Who is Leszek Kolakowski?
Leszek Kolakowski, (born Oct. 23, 1927, Radom, Pol.—died July 17, 2009, Oxford, Eng.), Polish philosopher and historian of philosophy who became one of Marxism ’s greatest intellectual critics. Kolakowski was educated privately and in the underground school system during the German occupation of Poland in World War II.
What happened to Jan Kolakowski?
When Poland was a satellite of the Soviet Union, Kolakowski was effectively exiled, spending the next forty years at prestigious universities in the West. Even, or especially in exile, he was a leading thinker of the Solidarity movement. In the later decades of his life, Kolakowski became less interested in politics, and more in religion.
Who is Wladyslaw Kołakowski?
In Poland, Kołakowski is regarded 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”.
What is the contribution of Kolakowski to modern thought?
Kolakowski became increasingly fascinated by the contribution that theological assumptions make to Western culture and, in particular, modern thought. For example, he began his Main Currents of Marxism with an analysis of the contribution that various forms of ancient and medieval Platonism made, centuries later, to the Hegelian view of history.