Liberal and communitarian orientation refers to different concepts of the relationships linking citizens with the political community. A significant proportion of Poles combine their various elements, but both orientations are antagonistic in the prototype form. Earlier studies have shown that the distinction between liberalism vs. communitarianism was one of the critical dimensions of the Polish socio-political polarization. These two different concepts of the community imply two sets of hypotheses concerning their moral justifications and specific patterns of civic engagement. The hypotheses were verified in two survey studies conducted on large nationwide samples (N = 710 and N = 1477). Study 1 has shown that the hypothesized liberal orientation's embedding in individualizing moral values found empirical support only for the code of Liberty/Oppression. On the other hand, communitarian orientation turned out to be positively related not only to all components of binding moral values (Ingroup loyalty, Authority, Sanctity) but also to some individualizing moral values (Care, Fairness). Pattern of relationships with moral values largely explains the differences observed in study 2. In this study liberals are better at unconventional activity, which consists in exerting direct pressure on various groups of decision-makers. Communitarianism is more often expressed in helping and cooperation at the local or neighborhood community level. People with a liberal mindset want to be active when they perceive a threat to personal freedoms, human rights, tolerance, and socio-cultural diversity. Communitarians want to protect/cultivate traditional values and the welfare of the local and national community. For both orientations, competing values - liberal or communitarian - seem not even minimally worthy of public involvement.

Looking at something is considered a fundamental act of awareness. What constitutes its embodied manifestation – the gaze – can be realized as a specific axiological variant of the value of evil. The article is devoted to this particular, closed-in-the‑gaze manifestation of the value of evil in the literary work. The point of reference is identified in two famous epic works: Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann (1947) and The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell (2006). The evil gaze identifies the main characters of either novel, Adrian Leverkühn and Maximilian Aue. Whether the artistic structuring of the evil gaze is presented in the novels with the same means, or perhaps with the use of different tools of literary transmission of axiological content, is the issue lying at the center of considerations. In fact, it is not the only issue, as it is part of a broader reflection on the so-called restraining of values in a literary work in general. (Translated from Polish by Katarzyna Rogalska‑Chodecka)

The writings of Lyudmila Ulitskaya, one of the most popular contemporary Russian novelists, attracts lots of attention from both Russian and foreign literary critics and scholars. The author’s popularity is also confirmed by the fact that her works have been translated into more than 20 different languages. The main goal of this article is to provide an analysis of the spiritual dimension of the novel The Kukotsky Enigma. At its very essence, the main subject of the study is the plot, which focuses on the anthropological aspect in the context of the transcendental dimension as such, hagiographic motifs and biblical metaphorics. The article also discusses the synthetism of genetic elements appearing in the novel that allowed the writer to combine Christian, mythopoeic, axiological, soteriological and theological contexts. Furthermore, an attempt was made to analyse the characters, considering spiritual and moral values they represent. The intersection of two spheres – the Sacred and the profane – together with the loci associated with them constitute additional object of the research.