Description
Book SynopsisProviding theoretical and applied analyses of Michel Henry's practical philosophy in light of his guiding idea of Life, this is the first sustained exploration of Henry's practical thought in anglophone literature, reaffirming his centrality to contemporary continental thought. This book ranges from the tension between his methodological insistence on life as non-intentional and worldly activities to Henry's engagement with the practical philosophy of intellectuals such as Marx, Freud, and Kandisky to topics of application such as labor, abstract art, education, political liberalism, and spiritual life. An international team of leading Henry scholars examine a vital dimension of Henry's thinking that has remained under-explored for too long.
Trade ReviewCombining careful readings of Michel Henry’s phenomenology with intriguing applications of his philosophy in the areas of psychoanalysis, pedagogy, economics, politics, spirituality, aesthetics, and socio-cultural engagement, this important collection helps us see the relevance of Henry’s complex thought for various fields of practical philosophy and for concrete action today. * Christina M. Gschwandtner, Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University, USA *
This book gathers leading Michel Henry scholars to ponder and parse the implications of the French philosopher’s ideas about action, creation, and dwelling in community. The volume’s contributors convincingly show how Henry’s work can come to inform and shape our ethical, aesthetic, social, psychological, and political lives, both as individuals and as a society, in terms of our understanding and praxis. Readers will be impressed by the original scholarly analysis and application of Henry’s thought to various aspects of human life and interactions. * Antonio Calcagno, Professor of Philosophy and Chair, King’s University College at Western University, Canada *
Michel Henry's philosophy of action is as momentous as his philosophy of life, but less well understood. He wants to uncover the real motivation of human action, where pathos and freedom coincide, where the fate of democracy, culture, and life itself, all hang in the balance. The essays in this book help bring to light this important dimension of Henry’s thought. * Karl Hefty, Associate Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Saint Paul University, Canada *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part 1: Interpretations 1. From Affect to Action to Interpretation: On Michel Henry’s
Theoria of Immanent Praxis (Frédéric Seyler, de Paul University, USA) 2. Affective Labor and the Henry-Ricoeur Debate over Marx (Scott Davidson, West Virginia University, USA) 3. Spiritual Life and Cultural Discernment: Thinking Spirituality through Michel Henry (Neal DeRoo, Kings University, Canada) 4. Working in the “World of Life”: Michel Henry’s Philosophy of Subjective Labor (Jeffrey Hanson, Havard University, USA) 5. Freud after Henry (Ruud Welten, Tilburg University, The Netherlands) 6. The World or Life’s Fragility: A New Critical Reading of Henry’s Phenomenology of Life (Paula Lorelle, Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, France)
Part 2: Applications 7. The Liberal Subject: The Politics of Life in Michel Henry (Joseph Rivera, Dublin City University, Ireland) 8. Michel Henry’s
Barbarism and the practices of education (Brian Harding, Texas Women's University, USA) 9. Russian Avant-Garde and Michel Henry’s Radical Phenomenology (Ioulia Podoroga, Geneva University, Switzerland) 10. Affectivity and its Effects: Social Prospects for the Pathetic Community
(Aaron Simmons, Furman University, USA and Maia Wellborn, Fordham University, USA) Conclusion
Index
