Karol Wojtyla and Vaclav Havel: The Unifying Effect of the Human Person

• In Event: Literature, Persons, and Modern Politics

Abstract

One need only take a cursory look at newspaper headlines to come to the conclusion that American society is facing innumerable “crises.” The legitimacy of these emergencies can be debated, but many seem to speak to apparent rifts in society that separate one group of people from another—sometimes to the point that any resolution or reconciliation is beyond the imagination. Traditional religious believers and post-secular believers are often placed on this spectrum along with their different policy preferences and lifestyles. However, as elucidated by Jürgen Habermas, the differences separating these aforementioned groups are more complex, and, with the help of “translation,” can be reconciled. While Habermas hints at the unifying effect of a common belief in the inviolability and dignity of the human person, this uniting factor is fully treated by Václav Havel and Karol Wojtyla in their political, philosophical, and theatrical writings. Though representing different communities and levels of religious belief, Havel and Wojtyla had similar experiences living under totalitarian regimes that led both of them to an unwavering prioritization of the human person. Thus conceived, Havel and Wojtyla can operate as contemporary representatives and guides for post-secular and traditional believers, respectively. Their similarities—expressed in their philosophical and fictional writings—provide a way to unite men as neighbors in a post-secular and polarized world.

Author

• Carly Elizabeth Jones, The Catholic University of America