Contemporary Philosophy

This course is an introduction to some key figures in twentieth-century and current philosophy. We will begin with Edmund Husserl, the founder of the modern phenomenological movement. Husserl's phenomenological method is one of the most important philosophical innovations of twentieth-century philosophy. His approach would influence several other major thinkers of the past century, including Emmanuel Levinas and Emmanuel Falque. Levinas articulates a highly original way of thinking about ethics that has left a strong mark on both contemporary philosophy and theology. Falque is widely considered one of the major Catholic philosophers today. His approach offers a very rich language that helps us better appreciate the depths and nuances of our corporeal being. The course also examines the provocative philosophy of Simone Weil, a brilliant young philosopher who sheds new light on the experiences of patience and attention, which she considered essential for gaining deeper contact with reality itself. We will also look at the thought of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, whose notion of the I-Thou relation continues to resonate with us today. Some of the themes that we will broach include the overcoming of the subject-object split, embodiment, and the proposition of ethics as "first philosophy." These themes also make it possible to think more concretely about the nature of religious experience in a manner that reflects our actual lived experience