Leszka Kołakowskiego refleksja nad sensem w historii i sensownością dziejów

Abstract

The subject of the meaning of history is one of main problems with which Leszek Kołakowski struggled through the whole his intellectual path. At the beginning of his academic career, when he joined the communist party, he also adopted Marxist theory of the law of development of human history. Very soon however he became disappointed with mainstream in politics and philosophy in Poland. This caused changes in his approach to the question of the meaning of history which evolved in time and brought him nearer to theological approach. According to Kołakowski, a scientist, who wants to ask about intelligibility of history, has to look at it as a whole. He says, that we are facing the alternative: to see the history which is built in logic order (every event receives its meaning from the whole), or to see only events which are entities who have nothing in common with each other. He also doesn’t agree with philosophers of hermeneutic orientation, esp. Gadamer, who wrote, that world and nature show to people their meaning in symbols. Polish Philosopher agrees that everything what happens to us can be important and meaningful, but it doesn’t mean that it is at the same time important for history as such. When Leszek Kołakowski asks about the meaning of history, he has in mind its objective and intrinsic meaning. In this live, we can see it only through the God’s Word and Revelation. Although Kołakowski notices the importance of religion, esp. Christianity, in satisfying human longing for meaning, he remains on the side of skepticism.