Zbigniew Kotowicz obituary

My friend Zbigniew Kotowicz, who has died of cancer aged 67, was a rare, proud, sometimes solitary man with a gift for friendship. He wrote four acclaimed books: on the Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa, on the neurologist Egas Moniz (originator of psycho-surgery), on the psychiatrist RD Laing and on the philosopher Gaston Bachelard. The books themselves are impressive, but their range more striking still. In an age of specialisation, Zbigniew was something of a polymath.A love of literature took root early, as did a radical ’s commitment to the political left, broadly construed. Psychology and psychoanalysis followed. Then philosophy offered him a way to exercise his restless intelligence more freely. Its greatest gift was an introduction to the work of Bachelard, who became the point around which all his thinking tu rned.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 25, 2017 Category: Science Authors: David Webb Tags: Books RD Laing Psychology Philosophy Poland Portugal Source Type: news