Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?

by Leszek Kolakowski

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465010387
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	11/20/2007
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	829 KB

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.