Ubóstwo narracji wobec tajemnicy bytu ludzkiego

Sobkowiak, Jarosław Andrzej

Ubóstwo narracji wobec tajemnicy bytu ludzkiego

Abstract

The Poverty of Narrative in the Face of the Mystery of Human Being Who is man? The question has accompanied his existence since the very beginning, for only the one who asks oneself what being human means, is man in the strict sense of the word. To ask that question, however, man uses various tools: philosophy, theology, anthropology or a method in a sense present in them all – narrative. But none of these tools is perfect. Some of them undoubtedly outline the great structure of knowledge about man, but at the same time treat the questions asked and possible answers to them too generally and too vaguely, providing rather the answer to the question of what is man. Others in order to „adapt” have undergone certain corruption – particularly philosophy, which more and more often gives up on the wisdom aspect to the benefit of pragmatism. Narrative seems to be the closest to actual man, as his specific travel companion, describing human experience and emotions and above all sharing with man the time structure. There appears, however, a danger that may be expressed in the question: is man completely enclosed in the time aspect? Is it not that the time structure only expresses his manifestation, while his being, partly revealed by time, remains a mystery. So the question arises: is narrative a suffitient tool to describe man fully, and if not – what are its main limitations and is there a way out of this deadlock? These are the questions to which answers have been sought in this articles. The analyses have left some questions open: What does the incomplete sense of narrative mean – is it only symbolic venture? Secondly, even if narrative allows to give sense to the human existence, can we say in this perspective that it is the ultimate sense? Narrative assumes certain teleology. But does teology mean complete understanding and reaching the mystery, or only intuition of the direction completing development? Narrative is reinterpretation. Does that mean that narrative gives a sense or only reads it? Finally – narrative identity allows to determine certain constants and variables. But is this symmetry full and only, or is it just a presage of the ultimate asymmetry of structure dominated by mystery? These are questions that may be asked while telling a story. They are undoubtedly important, but their importance and significance is expressed in the consciousness that they are only a way towards the mystery of human existence, fragmentarily carried through time.

Description

Jarosław A. Sobkowiak, Ubóstwo narracji wobec tajemnicy bytu ludzkiego, w: Język religijny dawniej i dziś II. Materiały z konferencji, red. S. Mikołajczak, T. Węcławski, Poznań 2006.