an original solution to social philosophy, pointing out that life is not an integral whole and has different aspects. Different priorities can be considered in each of them, which will result in an optimal solution to the individual-community paradox.

Keywords: Rudolf Steiner, threefold social order, anthroposophy, liberty, social philosophy, unconditional basic income, law

Language: Polish

Published: Number 1(34)/2023, pp.5-17

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36280//AFPiFS.2023.1.5

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Number of downloads: 60

This text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Liberal and Conservative Ideas in Ordoliberalist Thought

Michał Pawłowski

University of Warsaw

Abstract: This article presents the main characteristics of a group of German economists called ordoliberals. In the proposed economic solutions, they show strong inclinations towards liberal movements, however, many conservative ideas are visible, too. An assessment of the impact of these two currents is the main aim of this article. Following a discussion of ordoliberal ideas, they are investigated in detail in order to find the conservative and liberal elements. Scientific methods applied here involve comparing the s olutions to selected problems proposed by ordoliberals and by other orthodox conservative and liberal movements. The analysis leads to the conclusion that ordoliberals are much closer to conservatism than liberalism. It mostly results from their axiology and the foundations of their system. However, it is not ‘pure’ conservatism – liberalism also matters here, but from this point of view, it is only of secondary importance.

Keywords: ordoliberalism, spiritual crisis, order, liberty, market economy

Language: Polish

Received: 12.05.2017
Accepted: 27.07.2017

Published: Number 2(17)/2018, pp. 102-111.

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Number of downloads: 127

Some Comments on Abortion Discourse

Prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Król

University of Łódź

English abstract: The article presents selected problems relevant for the contentious issue of abortion and the related discourses indicating that one of the characteristic features of abortion discourse is its mediatization. The author aims to characterize the constraints on abortion discourses and the varied environments in which the different types of such discourses emerge. Abortion discourses are sociolinguistically diverse and may exhibit different styles and modes of expression. Although they share the scope of the subject matter involved as in all cases they are centred on abortion-related problems, the field of discourse in each case is defined by the nature of the communicative situation in which a particular discourse is embedded. All abortion discourses are underlined by particular assumptions concerning the nature of human life and its beginning, as well as the issues of the dignity and liberty of the human person. The author suggests that what really hampers abortion discourses and prevents their participants from reaching a consensus is the fact that people who engage in such disputes are faced with the incommensurability of the values which translate into decisive factors and the final arguments used by interacting discussants. Another problem is posed by the fact that the two extreme positions in the debate are formulated with the use of different styles and registers, which results in the clash of asymmetric discourses. Finally, it is not insignificant that subjectively important values are much varied and that they must coexist with two main sets or “families” of abortion-oriented fundamental values present in the polarised camps.

Keywords: abortion discourse, dignity, liberty, human person

Language: English

Published: Number 1(10)/2015, pp. 53-68

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36280/AFPiFS.2015.1.53

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Number of downloads: 247