Pope formed ideas for book during years of meetings, philosopher says

Published: 2005-03-10

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- A Polish philosopher who provided material for Pope John Paul II's latest book, "Memory and Identity," said the pope was helped to formulate ideas by contacts with leading philosophers over many years. "Our talks focused on the 20th century's experience of evil, as the pope had seen it -- we wanted to act as catalysts, helping the pope tell his own story," said Krzysztof Michalski, rector of the Austrian-based Institute of Human Sciences. "So the conversations were often very personal, about times and people. Philosophy appeared in the background, sometimes as a signpost, sometimes a hindrance." In a March 9 interview with Poland's Rzeczpospolita daily, Michalski said that as early as 1980 he and the pope's longtime friend, the late Father Jozef Tischner, helped arrange discussions with leading thinkers at the pope's summer home in Castel Gandolfo. He said discussions included the late German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer, Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, the late French mathematician Rene Thom and Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski.

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