In those early days, of course, Mr Kolakowski was still a loyal, if critical, party member.

ECONOMIST: Leszek Kolakowski

Erasmus, Kolakowski thought, tried to combine the "faith alone" approach of Luther and Calvin with Roman Catholicism's emphasis on works and moral virtue.

WSJ: Book Review: Is God Happy?

Kolakowski's reflections, though dazzling, don't inspire great optimism about humanity.

WSJ: Book Review: Is God Happy?

" Kolakowski saw this as "a particular instance of the difficulty inherent in any doctrine which views genuine human effort as the unique source of moral value while at the same time refusing to acknowledge any human contribution to the results of that effort.

WSJ: Book Review: Is God Happy?

Just as the theological essays avoid predictable lamentations over the West's abandonment of God (at one point Kolakowski almost welcomed secularization on the ground that it might free the church to be what it is rather than what it thinks the world wants it to be), so in the book's final section, a diverse collection of 11 essays, Kolakowski's writing constantly upends expectations.

WSJ: Book Review: Is God Happy?