Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? - by Leszek Kolakowski (Hardcover)

About the Book

There are questions that have intrigued the worlds greatest thinkers over the ages and continue to touch a chord today. In this work, Kolakowski explores the essence of these ideas, introducing figures from Socrates to Nietzsche, and concentrating on one single important philosophical question from each.

Book Synopsis

Do we have free will?
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?

These are some of the questions that have intrigued the world's greatest thinkers over the ages. They are questions that make us think about the way we live, work, relate to each other, and see the world. In elegant and accessible prose, the eminent philosopher Leszek Kolakowski explores the essence of these ideas and their ongoing relevance as he introduces us to the great figures of Western thought: from Socrates to St. Augustine, Descartes to Nietzsche, and beyond.

Reflecting on the great issues that animate our lives -- good and evil, truth and beauty, faith and the soul, free will and consciousness -- Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? offers a guided tour of Western philosophy by one of the world's greatest living experts.

Review Quotes

"New York Review of Books"
"A slight and deceptively modest volume, "Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?" is more than a short guide to the history of philosophy.... Written with a graceful simplicity that belies its profundity, this is a book that reconnects philosophy with perennial questions.... Kolakowski's work is exemplary and indispensable."

"Atlantic"
"A discrete, dialectical wonder, a high-brow, low-key little volume that's strangely synchronous: backward-looking, forward-thinking, and--best of all--wholly free of both condescension and commonplaceness."

Richard Neuhaus, "First Things"
"Each little essay is a masterpiece of exquisitely refined intellectual summary and judgment. One may not always agree, but, in disagreement, one is prompted to think again."

"New York Times"
"With admirable clarity and brevity, Mr. Kolakowski puts these enduring questions within arm's reach of the general reader. If your New Year's resolution is to become a better, wiser person, this may be the place to start."

About the Author

Leszek Kolakowski is currently senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous books on topics in philosophy, religion, and intellectual history, including Main Currents of Marxism. He is the recipient of many major awards, including the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society and the Library of Congress John W. Kluge Prize in the Human Sciences. He lives in Oxford, England.