Stanislaw Lem

From Philosopedia

Lem, Stanislaw (20th Century)

An estimated six million copies of Lem’s novels, short stories, and plays can be found in print throughout East Europe and Russia. Over two dozen of his works have been translated into English, including Solaris (1970; the Soviets made a major film from this novel); The Cyberiad (1974); The Futurological Congress (1974); and The Star Diaries (1976).

Trained to be a physician and “brought up with the scientific outlook” by his father, also a physician, Lem subsequently “spent many hours over coffee arguing about God” with his friend Karol Wojtlya, who taught theology in Krackow (and is better known as Pope John Paul II).

As for religion,

• For moral reasons I am an atheist—for moral reasons. I am of the opinion that you would recognize a creator by his creation, and the world appears to me to be put together in such a painful way that I prefer to believe that it was not created by anyone than to think that somebody created this intentionally.

{CA}