Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?: Questions from Great Philosophers

by Leszek Kołakowski

Can nature make us happy? How can we know anything? What is justice? Why is there evil in the world? What is the source of truth? Is it possible for God not to exist? Can we really believe what we see? There are questions that have intrigued the world's great thinkers over the ages, which still touch a cord in all of us today. They are questions that can teach us about the way we live, work, relate to each other and see the world. Here, one of the world's greatest living philosophers, Leszek Kolakowski, explores the essence of these ideas, introducing figures from Socrates to Thomas Aquinas, Descartes to Nietzsche and concentrating on one single important philosophical question from each of them. Whether reflecting on good and evil, truth and beauty, faith and the soul, or free will and consciousness, Kolakowski shows that these timeless ideas remain at the very core of our existence.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Essays, Theology, History, Poland, Religion

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Distinguished Polish philosopher and historian of ideas. He is best known for his critical analysis of Marxist thought, especially his acclaimed three-volume history, Main Currents of Marxism. In his later work, Kolakowski increasingly focused on religious questions. In his 1986 Jefferson Lecture, he asserted that "We learn history not in order to know how to behave or how to succeed, but to know who we are.”

In Poland, Kołakowski is not only revered as a philosopher and historian of ideas, but also as an icon for opponents of communism. Adam Michnik has called Kołakowski "one of the most prominent creators of contemporary Polish culture".

Kołakowski died on 17 July 2009, aged 81, in Oxford, England. In his obituary, philosopher Roger Scruton said Kolakowski was a "thinker for our time" and that regarding Kolakowski's debates with intellectual opponents, "even if ... nothing remained of the subversive orthodoxies, nobody felt damaged in their ego or defeated in their life's project, by arguments which from any other source would have inspired the greatest indignation."

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

To those of you who loved philosophy in college, but are fearful of re-kindling such a demanding relationship, I would recommend this little book. It is a commitment-free afternoon of philosophical dalliance. This is no candle-lit dinner; this is an early lunch at a well-lighted cafe.

Leszek Kolakowski—a real philosopher known both for his works on Marxism and his works on religious belief—poses twenty-three questions crucial to the thought of twenty-three different philosophers from Socrates to Husserl. The questions range from the metaphysical (Parmenides: “What is real?), through the moral (St. Augustine: “What is evil?”) the epistemological (Kant: “How is knowledge possible?”), the existential (Schopenhauer: “Should we commit suicide?), the religious (Kierkegaard: “Do we need the Church?”), and the evolutionary humanist (Bergson: “What is the human spirit?)--and a lot of other issues in between. Each question is treated succinctly in a brief essay of approximately ten pages, and by the time you have reached the end of this chronologically organized book, you will feel as if you have taken a brief tour of all of Western philosophy.

Don't misunderstand me, though. This tour may be brief, but it is not superficial. The essays are densely reasoned, filled with insights and challenging questions, but since each is a mere ten pages in length, I think you will find them—as I did—attractive rather than intimidating. (I would, however, recommend that you read not more than two or three at a time. This “early lunch at a well-lighted cafe” may take you two or three weeks to consume.)

If you ever loved philosophy, you will enjoy this book. It definitely rekindled my passion. Who knows? I might even give The Critique of Pure Reason another try.

[Burak Uzun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kolakowski; Sokrates'ten Platon'a, Descartes'tan Hobbes'a, Schopenhauer'a, Heidegger'a, 30 düşünür hakkında denemeler yazmış. Her bir denemede, bahsedeceği düşünürün insanlığa yönelttiği sorulardan hareketle bir yolculuğa çıkmış ve bu yolculuğu sorularla devam ettirmiş.
Yalnız kendisi, "Bu denemeleri neden yazdım?" bölümünde kitabın bir hap bilgiler toplamı, bir özetleme çabası ya da ders kitabı olmadığını belirtmiş.
Anladığım kadarıyla -hissettiğim demeliyim belki de- düşünüşler arası bir yolculuk isteği doğurmuş bu kitabı.
Açıkçası, çok fazla felsefi metinleri takip edemeyen ama düşün yoğunluğunu seven bir okur olarak çok beğendim.

[John Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful overview of the history of philosophy and key thinkers within it. Kolakowski himself interprets each philosopher well and asks thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter, challenging their ideas. Recommending this book for anyone who wants compact summaries of the thoughts of major philosophers.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a small book both in number of pages and height - it is only six and a quarter inches tall. But within this small frame Leszek Kolakowski packs a lot of philosophy. It is organized by philosopher from ancient to modern and for each section of about ten pages the book focuses upon one key idea associated with the philosopher being discussed. As Kolakowski says in the introduction: "I do not intend to 'summarize' Plato, Descartes or Husserl: that would be an absurd ambition." [at least within the confines of a small volume like this] "I would like, rather, to approach these great philosophers by concentrating on one idea in the thought of each--an important idea, an idea that was fundamental to his philosophical construction, but also one that we can still understand today; an idea that touches a chord in us, rather than being simply a bit of historical information."
Because of this approach and his deep understanding of the philosophers presented the book is valuable as a catalyst for the thought of the reader, whether one has read deeply in philosophy or not. The fundamental questions raised may spur further reading and thought about these issues. One disappointment is the lack of a bibliography, but there are references in the text to specific works of philosophers which can be used to search out further texts for reading. Those who are already familiar with the works of these thinkers will find this book a refreshing challenge to remember and rethink some key ideas. (a fairly long review considering the relative size of the book)

[Maria Borland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could almost be the outline for a module on God in the history of European philosophy. Kolakowski states in his introduction that 'If a student attempted to sit an exam based on these essays, he would be disapointed'. This is true, each brief chapter acts as a lesson that requires you to have done or to go out and do the extra reading. I have a feeling it is a book better read slowly. Each section concludes with several open ended questions that you could easily imagine facilitating a seminar discussion. As you would expect from the title, it is the big questions - is there a God? What is being? - that we are concerned with. It is left to the reader to go back to the original text and search out the details. These questions inevitably concern the nature and purpose of philosophy, and if there indeed is one. The circularity of some of these pervading questions is reflected in the chronology which takes us from Socrates to Jaspers then back to Plotinus. Kolakowski has an amusingly abrupt style: 'So I stick to my choice – it is what it is, and I will not argue about it', 'It won't (they might say) [...:] But this would be a very silly objection.'

A book that reminds you about all those other books you should have read.

[Laura Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there had been a stronger ending, perhaps a conclusion chapter I would have given this book 4 stars. But it just trailed off as unnatural as an unfinished sentence, and the last essay was one of the weakest in the book the author absolutely could have done better.

[Nathaniel Jamal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad by way of introduction, and Kolakowski is certainly a modest thinker, but his questions and assessments lack depth and would be confusing for the reader who wants "cheap omniscience"

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Kołakowski in Poland, very based

[Christian Schwoerke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite Kolakowski's demurral, this is a summary account of Western philosophy, and it's an interesting and engaging ride, though one that required me to make notes as I read. Each of the thirty philosophers in the Penguin edition of this book (apparently only 23 in the Basic Books edition) is unique in his perspective, but sometimes only slightly different from some predecessor (or follower). Notes were also helpful in trying to separate out a philosopher's terms and concepts, as there is a good deal of metaphysical matter to absorb, which doesn't have much obvious basis in quotidian down-to-earth realities. Kolakowski intermingles biographical and historical context with each philosopher's main thoughts on the ultimate/underlying nature of God/reality. He overtly raises questions of each philosopher at the end of chapters in order to test either the premise or conclusions of his thought. Some of these questions seemed to me to be beside the point, as I raised other questions instead, which I thought more relevant. I think this might have been Kolakowski's intent.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is translated into simple words and is easily to read and to understand. it may be a collections of essays on the teachings of philosophers, and this book does not have book of contents nor index and it does not have footnotes. Essentially it is arranged in chronological order of the birth of philosophers, from Ancient Greek to 20th century, except the last one is , Plontinus. The author raise so questions about the teaching of each philosophers at the end of each chapter. The title of the book is about the teaching of Leibniz, on ‘Why is there something rather than nothing’, and Leibniz is, I believe, deliberately place at the middle of this book. I highly recommend anyone interest in philosophy to read this book. The only thing I would think of if there are footnotes on references on philosophers’ quotes for further reading that would be perfect, though I think the author is intended this book not be academic at all.

[Abbi Dion]

I really enjoyed this. The author's tone is really humble yet morally intelligent. Basically this volume serves as a nice primer and/or refresher of some of the wackos born to this here earth. Sadly, the English edition doesn't include sections on Aristotle, Heidegger, or Jaspers. If you can read the original Polish edition, you will be able to enjoy them, however. Favorite passage: "Kierkegaard's view of the relation between the world and eternity emerges from his remarks about the sign of the Apocalypse. A fire breaks out in a theater, but it so happens that it is Pierrot the clown who has to announce the fact to the audience. Of course, no one believes him; everyone thinks it is just a joke, and they go on laughing until they are consumed by the flames. That, says Kierkegaard, is how the end of the world will come: in the midst of general hilarity." - Leszek Kolakowski

[Michael Lindgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Kolakowski has written a superb little book here, both dense and lucid, a kind of personal, idiosyncratic summary of the central ideas of 23 great philosophers from Socrates to Husserl. It's fairly dry, dealing tersely with a lot of demanding, abstract ideas, so it makes me feel dumb (in a good way), but it's so short that it can be read in an afternoon or so, in snatches. Its operation on me is to spark a yearning for an extra lifetime or two where I could devote hours upon hours to reading the great thinkers, in the original texts, which is kind of a dubious blessing. What I like about the book, though, is that it vividly conveys the idea of philosophy, in a very compressed way; it's like an expresso shot of intellect.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clearly argued, cleanly written explication of many of the great philosophers, beginning with Socrates and ending with Husserl. Kolakowski doesn't try to explain each philosopher's entire program, rather he provides a window into one or two questions he thinks are both interesting and representative. The result is rather like an elegant Cliff Notes for intellectuals who can't be bothered to sweat it out with the originals but want a sense of what they were saying. I would recommend this book as a way to try out various philosophical systems -- and then dig deeper into the ones that seem most interesting. It won't satisfy someone who wants to truly investigate, say, Hegel, but it is a very smart start.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully clear short introduction to 23 philosophers and 23 philosophical questions, none of which have been answered to universal satisfaction. Not an introduction to philosophy (the author says a student who tries to sit an exam based only on reading this book will fail) nor a full account of any of the philosophers. More an introduction to ways of thinking about philosophical questions. Translated from the Polish, and therefore even more astonishing that it is so clear even I can follow the arguments. My only complaint is that originally there were 30 questions, but the publisher insisted on cutting back for reasons of space. Phooey.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besides the fact this is a small book that can easily fit in a shirt pocket, the biggest reason I like it is that it names the biggest positive conclusions in the development of philosophy, and without saying 'this is reality" it leaves you with the most asked questions which remain about the conclusions drawn by those various philosophers which it covers. I would have liked it had they included Bertrand Russell and Sartre, maybe also Voltaire, rather than just raising their specters in relation to others without going into more details. But it does in fact, hit some of the biggest questions about our human condition, as people have attempted to define it over the historical period.

[Malli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A magnificent, guided tour through Western Philosophy. Starting with Socrates, this tour goes through Parmenides, Heraclitus, Plato, Epictetus, Empericus, St Augustine, St Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, William of Occam, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Pascal, Locke, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Bergson and Husserl. Each philosopher's core thought is described in just a few pages. I personally, for the first time, got the essence of most of the 23 philosophers except Spinoza, Kant, Bergson and Husserl. A third / fourth reading might help which I shall do later. Not bad given the density with which knowledge has been packed in just 200 pages. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tiny pocket-sized thing that can be breezed through in a sitting or two. It's mostly paraphrase, not so much insight-driven. Unfortunately, this isn't even the full translation of Kołakowski's Polish book. It leaves out chapters on Aristotle (!), Meister Eckhart, Nicolas of Cusa, Hobbes (!), Heidegger (!), Jaspers and Plotinus. The translator blames this on the request of the American publisher (Basic Books), and it's baffling to me why 23 questions is preferable to an even 30.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I thought there would be a series of arguments answering the question asked in the title of the book, instead there is a number of thumb nail sketches of philosophers starting with Socrates going through Husserl. Only does Spinoza attempt to answer the question, and he uses it as a reason to believe in God.

[Jacob Wren]

Leszek Kołakowski writes:


There is a certain attitude of the soul, so to speak, which manifests itself in the similar insights attained, with great effort, by all those who strive to touch the essence of being, whether they are Christians, Hindus, Buddhists or Platonists. They know that if they ever imagine that they understand God, they are wrong: it is not God.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

thoughtful stroll around the history of philosophy which appeared in translation in 2007. it deals with the big questions and, for me, the first, from Heidegger among others before and after, has to be the biggest of them all, though unresolveable. ethical, scientific and progressive philosophers wilfully miss the point of unresolveable questions

[Jesse Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can think, you should read this. If you like thinking, you need to read this. Engaging and informative.

A cohesive chain of essays highlighting some of the most influential thinkers of the last 3000 years. The essays are short, conversational, and deal fairly with each subject.

Not only will you finish this book wiser, but with a fantastic intro to philosophy.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kolakowski (and is it is wife who translated this?) is such a humane writer with a real feeling for his readers. His pithy explications of these philosophers' ideas are engaging even when their subjects are not!

[Niels Westerneng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding book, the author touches a fraction of the great works of the most interesting philosophers of all time, and does so in extraordinary fashion. This is one of those books you need to buy twice due to wear.

[Kris Demey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the books encompasses a lot of important thinkers, the focus lies on God and how the notion of God fits in with the philosopher and their respective systems.

This somewhat bothers me, because it was not clear from the summary.

Anyway, good read.

[Aaron and Megan Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summaries of key ideas

I liked how the author chosen just one idea per philosopher to explore with lucid writing and perceptive questions. If its on sale for a couple of bucks, snag it.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short introduction to various European philosophers; one easily digestible chapter per philosopher. Written in kind of a conversational lecture-like tone. Good bathroom reading.

[Susan]

TLS best book of year

[Jonathan Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, concise summary of western thoughts on God -- or, at least, the philosophical construct of Him.

[Geoff Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love knowing that we humans KEEP having same question 10, 100, 2500 years ago.

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful summary of philosophical thought.