Volume 20, Issue 7/8, 2010
Leszek Kołakowski
Zofia Rosińska, Maciej Bańkowski
Pages 39-48
Illuminating Life. Leszek Kołakowski’s Philosophy of Culture
In his life and work, Leszek Kołakowski traversed many paths, some more and some less well-known. The main focus here is on Kołakowski’s involvement in what one may call an anthropological variant of philosophy of culture. Anthropological philosophy of culture bases on the following assumptions:
1. Human conduct is determined by culture. There is neither humanity without culture nor culture without humans.
2. Human conduct is by nature referential, in other words, the factual alone is not enough for humans who tend to reach beyond it in their search for the most elemental and ultimate truths.
3. Culture is a dynamic phenomenon and a challenge on the path to self-awareness.
4. Axiological sensitivity.
5. The culture philosopher is immersed in the culture he studies and, by revealing that which it conceals, is a source of reflection on this culture. All these assumptions lie at the core of the philosophy of Leszek Kołakowski.