Metaphysical Horror available in Persian
“Metaphysical Horror” available in Persian
TEHRAN-The Persian translation of the book “Metaphysical Horror” written by the distinguished Polish philosopher and historian of ideas Leszek Kołakowski has been released in the Iranian book market.
Alireza Attarzadeh has translated the book, and Qoqnoos Publishing Group has published it in 175 pages, Mehr reported.
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 so on.
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, if nothing truly exists except the Absolute, the Absolute is nothing; if nothing truly exists except myself, I am nothing,” the author said. 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.
Leszek Kołakowski (1927-2009) 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”.
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source: tehrantimes.com