Wątki gnostyckie w twórczości Stanisława Lema

Abstract

The article presents gnostic motifs in selected works by Stanisław Lem. In his analysis, the author focuses in particular on literary manifestations of the concept of the world as evil-ridden, the idea of being trapped in the world, the idea of a “faulty God,” studies symptoms of an ironic or negative attitude towards the human body, and finally – reflects upon the marked presence of anthropological pessimism in the texture of Lem’s prose. These motifs are discussed both in the context of the rudiments of Lem’s philosophy expounded in his works and in light of his references to contemporary scientific theories. At the same time, the author points to differences between metaphysical foundations of Gnosticism and the substrate upon which Lem’s concepts arose arguing that while Gnosticism is usually an extreme form of metaphysical dualism or a form of spiritualist monism, Lem represents rationalist naturalism colored with strong scientistic undertones. In the final section of the text, the author emphasizes similarities between Lem’s anthropology and the anthropology implied by the doctrine of the Original Sin.