Janusz Korczak’s Anthropology and Ethics. A Draft of Issues and Open-ended Questions

Abstract

In the twentieth century, representatives of social pedagogy focused on specific ideas as well as problems inherent in Polish society. These ideas were clearly delineated: subjectivity, social justice, subsidiarity, and social education. Importantly, these concepts were not the subject of theoretical reflection, but were also part of the practical activities of people such as: Helena Radlińska, Ryszard Wroczyński, or Aleksander Kamiński. It can be said that the above-mentioned people have largely contributed to the fact that the educational process is not limited only to the provision of instructions, and the education process is not limited only to the methods of transferring knowledge. The social pedagogy of the twentieth century was about a human being perceived in a holistic way. Janusz Korczak – a pedagogue, educator, practitioner –  belongs to this historical generation, as well as represents other promoters of social pedagogy of the 20th century in Poland. The aim of this article is to answer the questions about how Korczak’s anthropological and ethical vision influenced his pedagogical ideas and what modern-day philosophy and pedagogy can gain from his vision of a child and an adult, and how to transfer these concepts into contemporary challenges facing social sciences and the humanities.