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Duties of the penitent and confessor in the light of 21 Constitution of the Fourth Lateran Council

Author(s): Jan Dohnalik / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: canon law; sacrament of penance; the obligation to make annual confession; duties of a confessor

At the beginning of the 13th century there was a crisis in the institutional Church, in response to which Pope Innocent III during the Fourth Lateran Council introduced the obligation of annual confession and emphasised the importance of this sacramental practice.The 21st Council Constitution obliged every believer to go to Confession at least once a year and to receive the Eucharist during the Easter season. This obligation applied to every baptised man and woman upon reaching the age of discernment, which the Council’s commentators at the time put at around seven years. Although, according to the medieval canonists, this obligation referred to confession of mortal sins, in practice all the faithful were encouraged to go to confession annually. The own parish priest had the duty to see that this commandment was fulfilled by the faithful entrusted to his pastoral care.In response to the serious obligation of the faithful, the Constitution Omnis utriusque sexus also imposed important duties on confessors. The confessor was to be prudent towards the confession of the penitent; he was compared to a doctor who must choose the treatment appropriate to the illness. Finally, the 21st Constitution of the Fourth Lateran Council emphasises the obligation of confessional secrecy on the part of the confessor and at the same time introduces severe penalties for a priest who breaks it.Many of the provisions described are still relevant in contemporary Church legislation. Even today, in the face of the Church’s crisis, it seems advisable to return to the fruitful celebration of the sacrament of Penance, which concerns both confessors and penitents.

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Beyond the Norm of Monogamy – Consensual Non-monogamy as an Example of a ‘Post-modern’ Relationship?

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Beyond the Norm of Monogamy – Consensual Non-monogamy as an Example of a ‘Post-modern’ Relationship?

Author(s): Magdalena Lipnicka / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: consensual non-monogamy; postmodernity; semantics of love; relational anarchy

Postmodern society is a society in the process of changing value systems and norms, increasing diversity, and individualisation, also in the area of intimate relationships. Contemporary consensual non-monogamy seems to be one example of this changing outlook. The article seeks to answer the questions as to how non-monogamous people identify themselves, what the motivations for entering such relationships they have, and what features of a new approach to relationships this type of relationship demonstrates. The theoretical framework of the article is based, among others, on Giddens’ and Prandini’s theoretical proposals as well as on Luhmann’s ‘semantics of love’. The text presents the results of the qualitative research consisting of 15 in-depth interviews. Its key findings are that in motivating their commitment to such relationships, respondents very often refer to self-discovery and to the choice to be consciously ‘non-normative’. They also demonstrate many features of a new approach to relationships, specifically, relational anarchy.

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Nicholas Cusanus and the Problem of Ignorance. A Minor Polemic with the Interpretation of Étienne Gilson

Author(s): Antoni Śmist / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Nicholas Cusanus; Étienne Gilson; Aristotle; wisdom; ignorance; knowledge; mysticism; first principles; natural desire; negative theology

Nicholas Cusanus is often seen as a pivotal figure in the history of Western philosophy. His writings are sometimes viewed as an attempt to reject the traditional scholarly knowledge, troubled by manifold tensions and crises, in order to prevent the collapse of Western Christianity under the weight of its complex architecture of knowledge. In this paper, I try to refute this mode of interpretation by highlighting the roots and structure of Cusanus’s theory of knowledge that serve as the basis of his concept of docta ignorantia. I present the concept of docta ignorantia as being intended to serve the purpose of a unifying framework for academic discourse.

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Dogmatism and tolerance

Dogmatismo y tolerancia

Author(s): Étienne Gilson / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: dogmatism; tolerance; totalitarianism; scepticism; freedom

In this article, Étienne Gilson analyzes the notions of dogmatism and tolerance in the light of the analysis of various contemporary historical facts. He defines dogmatism as the philosophical position that affirms that there are certain propositions that can be considered absolutely necessary. Similarly, he defines tolerance in direct relation to dogmatism: for Gilson, there can only be tolerated where there is dogmatism since one can only tolerate the falsity of a position as long as one is sure that another true position exists. Likewise, Gilson succeeds in showing that there is no necessary link between what is called philosophical dogmatism and political tyranny, just as there is no necessary link between philosophical scepticism and political freedom.

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Freedom and Conscience in the Thought of Karol Wojtyła

Author(s): Richard A. Spinello / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: anthropology; conscience; consciousness; efficacy; ethics; freedom; good; personalism; self-determination; truth; Wojtyła

This article considered the correlation between freedom, conscience, and self-fulfillment. The analysis began with the properties of human action and how action differs from happening. The primary theme was an exposition of freedom which lies at the root of “man-acts.” The fundamental meaning of freedom is self-dependence, but there is a deeper meaning. Freedom is independence from the objects of choice that is achieved by rising above oneself (vertical transcendence) to choose the bonum honestum, the true good that fulfills the self. Freedom, therefore, ultimately depends on truth and especially on moral truth that is apprehended by conscience. Conscience transforms that normative truth into concrete duties that objectivize the bona honesta. Only when someone follows a moral duty understood and accepted as such can he reach the summit of freedom and authentic self-determination.

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Necessity in Philosophical Thinking as Exemplified by Porphyry’s Sentences

Author(s): Monika Komsta / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Porphyry; Plotinus; Alexander of Aphrodisias; Etienne Gilson; soul; body; dualism

The text presented aims to illustrate the thesis of E. Gilson derived from his work “The Unity of Philosophical Experience” on the impersonal necessity linking philosophical ideas, as exemplified by Porphyry and his work Sententiae ad intelligibilia ducentes. E. Gilson puts forward a thesis that the philosopher is free at the moment of choosing the first principles of their philosophy, then they must accept the consequences that necessarily follow from these principles. Porphyry’s Sentences are a fairly synthetic account of Plotinus’ metaphysics and allow for a quite clear grasp of both the starting point and the above-mentioned consequences. In addition, for contrast, the paper presents the position of Alexander of Aphrodisias, similar in several points to that taken by Porphyry, but ultimately completely different.

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Faith, Language, Logic: Anselm of Canterbury and his Project of Logic of Agency

Author(s): Andrzej P. Stefańczyk / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: modal logic; causation; logic of agency; philosophy of language; free will; God

The Philosophical Fragments (Lambeth Fragments) of St. Anselm of Canterbury are a kind of dictionary that explains the meaning of certain terms, such as: facere, velle, posse, necesse, debere, or agere. They include a discussion, conducted on the intersection of logic and ethics, of such deontic concepts as “obligation” and “goodness.” Through the explication of meanings, Anselm attempts to create a conceptual apparatus for rational proofs of the main tenets of the Christian doctrine and, even more broadly, for the exegesis of Scripture. In addition, this new apparatus allows him to examine some purely philosophical topics, including free will, causation, and the relationship between human freedom and divine foreknowledge. Recently attempts have been made (by D. Walton at the level of syntax and by S. Uckelman at the level of neighborhood semantics) to reconstruct the logic of agency presented in the Philosophical Fragments.The article will briefly introduce the main issues discussed in the Philosophical Fragments. The paper shows that the description and analysis of the verb “facere” mainly in the Philosophical Fragments, but also in Anselm’s other treatises, can be well described within the Aristotelian logical square; however, the article shows some problems in trying to describe the concepts of causation, agency, and action in the language of logic. Thus, the article examines the thesis of the applicability of logic to the fundamental problems of metaphysics, namely causality, especially in the context of human free will and God’s action.

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Christian Philosophy? The Analysis of the Neo-Scholastic Argumentation of Franciszek Gabryl and Kazimierz Wais

Author(s): Rafał Charzyński / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Apologetics; Christian philosophy; neo- Scholasticism; negative role of faith; Gabryl; Wais

The paper analyzes the argumentation that the representatives of Polish neo-scholasticism, Gabryl and Wais, used to justify the existence of God and the immortal human soul. The analysis shows the high intellectual requirements observed by both thinkers. Not only have they avoided naive confessional apologetics, but they were critical when choosing arguments from different philosophical traditions as well. The scientific activity of the two scholars was a reflection of the program of the renewal of scholasticism formulated in Leuven. The features of this program were both restraint in using the term “Christian philosophy” and avoiding confessional apologetics on the one hand and the preservation of its specificity on the other. This specificity was expressed in undertaking the traditional tasks of Christian philosophy: undertaking the justification of preambula fidei and the observation of the negative role of faith.

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The Specificity of Hatred. An Analysis Based on the Aristotelian-Thomistic Concept

Author(s): Anna Sędłak / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Emotion; hate; love; Aristotle; Thomas Aquinas, good; evil

This paper aims to present the specific functioning of the emotion of hatred from the point of view of the Aristotelian-Thomistic concept of emotions. This perspective is particularly relevant to the issue at hand because of its holistic and integral view of understanding human beings, including their emotional functions. In this paper, I consider the issue of the emotion of hatred in relation to other emotions against the backdrop of the structure of human action. When analyzing how hatred functions, I consider the notion of good and evil, which are linked to emotions and acts of will that play a vital role in the sphere of emotions. By correctly channeling one’s will towards the good, one is able to notice hatred arising within, and thus reflect upon it. Understanding how the emotion of hatred functions is essential for further research into how it is expressed.

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Cultural Differences and Their Importance in Ideas about the Vision of Marriage and Family in Polish and Ukrainian Societies

Author(s): Bogdan Więckiewicz / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: students; marriage; family; culture; Poles; Polish; Ukrainian; COVID-19

This paper presents the sociological research carried out among Polish and Ukrainian students concerning the importance of family within their life. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the differences and similarities in the perception of this fundamental group unit of society. The research was conducted at a unique time, as it was during the ongoing period where Ukraine has been a country at war, in addition to the epidemic outbreak of COVID-19. It was assumed that these special circumstances as well as the cultural differences would influence the perception of marriage and family. In a threatening situation, a person can change their former value system, priorities, and the most important life goals. In addition, the observed social and cultural changes that are taking place in both countries - albeit not at the same time and to the same extent - affect the way young people see their vision of the world, and in particular in what family model they would like to spend their future, and also whether they think about starting a family at all.

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The Quality of Governance and Its Impact on FDI Inflows. A Comparative Study of EU Member States

Author(s): Bogusława Dobrowolska,Tomasz Dorożyński,Anetta Kuna‑Marszałek / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: quality of governance; FDI; EU Member States; hierarchical cluster analysis

The principal goal of the article is to assess the quality of governance (QG) in the EU–28 over the period 2004–2020. It also examines the relationship between QG and FDI inward stock as a % of GDP. The study has been divided into five stages. The first one, based on the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), attempts to identify countries that represent similar levels of institutional quality. Based on this criterion and using clustering methods, we divided the EU Member States into four groups. In the second step, we used the values of the synthetic index of QG to compare the level of institutional quality among the Member States between 2004 and 2020. The third step assesses FDI as a % of GDP in the Member States. Due to substantial differences, we divided them into four groups, arranged in ascending order of FDI as a % of GDP. In the fourth stage of the analysis, we examined the relationship between FDI as a share of GDP and groups of countries with similar QG. Finally, we examined the relevance of six individual dimensions of governance for FDI inflows in the EU–28 countries. The study demonstrates that the EU Member States differ significantly regarding the overall QG measured with the WGI. The results of the statistical analysis allow us to positively verify the hypothesis about a positive relationship between QG and the inflow of FDI. The most important partial variable is regulatory quality. The added value of this article comes from grouping the EU–28 based on the similarity of their quality of governance (measured by six dimensions of governance) and demonstrating that it impacts FDI inflows. We created a synthetic index of governance quality values to compare the level of institutional quality among the Member States between 2004 and 2020.

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Intersectoral Flows in the Economies of the Visegrad Group Countries

Author(s): Michał Przybyliński,Joanna Trębska / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Visegrad Group Countries; flow of funds; system of national accounts; institutional sectors

We present a comparative study of flows between institutional sectors in the economies of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, with particular emphasis on the role of the foreign sector. The purpose of our study is to determine the strength and nature of inter‑sectoral ties in the analyzed countries and point out the similarities and differences between them. The research method is based on the sequence of all transactions included in the System of National Accounts (SNA): product transactions, primary income generation and allocation, income distribution, and financial instrument transactions. The study is distinguished by its consistency and balance within the SNA. The method used to transform data into a payer‑payee matrix guarantees the preservation of these properties. It creates a new perspective for assessing the sensitivity of economies to external processes. It is the first such comprehensive comparative study, providing unambiguous and replicable results based on a standardized accounting system that operates in all European countries. The period covered by the study (2000–2020) allows us to draw interesting conclusions about the processes that took place during and after the accession to the European Union. The results indicate, inter alia, an increase in the involvement of the foreign sector, primarily in production processes (import, export) and investment. Particularly noteworthy is the high degree of financialization of the Hungarian economy.

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Smart Cities for the Sustainable Development of Local Communities: the Cases of the Volyn Region and the City of Lublin

Author(s): Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo,Oksana Polinkevych,Barbara Scozzi,Olena Kuzmak / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: smart city; local community; sustainable development; Benessere equo e sostenibile dei Territori (BESdT); city budget

The concept of a “smart city” is being actively implemented by several European cities to improve citizens’ quality of life and sustainability at the local community level. The article evaluates “smart city” programs adopted by Ukraine cities in the Volyn region based on well‑being assessment. To do so, a literature review was conducted to identify indicators to assess well‑being at the local level, and Benessere equo e sostenibile dei territori (BESdT, Equitable, and Sustainable Territorial Well‑being) was adopted. BESdT is an institutional measurement framework developed by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) to measure well‑being at the local level through a collection of indicators that cover different well‑being domains. The BESdT indicators available for Ukraine and Poland were collected and then measured. The main goals of the scientific research are to clarify if it is possible to use the BESdT indicators, which are used to assess smart cities in Southern Europe, for the countries of North‑Eastern Europe using the example of the Volyn region and the city of Lublin. The work investigates the indicators of smart cities and considers examples of their construction for 2003–2021. The results testify to the upward trend in implementing “smart city” programs in the regional context. In the Volyn region, the priority areas of project implementation are security, transport, and electricity. In this region, development can be identified concerning trends such as a reduced death rate, an improved balance between work and personal life, increased economic prosperity, and the improved environmental component and security of society. On the other hand, a reduction in innovation implementation and a loss of trust in the government were also identified. The analysis shows that the positive changes above are due to the actions of the central rather than the regional government. Based on the analysis, it was established that the countries of North‑Eastern Europe have the level of development of Smart City 3.0, except for Ukraine, which has generation 1.0, and in Southern Europe, generation 4.0.

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Poverty in Selected European Countries. A Spatio-temporal Analysis from 2003–2020

Author(s): Maciej Jewczak,Karol Korczak / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: poverty; deprivation; spatial similarity; structural changes

The problem of poverty, both in theory and practice, gained a new meaning with the beginning of the transformation of selected European economies from being centrally planned to market economies. The transition and the accompanying ownership changes resulted in significant shifts in the income distribution, which affected the increase in the stratification of society in terms of material situation and the deterioration of the living conditions of some social groups. Developing and evaluating anti‑poverty programs should be preceded by identifying who is considered poor. Defining poverty is the first and a key step in measuring its characteristics, e.g., its intensity. Hence, the choice of a specific definition of poverty is of fundamental importance for the results of this measurement. The aim of the paper is to assess the material situation of European societies in terms of poverty change in a holistic approach – considering all the information available in international statistics on the problem. To achieve the research objective at the regional data level, we used the URi measure to decompose changes in structure and estimate the direction and intensity of poverty recorded. Further, we evaluated whether the transformations coincide temporarily and spatially. Applying the Hellinger distance (HD) allowed us to identify the significance of trends in changes in the poverty structure, especially in the years of the COVID–19 pandemic, when an increase in the importance of individual structural components of poverty was observed in the analysed European NUTS–2 spatial units. For some economies, the transition was also a consequence of European economic crises or major events of international importance, e.g., sports events or countries acceding to the EU.

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The Impact of Economic Equilibrium, Globalization, Human Development, and Market Competitiveness on the Sustainable Development of Manufacturing Enterprises – the Case of France, Germany, Italy and Poland

Author(s): Magdalena Kowalska,Anna Misztal / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: sustainable development; manufacturing enterprises; macroeconomic stabilization; globalization; market competitiveness

The paper presents the results of an analysis of the impact of economic equilibrium, the Human Development Index, the KOF Globalization Index and the Global Competitiveness Index on the sustainable development of manufacturing enterprises and their components in France, Germany, Italy and Poland from 2008 to 2021. We use the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and the Seemingly Unrelated Regression methods (SUR). The results show that these external factors significantly impact an enterprise’s sustainable development. Our models also show a different strength and direction of relationships between the explained and explanatory variables. Our models confirm the need to coordinate macroeconomics and environmental policy. It is important to use effective tools of economic support, and greater pressure from European Union institutions on countries that emit harmful substances is essential.

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Polish Adaptation Policy to Climate Change vs. EU Countries’ Adaptation Policies

Author(s): Dorota Michalak,Paulina Szyja / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: climate change; adaptation; adaptation policies

The purpose of this study is to compare the advancement of Poland’s adaptation policy with the policy of other EU countries. Benchmarking was used, and the research was preceded by comparing the degree of climate change impact on the economies of individual EU countries. The study used 12 comparative quantities, forecast to 2100 for 27 countries. The added value of the analysis is the diagnosis that indicates whether the advancement of the adaptation policy of individual countries is appropriate for the projected climate change, together with the indication of the level of the adaptation policy in Poland compared to other member states. It was determined that, compared to Western countries, Poland has the lowest projected impact of climate change, as represented by selected indicators in the study, but it also has the lowest degree of adaptation policies. However, comparing Poland with the other countries that joined the EU in 2004 shows the opposite trend. The survey is a starting point for further analysis of adaptation in its broadest sense, at national, EU, and global levels. It indicates that despite the high rate of increase in the negative consequences of climate change, the implementation of adaptation policies is still insufficient and often at an early stage of planning.

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The Mundell‑Fleming Model and Macroeconomic Stabilization Policies

Author(s): Erico Wulf Betancourt,Ryszard Piasecki / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: policy rules; monetary policy autonomy; fiscal policy setting

This paper analyzes the fiscal policy implications set in the Mundell‑Fleming (M‑F) model and its effectiveness in emerging economies. It also widens the scope of the policy mix with alternative exchange rates. The empirical evidence about the economies of Chile (1991–2003) and Colombia (1994–2004), about institutions, fiscal policy rule, and the eurozone conditions (1999), were considered relevant The paper has three sections a. The budget‑surplus fiscal policy rule and policy effectiveness, b. The role of institutions in setting policy rules, c. The experience of the Chilean and Colombian economies concerning fiscal policy rules within the M‑F framework. The main conclusion is that as long as country risk is lower due to countercyclical fiscal policy rules, governments have an alternative means of getting funds at a lower international interest rate. The fiscal policy effect on GDP (output)becomes positive.

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Analysis of the Impact of Innovative Economic Conditions on the Flow of Workers in the Labour Markets of the European Union Countries

Author(s): Grażyna Węgrzyn,Marcin Salamaga / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: labour market flow; transitions in labour market status; job‑to‑job; innovation economy

The main purpose of the work is to present the results of empirical research on the impact of innovation levels in the economy on the structure of labour market flows. The analysis of the directions and scale of these flows makes it possible to discover important characteristics of the labour market and thus makes it possible to better construct and target policies to reduce unemployment or activate economically inactive people. The study uses data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and experimental job‑to‑job statistics for the European Union (EU) countries, covering the 2011–2019 period. We conducted research separately for selected groups of economies classified by their level of innovation, i.e. Innovation Leaders, Strong Innovators, Moderate Innovators, and Emerging Innovators. The results demonstrate that the structure of flows in a labour market depends on the innovation level of the respective economy. The main contribution of the study is that it identifies employee flow patterns in the labour markets of individual EU countries from the perspective of the innovation levels of their respective economies. Panel error correction models (ECM) and panel causality tests were used. In countries that are Innovation Leaders, an increase in participation in lifelong learning leads to a parallel increase in employee flow (EE) and job‑to‑job employee turnover. In countries that are Emerging Innovators, increasing participation in lifelong learning increases turnover, mainly among young people (15–24 age group).

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A study of metro’s influence on the primary housing market in Warsaw, Poland

Author(s): Jakub Kuśmierz,Maciej Dąbski,Magdalena Fuhrmann / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2022

Keywords: metro; housing prices; Metro Station Proximity Effect Estimator;

Residential real estate prices vary significantly, being susceptible to numerous components. One of the most contributing factors is thought to be the proximity of an underground train (metro) station. Classically, the relationship between housing prices and distance to a metro station is measured by a hedonic model. This paper presents a new method to study such a relationship, and it is a new composite index – Metro Station Proximity Effect Estimator (MSPEE), which allows looking at differences between not only metro stations but also the city districts. The MSPEE index was calculated as a mean of a set of sub-indicators, assembled as variables determining the final value of the composite indicator. Through the MSPEE index as well as more traditional methods, the paper suggests and illustrates a generally strong negative correlation between the proximity of Metro and apartment prices. Moreover, the study lists and describes exceptions to the trend around Warsaw.

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Problem of food waste based on a survey among young citizens in Poznań at household level

Author(s): MILENA ZIĘBA / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2022

Keywords: food waste; social awareness; consumer; best before date;

Food waste has a negative impact on people around the world, affecting the economy, environment, and society. Recognized as an international problem, much effort has been taken to identify goals and potential measures to reduce waste at every stage of the supply chain, both domestically and globally. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted among young adult residents (aged 18–25) of Poznań, a city with a population of over 500,000, with the aim of identifying the reasons for food waste by consumers, exploring methods to reduce it, and determining the level of public awareness of the issue and its consequences at household-level. The study found that consumers have difficulty purchasing adequate amounts of food and tend to prepare excessively large portions. The results provide valuable information for local governments, municipal authorities, companies, shops, schools, and other institutions that can use it to organize educational and informational campaigns targeted at consumers.

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