Nadzieja w polskim społeczeństwie obywatelskim

Abstract

This paper concerns the current issue of hope and its close connection with civic society at the time of globalization. The paper comprises three parts. The first explains the essence of hope, discusses its four basic types and outlines the society of hope, which is composed of homo esperans (the hoping man). The second one refers to the ideas of civic society and model approaches outlined in the literature of the subject; it concentrates on the key problems this society faces under the circumstances of globalization and its development opportunities in this context, given the significant support offered by the potential of hope. The third part presents the results of the research on hope measurements, taken among the students of the University of Zielona Góra, and it indicates a relatively low level of this resource (hope), whereas mature civic societies are characterized by a high level of hope, and especially its active form.