Jan Amos Komeński o powinnościach prozdrowotnych

Abstract

In his considerations of the appropriate course of the educational process, John Amos Comenius pays a lot of attention to the issues of health. This article demonstrates that Comenius’ argumentation proceeds along the following lines. Lifespan is important because of the nature of the developmental process of human beings – the development of the mind and acquisition of knowledge take time. Comenius assumes implicite that God gives every man the lifespan which is appropriate for him, i.e. sufficient to achieve the level of personal development which God planned for him, and to accomplish everything God intended him to accomplish. If a man does not lead his life the right way, if – because of his laziness or stupidity – he does not fill his life with the right substance or ruins his health by inappropriate lifestyle and shortens his earthly existence, then he acts against God’s intentions towards him. Thus, neglecting one’s own health and harming it intentionally becomes a sin, while concern for one’s health becomes a moral imperative.