Synopses & Reviews
The New Phenomenology: A Philosophical Introduction is the first available introduction to the group of philosophers sometimes associated with the so-called ‘theological turn in contemporary French thought. This book argues that there has not been a ‘turn to theology in recent French phenomenology, but instead a decidedly philosophical reconsideration of phenomenology itself. Engaging the foundational works of Emmanuel Levinas and Michel Henry, as well as later works by Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion and Jean-Louis Chretien, the book explores how these thinkers offer a coherent philosophical trajectory - the ‘New Phenomenology. Contending that New Phenomenology is of relevance to a wide range of issues in contemporary philosophy, the book considers the contributions of the new phenomenologists to debates in the philosophy of religion, hermeneutics, ethics, and politics.
With a final chapter looking at future directions for research on possible intersections between new phenomenology and analytic philosophy, this is an essential read for anyone seeking an overview of this important strand of contemporary European thought.
About the Author
J. Aaron Simmons is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Furman University, USA. He is the author of God and the Other: Ethics and Politics After the 'Theological Turn' (Indiana, 2011), and the co-editor of Reexamining Deconstruction and Determinate Religion (Duquesne, 2012), and Kierkegaard and Levinas: Ethics, Politics and Religion (Indiana, 2008).
Bruce Ellis Benson is Professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College, USA. Among his many publications are The Improvisation of Musical Dialogue (Cambridge, 2003) and Pious Nietzsche: Decadence and Dionysian Faith (Indiana, 2008).
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
A Note on the Collaboration
Introduction: Welcome to the Family
1. The Sources of New Phenomenology in Husserl and Heidegger
2. How to Be a Phenomenological Heretic: The Origins and Development of New Phenomenology
3. Phenomenology and Onto-Theology
4. Phenomenology and Theology Reconsidered
5. New Phenomenology on the Existence and Nature of God
6. The Call, Prayer, and Christian Philosophy
7. Proposals for New Phenomenology and Analytic Philosophy of Religion
8. Normativity: Ethics, Politics, and Society
Conclusion: Possible Futures for New Phenomenology
Notes
Bibliography
Index