W poszukiwaniu utraconego sensu. Człowiek współczesny jako homo patiens

Abstract

Viktor E. Frankl ‒ psychiatrist, neurologist, philosopher ‒ in analyzing the situation of contemporary man, observes that he has largely lost contact with the spiritual sphere, that which is the most human in him. This state is compounded by the prevailing situation in science which places primacy on reductionisms that grasp man unilaterally. Man, according to Frankl, is not homo sapiens, zoon politikon or homo faber, but rather homo patiens, because this skill of suffering distinguishes him from the natural world. To suffer means to take a certain attitude towards that which is difficult and inevitable. When he embraces a proper attitude towards inevitable suffering, making it sensible, man realizes his own existence and contributes to the development of other people.