Marxist trait of revisionism: Leszek Kołakowski’s consistent transition to inconsistent philosophy

Adam Olczyk

doi:10.18778/1689-4286.37.03

Authors

Adam Olczyk University of Łódź

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1689-4286.37.03

Keywords:

Kołakowski, revisionism, Marxism, involvement

Abstract

In the article the author describes theoretical reasons that stood behind Kołakowski's transition from being an orthodox Marxist to become an actual leader of the polish revisionist movement. His intention is to concentrate on those aspects of Kołakowski's thought that have not changed, apart from any biographical and psychological reasons. (1) First of those features is Kołakowski's inability of completability, the anti-code disposition. (2) The second trait is the moral attitude, an intention to influence on people's morality by convincing them that social and internal (necessarily bound with social) changes are desirable; that an existential calm demolishes morality. (3) Third feature concerns the fact that Kołakowski did not attempt to create his own philosophy, he was rather a historian of ideas, a skeptic, and a critic.

Author Biography

Adam Olczyk, University of Łódź

Judicial Assistant in the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland, PhD student (University of Łódź, Faculty of Law and Administration, Department of Theory and Philosophy of Law). His academic interests concern the works of Leszek Kołakowski (especially relating to the issues that are relevant for theory and philosophy of law); an online occurrence of so-called hejt phenomenon (e.g. its philosophical implications or relations to legal term hate speech); the Theory of Communicative Action (by J. Habermas). As a legal practitioner he mainly deals with tax issues.

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