Uwagi o mądrości i potrzebie zdobywania wiedzy w wybranych przekazach pisarzy kościelnych z XVII i XVIII wieku
Notes on wisdom and the necessity of pursuing knowledge in selected works of ecclesiastical writers in 17th and 18th century

Author(s): Beata Łukarska
Subject(s): History, Language and Literature Studies, Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: Old‑Polish literature; Baroque; science; wisdom
Summary/Abstract: The present article has been based on particular reflections which appeared in selected texts of ecclesiastical writing in 17th and 18th century. Those texts underscore the necessity of maintaining balance between the value of the human intellect and the spiritual needs of man, between the order of nature (the cognitive capabilities of man, the desire for domination over nature) and the order of grace (subordination to the wisdom of the Providence, wisdom as a gift, the attitude of humility). Simultaneously, the authors of that time (preachers, moralists, authors of reflections) praised human wisdom and the drive to knowledge. The same praise of wisdom finds its reflection in the ways of portraying significant figures in the Christian tradition, in particular the saints and the beatified. Moreover, valuable insight can be derived from the remarks regarding the proper ways of reasoning and, by extension, creative approach to the learning process, both on the part of the teachers as well as the students.

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