At the Center of the Human Drama

Arguably one of the most influential men in the world today, Pope John Paul II presents a somewhat enigmatic figure because there are few works available that examine his philosophical thought. That gap is filled by this truly seminal and engaging study, in which Kenneth L. Schmitz examines the writings of Karol Wojtyla, from his early dramas to his later theological works.
Wojtyla's primary philosophical interest lies in the field of ethics, but Schmitz also points out that Wojtyla's interest is worked out in the context of an understanding of the nature and destiny of human beings. Relying upon many translations (some not available in English) of Wojtyla's work, Schmitz locates Wojtyla's philosophy of human nature in the broad tradition of Christian personalism. More importantly, perhaps, Schmitz shows that Wojtyla relied upon phenomenological methodology to explore the inner region of human experience while endorsing the general lines of traditional metaphysics as represented in the work of the great philosophers of the Middle Ages.
Finding that a coherent philosophical view is present throughout much of Wojtyla's work, Schmitz also discovers that Wojtyla's sensitivity to both modern and ancient thought and culture was already vividly present in his work as a young student in Cracow. As Pope John Paul II continues to make his mark in the history of the Roman Catholic Church and of the world, this book will prove invaluable to philosophers, theologians, and the educated reader who wishes learn more about his thought.

Kenneth L. Schmitz is professor of philosophy emeritus at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and professor of philosophy at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C.