Autorytet i cywilizacja
Authority and civilization

Summary/Abstract: The article consists of four parts. First the author answers the question why it is important to undertake the issue of authority. He notes that there is considerable literature on this subject and therefore can be assumed that every thing important has already been said. Therefore the essence of authority was determined and it was shown that authority is an inalienable element of social life, which is hierarchical and based on tradition. Yet nowadays, so these times of crisis and demoralization of civilization, forget about the foundations of the European Culture. One of these is the existence of authority. In the second part the author explains the etymology of the word authority, and gives the resulting significance. Authority is therefore a person who has social recognition, who is a model for others, has a mandate of trust, and who affects social life, and is in this life a reference point (criterion) of its advisability. The author notes that all civilizations have a specific pattern according to which shaped the social pedagogy. He describes more especially about personalistic theory of authority, which was established on the basis of a realistic tradition of philosophy. The author contrasts personalistic understanding of the meaning of authority and the modern understanding, where the authority is a ruler or a sovereign state over the individuals. In another part of the article the author examines the concept of civilization, and depending on the concept of authority. Notes that it is impossible to understand the essence of authority without discern the foundations on which the civilization is established. At the end of the article the author addresses the problem of pseudo-authority. He notes that under the authority of collective civilization erroneously considered to obedient officers, immoral heroes, or ideological leaders, who promotes some values only in order to achieve specific goals which have nothing to do with the good.

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