| |||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
by Leszek Kolakowski
|
Main Currents of Marxism: The Founders - The Golden Age - The Breakdown by Leszek Kolakowski |
by Leszek Kolakowski
|
by Leszek Kolakowski
|
God Owes Us Nothing: A Brief Remark on Pascal's Religion and on the Spirit of Jansenism by Leszek Kolakowski |
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
For over a century, philosophers have argued that philosophy is impossible or useless, or both. Although the basic notion dates back to the days of Socrates, there is still heated disagreement about the nature of truth, reality, knowledge, the good, and God. This may make little practical difference to our lives, but it leaves us with a feeling of radical uncertainty, a feeling described by Kolakowski as "metaphysical horror." "The horror is this," he says, "if nothing truly exists except the Absolute, the Absolute is nothing; if nothing truly exists except myself, I am nothing." The aim of this book, for Kolakowski, is finding a way out of this seeming dead end.
In a trenchant analysis that serves as an introduction to nearly all of Western philosophy, Kolakowski confronts these dilemmas head on through examinations of several prominent philosophers including Descartes, Spinoza, Husserl, and many of the Neo-Platonists. He finds that philosophy may not provide definitive answers to the fundamental questions, yet the quest itself transforms our lives. It may undermine most of our certainties, yet it still leaves room for our spiritual yearnings and religious beliefs.
The final sentence of the book captures the hopefulness that has survived the horror of nothingness when Kolakowski asks: "Is it not reasonable to suspect that if existence were pointless and the universe devoid of meaning, we would never have achieved not only the ability to imagine otherwise, but even the ability to entertain this very thought—to wit, that existence is pointless and the universe devoid of meaning?" The answer, of course, is clear. Now it is up to readers to take up the challenge of his arguments.
In a trenchant analysis that serves as an introduction to nearly all of Western philosophy, Kolakowski confronts these dilemmas head on through examinations of several prominent philosophers including Descartes, Spinoza, Husserl, and many of the Neo-Platonists. He finds that philosophy may not provide definitive answers to the fundamental questions, yet the quest itself transforms our lives. It may undermine most of our certainties, yet it still leaves room for our spiritual yearnings and religious beliefs.
The final sentence of the book captures the hopefulness that has survived the horror of nothingness when Kolakowski asks: "Is it not reasonable to suspect that if existence were pointless and the universe devoid of meaning, we would never have achieved not only the ability to imagine otherwise, but even the ability to entertain this very thought—to wit, that existence is pointless and the universe devoid of meaning?" The answer, of course, is clear. Now it is up to readers to take up the challenge of his arguments.
From the Inside Flap
'A modern philosopher who has never once suspected himself of being a charlatan,' writes Leszek Kolakowski at the start of this endlessly stimulating book, 'must be such a shallow mind that his work is probably not worth reading.'
For over a century, philosophers have argued that philosophy is impossible or useless, or both. Although the basic agenda dates back tot he days of Socrates, there is still disagreement about the nature of truth, reality, knowledge, good and God. This may make little practical difference to our lives, but it leaves us with a feeling of radical uncertainty described by Kolakowski as 'metaphysical horror'. Is there any way out of this cul-de-sac? This trenchant analysis confronts these dilemmas head on. Philosophy may not provide definitive answers to the fundamental questions, yet the quest itself transforms our lives. It may undermine most of our certainties, yet it still leaves room for our spiritual yearnings and religious beliefs. Kolakowski has forged a dazzling demonstration of philosophy in action. It is up to readers to take up the challenge of his arguments.
For over a century, philosophers have argued that philosophy is impossible or useless, or both. Although the basic agenda dates back tot he days of Socrates, there is still disagreement about the nature of truth, reality, knowledge, good and God. This may make little practical difference to our lives, but it leaves us with a feeling of radical uncertainty described by Kolakowski as 'metaphysical horror'. Is there any way out of this cul-de-sac? This trenchant analysis confronts these dilemmas head on. Philosophy may not provide definitive answers to the fundamental questions, yet the quest itself transforms our lives. It may undermine most of our certainties, yet it still leaves room for our spiritual yearnings and religious beliefs. Kolakowski has forged a dazzling demonstration of philosophy in action. It is up to readers to take up the challenge of his arguments.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
› Visit Amazon's Leszek Koakowski Page
› Visit Amazon's Leszek Koakowski Page
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
A modern philosopher who has never once suspected himself of being a charlatan must be such a shallow mind that his work is probably not worth reading. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
intrinsic goodness Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nicholas of Cusa New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
A modern philosopher who has never once suspected himself of being a charlatan must be such a shallow mind that his work is probably not worth reading. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
intrinsic goodness Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nicholas of Cusa New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4
books:
18
books
cite this book:
See all 18 books citing this book
- The Elements of Theology: A Revised Text with Translation, Introduction, and Commentary (Clarendon Paperbacks) by Proclus on page 40
- The Divine Names by Dionysius on page 52
- The Guide of the Perplexed, Vol. 1 by Moses Maimonides on page 94
- Being And Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre on page 109
- The Public Forum and Christian Ethics (New Studies in Christian Ethics) by Robert Gascoigne on page 123, and Back Matter
- Existentialism: A Reconstruction (Introducing Philosophy) by David E. Cooper on page 171, and Back Matter
- Altared Ground; Levinas, History, Violence by Brian Schroeder in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Coleridge, Philosophy and Religion: Aids to Reflection and the Mirror of the Spirit by Douglas Hedley on page 125, and Back Matter
- Disease, Diagnosis, and Cure on the Early Modern Stage (Literary and Scientific Cultures of Early Modernity) by Stephanie Moss in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 18 books citing this book
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
 |
47% buy the item featured on this page: Metaphysical Horror $11.52 |
 |
21% buy Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?: 23 Questions from Great Philosophers $15.60 |
 |
13% buy Main Currents of Marxism: The Founders - The Golden Age - The Breakdown $18.45 |
 |
12% buy Modernity on Endless Trial $18.72 |
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
|||||||||||
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
 |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
Product Information from the Amapedia Community
Beta (What's this?)Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.
› See featured Amapedia.com articles
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Metaphysics
- Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Modern
Look for Similar Items by Subject
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. |
