Pastoral Care by Jan Patočka

This thesis focuses on the key question of Patocka"s thinking - care of the soul. In Patocka"s texts it represents the difference between life based on opinions accepted without critical thinking or practical decisions, called naive life, and life based on critical examining. In my opinion, this dichotomy between the two "ways of life" makes some kind of backbone of Patocka"s Plato and Socrates interpretations in his postwar lectures. The philosopher in Patocka"s texts is Socrates. He first reveals the soul as "the most inherent nature of man", that needs to be taken care of. Aware of this Patocka approaches two other great Greek philosophers - Plato and Aristotle as well as the periods of Christianity, Renaissance and Enlightenment. This on the one hand means certain degree of adoption of Socrates" "care of the soul" but on the other hand falling away from it. In the time of Renaissance and especially during Enlightenment a new spiritual style "care of the world" is being born. This leads, according to Patocka, to such kind of understanding the being, that definite abandonment of Socrates" "care of the soul" follows, and the fixed essence of man is in jeopardy. The final part of our thesis introduces Patocka"s noteworthy idea of a victim. Only being a victim brings the genuine freedom of man, who is then..