The Personalism Of John Paul Ii

An introduction to the personalist philosophy of St. John Paul II, written by John F. Crosby, a longtime friend of the former pope, and a leading personalist philosopher.

Much has been written about the great personalist philosophers of the 20th century, but few books cover the personalist movement as a whole. An Introduction to Personalism fills that gap, and presents an engaging anthropological vision capable of taking the lead in the debate about the meaning of human existence and of winning hearts and minds for the cause of the dignity of every person.

World peace, social cohesion, and integral human development all depend to a considerable degree on the attainment of an appropriate balance of goods, which respects the individual person or group and the whole society or community. Pope John Paul II frequently proposes solidarity as the means by which this «common good» can be attained. But what is solidarity, and how does it achieve its ends? This work studies the development of the concept of solidarity in the philosophy of Karol Wojtyla as well as in his addresses and public writings as pope. The influences of Durkheim, Mounier, and Scheler, as well as the influence that earlier Catholic social teaching had on Wojtyla, are discussed in detail.

Study on the social doctrines of John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005.

Moral theologian Samuel Gregg addresses issues surrounding the Pope's personal influence on developments in Catholic social teaching. He compares the treatment of industrial relations, capitalism, and relations between developed and developing countries in John Paul's three social encyclicals with the handling of these three topics in the teachings of the Council and Paul VI, arguing that John Paul's critical engagement with the modern world has contributed significantly to Catholic social teaching, particular its moral-anthropological dimensions. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Janet E. Smith has been among the world’s preeminent voices in the study of the issues raised by Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical letter Humanae vitae. Self-Gift: Essays on Humanae Vitae and the Thought of John Paul II presents Smith’s critical collection of essays on the vocation of marriage, human sexuality, contraception, and more. Her groundbreaking scholarship touches on all the areas implicated in Humanae vitae: from natural family planning to parenthood and natural law to personalism. This collection not only includes Smith’s English translation of the encyclical from the original Latin text, but also helpful background on the development and release of this authoritative magisterial document. With a particular emphasis on the personalist and Thomistic philosophy of Pope St. John Paul II and how it illuminates the two-millennia tradition of Catholic teaching on human sexuality, Self-Gift delivers crucial insight into the Creator’s plan for human sexuality and our full flourishing in Christ.

In John Paul II on the Vulnerable, Jeffrey Tranzillo provides a lucid introduction to John Paul II's philosophical and theological understanding of the human person.