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INTRODUCTION
15
inthediscussiononattemptsatanevolutionaryviewofman,andthus
alsoofhisdeath,wereworksoftheSecondVaticanCouncil.Before
theCouncil,anydiscussionconcerningtheevolutionaryapproachto
man’soriginanddeathwaslargelyhindered.Thisresultedfromthe
factthatinChristianphilosophy,thetraditionalviewofmanandthe
worldwasuniversallyaccepted.Thus,voiceswereraisedthatthenew
theorywouldupsettheexistingorder,thatitwasavainpursuitof
noveltyandoriginality,andthatitledtochallengingtherecognized
truthsoffaith2.Thesignificanceoftheworksofparticipantsinthe
SecondVaticanCouncilconsistedfirstofallinthattheypointedtothe
necessityofcourageouslyfacingthenewproblemsofhumanityand
clearingtheroadforfurtherscientificresearch.InmanyChristianphi-
losophersandtheologians,thisreleasedadesiretore-thinkissuesin
philosophicalandtheologicalanthropologyfromthepointofviewofthe
theoryofevolution.Itmaythusbeclaimedthatthethoroughreection
ofVaticanumIIremovedthethreatofaphilosophicalghettoseparat-
ingChristianthoughtfromtheworldofmodernscienceandculture.
Thus,philosophersstillfacethetaskoflookingfornewmodelsof
interpretation,inwhichChristianthoughtwouldnotbedevelopedin
theatmosphereofanintellectualghetto,butwhichwouldtakeinto
accountunquestionableachievementsofotherfieldsofknowledge.
Theyrequiresystematicenrichmentofclassicalscholasticmodelsso
thatthedynamismofGodpresentintheworldofcreationcanbepre-
sentedmoreadequately3.ThisisthegoalIhavesetouttoachievein
thisstudy.
InChapter1Idiscussthebasicproblemwhichmademeundertakethe
issueofhumandeath.Thatproblemwasthedualisminthedepiction
2PiusXIIencyclicalHumaniGeneris(1950)shouldbementioned,however,inwhich
theissueofreviewingcertainanthropologicalquestionsfromthepointofviewofthe
theoryofevolution.PiusXIIdoesnotprohibitthescienceofevolutionism,aslongas
itstudiestheoriginofthehumanbodyfromsomealreadyexistinglivingmatter,from
beingdiscussedinaccordancewiththethencurrentstateofscientificknowledgeand
holytheologybyprofessionalsinbothfields.
3Cf.Życiński1992,212;see:CongregationfortheDoctrineoftheFaith1995a;
1995b;InternationalTheologicalCommission2000.