Continental Philosophy And Philosophy Of Religion

This is the first book that provides access to twelve Continental philosophers and the consequences of their thinking for the philosophy of religion. Basically, in the second half of the twentieth century, it has been treated from within the Anglo- American school of philosophy, which deals mainly with proofs and truths, and questions of faith. This approach is more concerned with human experience, and pays more attention to historical context and cultural influences. As such, it provides challenging questions about the way forward for philosophy of religion in the twenty-first century.

What is the future of Continental philosophy of religion? These forward-looking essays address the new thinkers and movements that have gained prominence since the generation of Derrida, Deleuze, Foucault, and Levinas and how they will reshape Continental philosophy of religion in the years to come. They look at the ways concepts such as liberation, sovereignty, and post-colonialism have engaged this new generation with political theology and the new pathways of thought that have opened in the wake of speculative realism and recent findings in neuroscience and evolutionary psychology. Readers will discover new directions in this challenging and important area of philosophical inquiry.

This Element presents key features from the writings on religion of twelve philosophers working in or influenced by the continental tradition (Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Rosenzweig, Tillich, Derrida, Caputo, Levinas, Hadot, Jantzen, and Anderson). It argues for a hybrid methodology which enables transformational religious responses to the problems associated with human existence (the existential problems of meaning, suffering, and death) to be supported both by reasoned argument and by revelation, narrative philosophy, and experiential verification.

This book is an exploration of the content and dimensions of contemporary Continental philosophy of religion. It is also a showcase of the work of some of the philosophers who are, by their scholarship, filling out the meaning of the term Continental philosophy of religion.

The essays in this volume focus on some of the topics that are shaping recent continental philosophy of religion. These primary topics include self and other, evil and suffering, religion and society and the relation between philosophy and theology. The articles are by an international group of leading contributors to recent continental philosophy of religion.

Exploration of the interface between mystical theology and continental philosophy is a defining feature of the current intellectual and even devotional climate. But to what extent and in what depth are these disciplines actually speaking to one another; or even speaking about the same phenomena? This book draws together original contributions by leading and emerging international scholars, delineating emerging debates in this growing and dynamic field of research, and spanning mystical and philosophical traditions from the ancient, to the medieval, modern, and contemporary. At the heart of which lies Meister Eckhart, perhaps the single most influential Christian mystic for modern times. The book is organised around significant historical and contemporary figures who speak across the intersections of philosophy and theology, offering new insights into key interlocutors such as Pseudo-Dionysius, Augustine, Isaac Luria, Eckhart, Hegel, Heidegger, Marion, Kierkegaard, Deleuze, Laruelle, and Žižek. Designed both to contribute to current trends in mystical theology and philosophy, and elicit dialogue and debate from further afield, this book speaks within an emerging space exploring the retrieval of the mystical within a post-secular context.

“Impressive . . . a gifted theologian . . . manages to place Cavell in conversation with continental thought as productively as anyone before him.” —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews The American philosopher Stanley Cavell (b. 1926) is a secular Jew who by his own admission is obsessed with Christ, yet his outlook on religion in general is ambiguous. Probing the secular and the sacred in Cavell’s thought, Espen Dahl explains that Cavell, while often parting ways with Christianity, cannot dismiss it either. Focusing on Cavell’s work as a whole, but especially on his recent engagement with Continental philosophy, Dahl brings out important themes in Cavell’s philosophy and his conversation with theology. “It is undoubtedly tricky business writing a book about Stanley Cavell and any book enterprising enough to bring him into conversation with Christian theology should be additionally commended, especially one as likable as Espen Dahl’s.” —Modern Theology “Clearly, concisely, and powerfully shows Cavell’s frequent and deep links to and engagements with religion and religious themes and with (so-called) Continental philosophy . . . Dahl has also written a highly accessible book on Cavell, and yet one which in no way ‘waters down’ or dilutes Cavell’s thinking. There ought to be more books of this kind on Cavell.” —International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion “In making such a convincing case for claiming that religion is Stanley Cavell’s pervasive, hence invisible, business, Espen Dahl also puts Cavell’s writings into sustained and productive dialogue with the work of Levinas and Girard in ways other commentators have not previously managed.” —Stephen Mulhall, Oxford University