Milczenie, które ocala? – przyczynek do metafizyki wojny

Abstract

This article is an attempt at a religio-philosophical rationalization of remaining silent as a form of asylum for humanity. The conscious entry, through remaining silent, into quietude – in a broad sense that is both religious and existential – can contribute to the discovery and recovery of the (irreducible, spiritual) metaphysical identity of human beings, which has been brutally thrown into question by war. The proposed analysis proceeds as follows: (1) the metaphysical identity of human beings is interpreted, taking into account the archetype of “the silence of the blood of Abel” as a biblical life-setting for such quests; (2) an attempt is made to capture what is reminiscent of the “silent voice of the blood of Abel” within the history of 20th-century crimes of genocide; (3) the disclosive role of remaining silent, which testifies to the metaphysical foundations of identity, is pointed out; (4) the metaphysical significance of war (to the extent that such a thing exists) is extracted – cautiously (in that it bears on pain and human wrongs) and using the testimony of someone who was both an eyewitness and a reflective observer of war: Kazimierz Brandys.