Bergson

Past Masters (Oxford)

by Leszek Kołakowski

La ascendencia de Bergson dentro dela filosofía continental antes de las guerras mundiales alcanzaba niveles de culto. Aunque su influencia pareció apagarse casi por completo y de forma repentina tras las guerras, pronto renacería el interés por su obra, de la mano de pensadores como Lévinas o Deleuze. En esta breve introducción, Leszek Kolakowski recupera y expone críticamente el pensamiento de este filósofo fundamental, y trata de mostrar las fuentes de la fascinación que fue capaz de ejercer y la pertinencia que conserva para el pensamiento actual.

Genres: Philosophy

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

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

[r0b · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely sympathetic of Bergson’s philosophy...nevertheless I thought this was very good and worthwhile.