Book Review: "Is God Happy?" by Leszek Kołakowski

There was a reason I bought this book from World of Books though I can't remember what it was. I think I was taken by the title because it made me think about whether, if there was a god (though I do not believe in one), they would be happy with their creation. If I was god? Absolutely not. It's a screw-up, time to start again. Be that as it may, when it also had that quotation from the New York Times on the front, yes the one on the cover, I could not possibly pass up the opportunity to get my teeth into it. There's something about being a citizen of the 'Republic of Letters' that must make this book something so worth reading that if you didn't, you'd have FOMO from the letters and essay scene.

In the title essay (which happens quite late into the book), he discusses the idea of divine perfection and its philosophical problems. It's basically about the grey middle of what would happen if god was unhappy, which would mean that he didn't perfect hid creation which would, in turn, mess with people's perception that god is the perfect ideal. The question of whether god is happy is mostly about the fact that he must be in order to actually exist in the way people believe him to. I genuinely hope I'm not missing the point because I read this particular essay twice over because it read like an argument that perhaps Christopher Hitchens would use to take down a radical religious person. I mean, there's an argument there but I don't think this author is as scathing as Hitchens, instead presenting his arguments as a question of belief rather than a debate against it.

The next essay I want to discuss therefore is one that focuses on that final point I made in the previous paragraph, the one about how this is an open debate rather than a scathing rebuke. In his essay Jesus Christ, Prophet and Reformer, the author talks of the nature of Christ changing the moral framework for western humanity to focus on brotherhood and justice rather than rigid legislation. Do I agree that he 'altered' the state of human consciousness, as is suggested by the essay? No I don't. But I think there was definitely a change in the way in which the west sees the judicial system especially after, you know, the nailing thing. I like the way the author takes Jesus off the religious pedestal and looks at him from a purely philosophical framework. Without the worship, does Jesus hold up as a character important the philosophical history? I think he might, though I wouldn't say we are all on the same page.

I enjoyed the essay What is Left of Socialism? because of its ability to make a nuanced argument about the pros and cons of socialism in the modern world. Yes, there is a tilt towards certain people taking advantage of that and turning the socialist state into one that leans further and further communist and then further and further authoritarian. But, he acknowledges that the core of socialism in which the fight against inequality becomes the most important item is fundamental for the keeping of modern democracy because without it, authoritarianism becomes unavoidable. I mean, we can see it with a certain few people in the tech world. Not enough people are fighting for equality and so, a few authoritarians have got their hands on the space and now we all must play by their rules or suffer. Be that as it may, they are receiving ample backlash because of their far-right wing belief systems and their want for more money and power over the common person. Freedom of speech hasn't died yet.

There are plenty of other essays within to enjoy. The author will clear up everything in an essay called My Correct Views on Everything and he also agrees that new information should change your opinion - praising how humans can and should challenge their opinions in his essay In Praise of Inconsistency. It's a brilliant book though it is a thought challenge. I'd recommend it for anyone looking to get into essay-reading because at least you can learn about one person rather than a whole anthology of philosophers at the same time.

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