Passion in Philosophy

About this book

Among the first and foremost of American continental philosophers, Alphonso Lingis refines his own thought through a topic usually deemed unworthy for philosophical examination - passion. Lingis criticizes traditional scientific accounts of the emotions as dividing or disrupting our lives and argues for passion as a unifying force, which invites philosophical exploration. The book's structure is twofold. First, it is an examination of Lingis's most recent developments through the topic of passion with essays from some of the most established commentators on the work of Lingis. Second, it offers a substantial retrospective on Lingis's thought in relation to some of the major figures in continental philosophy, namely Levinas, Kant, Heidegger, Butler, Foucault, and Nietzsche, all the while tying into the theme of passion. The essays here grew out of the soil celebrating the eightieth anniversary of Lingis's birth. It is hoped that they can show how Lingis's thought has not only endured over so many productive decades but how it remains vital and even continues to grow.