The death of a person, particularly my own death, is the most momentous occasion that happens in a lifetime. It seems to be an inevitable end of any possible experience, ceasing any relationship, the end of memories and hopes. It evokes various reactions in the living, just to mention some as: fascination, fear, stress, consent, willingness to familiarization. Each of them may be analysed, while each one shows also the death in a different aspect. In the proposed article, the author indicates another reaction - that is experiencing anxiety. It appears that this is the key experience, both when I am thinking about it as something that may afflict me at any moment, as well as when I become aware that there is a possibility of exit of the loved ones or just a popular person. Some texts by Joseph Ratzinger have inspired me to carry out such analyses.
The article discusses the work of J. R. R. Tolkien in the context of the concept of hope as it is defined in the Thomist philosophical system. The thrust of the argument is that the distinction between the two meanings of the word: hope defined as an appetitive passion of the soul and hope understood as one of the theological virtues provides a viable conceptual key to a discussion of the way in which the idea of hope functions in J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic works of fantasy fiction. The analysis seeks to trace the evolution of this basic dichotomy throughout The Lord of the Rings and the most pertinent sections of the legendarium presenting how the notion of hope functions for the civilization of the Elves and of Men, and also how the interaction between the passion and the virtue of hope impacts upon the construction and function of some of the key the individual characters of Tolkien’s fiction.
At the turn of October 1985, the abundance of breeding Adelie penguins was estimated at the Hope Bay oasis on the Antarctic Peninsula and on Seymour Island. In the Hope Bay rookery, 123850 pairs of penguins were recorded, beginning their breeding at the end of October. Data so far obtained indicate a continuous increase in the number of birds sat this rookery. On the other hand, the Seymour Island colony consisted of 21954 pairs of Adélie penguins. Clear differences in the geomorphological structure of areas occupied by penguins in those two places are discussed. No gentoo penguins were detected in either of the colonies.
The article presents the ways of defining and understanding hope in Polish, English and American literature. The basic theses are: 1) hope is an ambivalent phenomenon, 2) hope is connected with the work of consciousness and imagination, 3) hope conjures up visions of the alternative existential and social solutions, 4) hope is a passion and a way of knowing, 5) hope constitutes the keystone of artistic and academic activity.
Flying bird counts were carried out at Esperanza Bay (62°24'S, 56°59'W), Antarctic Peninsula, between November 1989 and February 1990. Six breeding species (Oceanites oceanicus, Chionis alba, Catharacta lonnbergi, Catharacta maccormicki, Larus dominicanus and Sterna vittata) and six visitor species (Macronectes giganteus, Fulmarus glacialoides, Daption capense, Pagodroma nivea, Fregetta tropica and Phalacrocorax atriceps) were recorded. Kelp gull and Antarctic tern populations have decreased in relation to the data by previous authors, perhaps as a result of the increased activity at Esperanza Station. Cygnus melanocoryphus was recorded for the first time at Esperanza Bay.
University and the Church need each other. Following the example of Christ incarnated, Christianity “incarnates” the spiritual. The Church and theology need university and cooperation with other sciences to be able to “incarnate” Christ’s issue into our world. Th e university, on the other hand, needs the Church and theology because otherwise it would be deprived of cultural and spiritual foundation: there is no alternative to a discussion about Christ (God and a human). Theology is sometimes defined as scientia fidei; it is determined by the mind and faith. It’s a discussion about God, but due to the Christ event it is also a discussion about mankind. Th erefore it has the form of a dialogue, a discussion. The dialogue is always held in a specific context (nowadays postmodern), in which theology not only has to ask but also answer the question about the meaning. In this sense it is wisdom. Theology as a discussion has to approach the most urgent human problems. These include agnosticism towards which Benedict XVI suggests the “veluti si Deus daretur” rule, relativism in case of which theology cannot stop asking about truth, despair in case of which theology reminds about God, in whom there is no darkness.
This Paper takes in consideration the Social teaching of the Church, particularly expressed in the Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis Laudato si’ and in other documents of the Magisterium. The article presents the basic characteristics of „Culture of Care” and „Culture of Waste”, of biopower, of positive biopolitics and of negative biopolitics (thanatobiopolitics) with some alarming examples (legalization of abortion, selective abortions of females, destruction of supernumerary frozen embryos, lobbying for the legalization of euthanasia). Subsequently, it introduces the contribution of the Christian faith to these debates, from the biblical, theological and moral point of view, and invites the reader to respond to the urgent challenges in biopolitics by the responsible creativity in the social, moral and political fields. The „Culture of Care” is a culture of acceptance of the other, shaped by Christian hope and love, a culture of presence and of interest in the other, following the example of Jesus Christ.
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