Partnership in the Family in the Light of Ethical Personalism

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the concept of partnership in the family in the light of philosophy of ethical personalism. Definitions of partner and partnership are quoted that are formulated and used in social sciences, mainly in pedagogy, as well as those ones that are used in empirical studies of partnership in the family. Next, the main assumptions of personalistic philosophy are briefly presented, and partnership in family relations – between the spouses and between the parents and children – in its proper form is defined. The basic conclusions of the discussion contained in the article are statements saying that partnership is not the same as equality (sameness), and that existential inequality of partners is a chance to form an educational relation.