Levinas and James: Toward a Pragmatic Phenomenology

Bringing to light new facets in the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas and William James, Megan Craig explores intersections between French phenomenology and American pragmatism. Craig demonstrates the radical empiricism of Levinas's philosophy and the ethical implications of James's pluralism while illuminating their relevance for two philosophical disciplines that have often held each other at arm's length. Revealing the pragmatic minimalism in Levinas's work and the centrality of imagery in James's prose, she suggests that aesthetic links are crucial to understanding what they share. Craig's suggestive readings change current perceptions and clear a path for a more open, pluralistic, and creative pragmatic phenomenology that takes cues from both philosophers.

"In bringing together the work of Levinas and William James, it opens a new discussion in the scholarship of both." --John Lysaker, Emory University Indiana University Press Indiana University Press

"Thoughtful, imaginative, and probing." --Vincent Colapietro, Pennsylvania State University

"Craig's book is most welcome, as it puts James into conversation with one of the most important continental (post-)phenomenological thinkers of the twentieth century, Emmanuel Levinas. These two philosophers might seem to be very different, and their divergences in writing styles, for instance, cannot be denied; yet, Craig shows convincingly that they do share a number of important ideas, many of which should make us rethink the very nature of ethics (and philosophy)." --Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society

"[This] book is recommended for anyone interested in a new reading of Levinas as well as the benefit of applying pragmatism to phenomenology." --American Journal of Theology and Philosophy Indiana University Press

Megan Craig is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Art at Stony Brook University. She is also an artist and has exhibited her work internationally.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Abbreviations

1. Insomnia

2. Faces

3. Experience

4. Emotion

5. Poetry

6. Painting

Afterword

Notes

Bibliography

Index