Nie ma (prawdziwej) wolności bez odpowiedzialności. O kontrowersjach wokół pojęcia wolności

Abstract

The article begins with a discussion of the changes in the WOLNOŚĆ (freedom) - exepriencing subject in post-1989 Poland: from a community (national freedom, independence) to an individual (personal freedom to act). Over this period, WOLNOŚĆ has been undergoing relativization. Then the focus shifts to a distinction (and juxtaposition) of WOLNOŚĆ as such and PRAWDZIWA WOLNOŚĆ (true freedom), the latter being anchored in the system of socially accepted values. The Polish WOLNOŚĆ is not so much a scholarly notion but a “cultural stereotypical concept”, whose semantics is impossible to interpret without reference to valuation and the cultural context. The semantics of wolność ‘freedom’ and samowola ‘licence, excessive liberty’ are distinguished, attention is drawn to the sociological problem of the abuse of freedom, freedom-related behaviours of Poles are treated (following Charles Peirce’s pragmatic semiotics) as the “final/dynamic interpretant” of the understanding of the word wolność, the indeparability of freedom and responsibility is underscored.