The Faculty of Philosophy’s history at UPJPII is connected with the history of the oldest higher education institution in Poland, the Jagiellonian University. The present Pontifical University of John Paul II in Cracow, together with the centre for philosophical research operating as a part thereof, can be traced back to the Faculty of Theology at the Jagiellonian University, founded in 1397.

Development from Aeterni Patris to the Second World War

Philosophical explorations have been pursued at the Faculty of Theology since its inception, but the beginning of a particularly significant development dates back to the time of the encyclical Aeterni Patris (1879) by Pope Leo XIII. At that time, Poland was partitioned and annexed by its neighbouring countries (Russia, Prussia, and Austria-Hungary). While Cracow was formally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it enjoyed a sense of autonomy, thanks to which Polish science and culture were able to keep developing.

Rev. Stefan Zachariasz Pawlicki, C.R. (1839-1916) acted as a pioneer of modern Christian philosophy, as in 1882 he became the first scholar to be appointed to the then-established Department of Christian Philosophy at Jagiellonian University’s Faculty of Theology (the first Department of this type in Austria-Hungary). Rev. Pawlicki was one of the foremost Polish philosophers in the 2nd half of the 19th century, and his concept of the construction of modern non-scholastic Catholic thought proved to be one of pioneering significance for the whole entirety of Christian philosophy.

Both Pawlicki and his successors, e.g. the renowned historian of philosophy Rev. Konstanty Michalski, C.M. (1879-1947), or Rev. Jan Salamucha (1903-1944), a prominent logician, philosopher, and representative of the so-called Cracow Circle, laid the groundwork for a specific philosophy which attempted to show a coherent picture of modern culture and faith sensu lato. Both philosophers worked in a new reality, as in 1918 – after 123 years – the Polish nation regained its longed-for independence. Unfortunately, the German invasion of Poland in 1939 and the subsequent period of occupation during the Second World War disrupted the Cracow School of Christian Philosophy’s rapid development (Cracow-based philosophers were imprisoned in, among others, the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps).

Difficult time after the Second World War

After the Second World War the situation was equally difficult – Poland came under the rule of the USSR. The most important goal was therefore to preserve and develop Christian thought in the times of the enforced and methodical atheisation of the Polish culture.
The year 1954 was particularly difficult, as the communist regime’s authorities made a unilateral decision to remove the Faculty of Theology from the Jagiellonian University. Still, the Faculty never stopped trying to regain its rights and continued its autonomous operation based on Canon Law. Philosophical disciplines, which are of fundamental importance for the education of future theologians, were developed by such philosophers as Rev. Kazimierz Kłósak and Rev. Aleksander Usowicz.

Work of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła – St. John Paul II

In the 1970s, the philosophical environment at the Faculty thrived mainly on the initiatives developed by Rev. Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, who attracted Christian philosophers as well as scholars - particularly physicists. The group of associates close to Cardinal Wojtyła included Rev. Marian Jaworski, Rev. Michał Heller, Rev. Józef Tischner, Fr. Jan Andrzej Kłoczowski, Karol Tarnowski, Rev. Tadeusz Wojciechowski, and Rev. Józef Życiński.

Thanks to Cardinal Karol Wojtyła’s endeavours, on December 23, 1976, the Congregation for Catholic Education decreed the foundation of the Pontifical Faculty of Philosophy. For a multitude of reasons – mainly of a political character – the Faculty of Philosophy was only allowed to operate as an Institute of Philosophy at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Cracow. Despite many difficulties, interdisciplinary seminars, among others, were held. On these occasions, a number of scholars gathered and discussed issues on the borderlines of philosophy, science, faith, and art. The meetings held then resulted in such instances as the establishment of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, the foundation of the journal “Philosophical Problems in Science” (1978/1979), as well as other notable events.

Cardinal Wojtyła’s endeavours concerned with the establishment of a university could only reach fruition after his ascension to St. Peter’s Throne. On December 8, 1981, Pope John Paul II issued the Motu Proprio ”Beata Hedvigis”, thus establishing the Pontifical Academy of Theology, comprised of three faculties, including the Faculty of Philosophy. The establishment of a Catholic higher education institution which operated fully independent of the communist authorities was an unprecedented event in the whole of the communist bloc.

Faculty of Philosophy at Present

As of 1981 the Faculty of Philosophy has been officially operating as an independent academic unit. Its celebrated employees, such as Józef Tischner and Michał Heller, developed a modern philosophy which is based on the Christian spirit and the findings of contemporary science and philosophy, thus in keeping with neo-Thomist thought at a distance. The year 1989 brought profound political changes that encouraged the development of the institution’s activity, and so resulted in the institution being elevated to university status. From June 19, 2009 it has held the name of the Pontifical University of John Paul II.
Currently, the Faculty is comprised 13 departments which engage in research and teaching activities that relate to the best traditions of Christian philosophy. At the same time, they continue to be to the reality of present-day challenges.
Additionally, the Faculty of Philosophy has remembered its historical ties with the Jagiellonian University. In 2008, the Pontifical University of John Paul II and the Jagiellonian University founded the Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. The founder and managing director is Rev. Michał Heller, who donated the money he received from the Templeton Prize to the activities undertaken at the junction between philosophy, science and faith.

Our university works to foster learning among its students. The student body has assumed an international character over the years. In 2017, the Faculty of Philosophy started offering studies in English with its PhD program. In 2019, this was expanded to an MA in English. And from 2020, we began teaching Psychology. Our offers are ever expanding, and we encourage you to consider beginning your own academic adventure with us!