- Department of Philosophy
University of Guelph
Guelph ON
Canada N1G 2W1
John Russon
University of Guelph, Philosophy Department, Faculty Member
- Mutliculturalism, Aristotle, Phenomenology of Space and Place, Phenomenology of the Body (Philosophy), Architecture As Agency, Place-Identity (Architecture), and 35 moreJean Paul Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Philosophy, 19th-century German philosophy, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Arabic Philosophy, Continental Philosophy, Islam and Human Rights, History of Capitalism, Heidegger, Mental Health, Phenomenology, Islamic Studies, Hinduism, Art History, G.W.F. Hegel, Ritual (Anthropology), Embodied Memory, Asian philosophies, Eros, Adult Development And Aging, Medical Humanities, Neurosis, Aging, Jacques Derrida, Phenomenology of the body, Phenomenology of Home, Pauline studies, Jackson Pollock, Cities, Citizenship, Urban Sociology, Urban History, History of Money and Banking, and History of Paper Moneyedit
- Please visit my youtube site: https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnRusson123 I write books about the nature of human experie... morePlease visit my youtube site: https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnRusson123
I write books about the nature of human experience, using a phenomenological perspective. I am especially interested in the material and intersubjective environments that nurture (or inhibit) healthy human development. _Human Experience_ focuses on the role of family experience in character development and psychological life. _Bearing Witness to Epiphany_ focuses on our relationships with other people, especially investigating the nature of political life and the role of artistic expression. _Sites of Exposure_ uses political and religious history and art history to develop a rich phenomenological account of experience, especially focusing on the analysis of contemporary art and politics. I have also written three books on Hegel. I have also recently completed a manuscript on Plato. In addition to publishing a number of articles in Ancient Philosophy, I also edit a book series in Ancient Philosophy of Northwestern University Press, entitled _Rereading Ancient Philosophy_. I also record original jazz music with my band, the John Russon Quintet; I have included links where you can hear this music on SoundCloud or CDBaby.edit
"Russon's book is a timely exploration of how our habits of reason inform the possibility of healthy cities and souls. Russon examines the political consequences of how human beings "take account" of the world and of themselves, and in... more
"Russon's book is a timely exploration of how our habits of reason inform the possibility of healthy cities and souls. Russon examines the political consequences of how human beings "take account" of the world and of themselves, and in doing so also offers a vision of what a philosophical engagment with politics might look like. This work shows us the continued relevance of reading Plato's Republic today."
-- Marina McCoy, Boston College
"Early in his introduction, John Russon comments that the Republic is the source of seemingly never-ending insights and fresh interpretations. He then goes on to substantiate this insight with his own fresh and provocative reading of this much-interpreted dialogue. This guiding principle leads to one through-provoking insight after another--a genuinely fresh reading of the Republic."
-- Drew Hyland, Trinity College
-- Marina McCoy, Boston College
"Early in his introduction, John Russon comments that the Republic is the source of seemingly never-ending insights and fresh interpretations. He then goes on to substantiate this insight with his own fresh and provocative reading of this much-interpreted dialogue. This guiding principle leads to one through-provoking insight after another--a genuinely fresh reading of the Republic."
-- Drew Hyland, Trinity College
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What does it mean to be an adult? In this original and compelling work, John Russon answers that question by leading us through a series of rich reflections on the psychological and social dimensions of adulthood and by exploring some of... more
What does it mean to be an adult? In this original and compelling work, John Russon answers that question by leading us through a series of rich reflections on the psychological and social dimensions of adulthood and by exploring some of the deepest ethical and existential issues that confront human life: intimacy, responsibility, aging, and death. Using his knowledge of the history of philosophy along with the combined resources of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, he explores the behavioral challenges of becoming an adult and examines the intimate relationships that are integral to healthy development. He also studies our experiences of time and space, which address both aging and the crucial role that our material environments play in the formation of our personalities. Of special note is Russon's provocative assessment of the economic and political contexts of contemporary adult life and the distinctive problems they pose. Engaging and accessible, Adult Life is for anyone seeking the profound lessons our human culture has learned about living well.
“John Russon is one of the best phenomenologists in contemporary philosophy. He uses the phenomenological method to cast light on some of the most important issues in our lives. In this book, Russon offers a sensitive description of what it is like to navigate the world as an adult, displaying the ways in which adulthood involves a development of our relations with the world, one another, and ourselves. In doing so, he allows us to see afresh the ways in which our lives unfold over time.” — Todd May, author of Kenneth Lonergan: Filmmaker and Philosopher
“John Russon is one of the best phenomenologists in contemporary philosophy. He uses the phenomenological method to cast light on some of the most important issues in our lives. In this book, Russon offers a sensitive description of what it is like to navigate the world as an adult, displaying the ways in which adulthood involves a development of our relations with the world, one another, and ourselves. In doing so, he allows us to see afresh the ways in which our lives unfold over time.” — Todd May, author of Kenneth Lonergan: Filmmaker and Philosopher
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Philosophy, Space and Place, and 15 moreVirtue Ethics, Phenomenology, Politics, Continental Philosophy, Young Adulthood, Emerging Adulthood, Intimacy, Aging & the life course, Phenomenology of Temporality, Transition to Adulthood, Older Adults, Modern Monetary Theory, Sexuality in Adolescence and Young Adulthood, Personality Development, and Adult
"Sites of Exposure is one of the best works in phenomenology to cross my desk in years. In this philosophically sophisticated and yet reader-friendly book, Russon examines what it is like to exist as a person. His central thesis is that... more
"Sites of Exposure is one of the best works in phenomenology to cross my desk in years. In this philosophically sophisticated and yet reader-friendly book, Russon examines what it is like to exist as a person. His central thesis is that our experience of ourselves, i. e., our sense of selfhood, is always constituted in being exposed to an outside, and he explores in rich detail how we seek a home for ourselves along with a sense of personal meaning in our encounter with the world—in our personal relationships, art, and politics. Russon is a consummate phenomenologist, and I recommend his book with great enthusiasm!" --Robert Stolorow
"Thoughtful, insightful, interdisciplinary, multifaceted, wide-ranging, and culturally engaging, this book casts a wide net. Russon (philosophy, Univ. of Guelph, Canada) deploys art, literature, and religious traditions to show that philosophy is relevant to living because it raises important fundamental questions about matters that endow life with purpose—matters such as freedom, meaning, cultural diversity, being at home in the world, and the stakes of political life (bios politikos). The author provides a unifed vision of a philosophy of art, history, and culture, and he avoids academic jargon in a successful attempt to make the book accessible to all in different but relevant practical ways. Articulating a philosophy for living life via experience, Russon argues for being at home in the world through family, community, and language to experience freedom: each person—in his or her own social, cultural, political, and geographic context—can experience expanded consciousness navigating life and avoid the risks of indifference, nihilism, and apathy. This is a book for those interested in philosophy and cultural criticism." --Choice
“John Russon draws from a broad range of art and literature to show how philosophy speaks to the most basic and important questions in our everyday lives. In Sites of Exposure, Russon grapples with personal experiences such as growing up and encountering death and with broader issues such as political oppression, economic exploitation, and the destruction of the natural environment to investigate how to make life meaningful. His is cutting-edge philosophical work, illuminated by original and rigorous thinking that relies on cross-cultural communication and engagement with the richness of human cultural history. These probing interpretations of the nature of phenomenology, the philosophy of art, history, and politics, are appropriate for students and scholars of philosophy at all levels.” --back cover
"Thoughtful, insightful, interdisciplinary, multifaceted, wide-ranging, and culturally engaging, this book casts a wide net. Russon (philosophy, Univ. of Guelph, Canada) deploys art, literature, and religious traditions to show that philosophy is relevant to living because it raises important fundamental questions about matters that endow life with purpose—matters such as freedom, meaning, cultural diversity, being at home in the world, and the stakes of political life (bios politikos). The author provides a unifed vision of a philosophy of art, history, and culture, and he avoids academic jargon in a successful attempt to make the book accessible to all in different but relevant practical ways. Articulating a philosophy for living life via experience, Russon argues for being at home in the world through family, community, and language to experience freedom: each person—in his or her own social, cultural, political, and geographic context—can experience expanded consciousness navigating life and avoid the risks of indifference, nihilism, and apathy. This is a book for those interested in philosophy and cultural criticism." --Choice
“John Russon draws from a broad range of art and literature to show how philosophy speaks to the most basic and important questions in our everyday lives. In Sites of Exposure, Russon grapples with personal experiences such as growing up and encountering death and with broader issues such as political oppression, economic exploitation, and the destruction of the natural environment to investigate how to make life meaningful. His is cutting-edge philosophical work, illuminated by original and rigorous thinking that relies on cross-cultural communication and engagement with the richness of human cultural history. These probing interpretations of the nature of phenomenology, the philosophy of art, history, and politics, are appropriate for students and scholars of philosophy at all levels.” --back cover
Research Interests: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Philosophy, Multiculturalism, and 15 morePhilosophy Of Religion, Art History, Human Rights, Phenomenology, Politics, Continental Philosophy, History of Capitalism, Islam, Democracy, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Scientific Revolution, John Russon, St. Paul, and Philosophy of Home and Domesticity
“…Human Experience is a genuine and original work of philosophy … It is exemplary in its clarity and rigor of expression.” — Continental Philosophy Review John Russon's Human Experience draws on central concepts of contemporary European... more
“…Human Experience is a genuine and original work of philosophy … It is exemplary in its clarity and rigor of expression.” — Continental Philosophy Review
John Russon's Human Experience draws on central concepts of contemporary European philosophy to develop a novel analysis of the human psyche. Beginning with a study of the nature of perception, embodiment, and memory, Russon investigates the formation of personality through family and social experience. He focuses on the importance of the feedback we receive from others regarding our fundamental worth as persons, and on the way this interpersonal process embeds meaning into our most basic bodily practices: eating, sleeping, sex, and so on. Russon concludes with an original interpretation of neurosis as the habits of bodily practice developed in family interactions that have become the foundation for developed interpersonal life, and proposes a theory of psychological therapy as the development of philosophical insight that responds to these neurotic compulsions.
John Russon's Human Experience draws on central concepts of contemporary European philosophy to develop a novel analysis of the human psyche. Beginning with a study of the nature of perception, embodiment, and memory, Russon investigates the formation of personality through family and social experience. He focuses on the importance of the feedback we receive from others regarding our fundamental worth as persons, and on the way this interpersonal process embeds meaning into our most basic bodily practices: eating, sleeping, sex, and so on. Russon concludes with an original interpretation of neurosis as the habits of bodily practice developed in family interactions that have become the foundation for developed interpersonal life, and proposes a theory of psychological therapy as the development of philosophical insight that responds to these neurotic compulsions.
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“Bearing Witness to Epiphany is another beautifully written book by John Russon, a companion to his excellent Human Experience. While continental philosophy has relentlessly deconstructed the classical form of the philosophy book, Russon... more
“Bearing Witness to Epiphany is another beautifully written book by John Russon, a companion to his excellent Human Experience. While continental philosophy has relentlessly deconstructed the classical form of the philosophy book, Russon has revived this form in a most compelling way. Russon’s writing is so lucid, that the book seems to read itself. More importantly, like Human Experience, Bearing Witness to Epiphany is the expression of profound thinking. This book should make it clear to everyone that John Russon is one of the few original voices working in continental philosophy today.” — Leonard Lawlor, coeditor of The Merleau-Ponty Reader
In this probing sequel to the popular and award-winning Human Experience, John Russon asks, “What is it to be a person?” The answer: the key to our humanity lies in our sexuality, where we experience the freedom to shape identities creatively in cooperation with another. With grace and philosophical rigor, Russon shows that an exploration of sexuality not only illuminates the psychological dimensions of our interpersonal lives but also provides the basis for a new approach to ethics and politics. Responsibilities toward others, he contends, develop alongside our personal growth. Bearing Witness to Epiphany brings to light the essential relationship between ethical and political bonds and the development of our powers of expression, leading to a substantial study of the nature and role of art in human life.
In this probing sequel to the popular and award-winning Human Experience, John Russon asks, “What is it to be a person?” The answer: the key to our humanity lies in our sexuality, where we experience the freedom to shape identities creatively in cooperation with another. With grace and philosophical rigor, Russon shows that an exploration of sexuality not only illuminates the psychological dimensions of our interpersonal lives but also provides the basis for a new approach to ethics and politics. Responsibilities toward others, he contends, develop alongside our personal growth. Bearing Witness to Epiphany brings to light the essential relationship between ethical and political bonds and the development of our powers of expression, leading to a substantial study of the nature and role of art in human life.
Research Interests: Music, Philosophy, Ethics, Multiculturalism, Property Rights, and 14 moreRhythm, Common Property, Personal Relationships, Sexuality, Gender and Sexuality, Embodiment, Phenomenology, Philosophy of Art, Continental Philosophy, Property, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Temporality, and John Russon
"John Russon offers a second volume on Hegel’s Phenomenology that emphasizes not the historical text but the pedagogy one might draw from serious consideration of Hegel’s description of the individual, social, and institutional structures... more
"John Russon offers a second volume on Hegel’s Phenomenology that emphasizes not the historical text but the pedagogy one might draw from serious consideration of Hegel’s description of the individual, social, and institutional structures of self-consciousness. It is particularly welcome, in this time where circumstances seem to exacerbate differences among cultures, classes, ethnicities, political arrangements and religions Its logical lessons on the differences between the infinite and the finite, and the particular and the universal point to solutions that involve not totalitarian flight to abstract (or imposed) universals, religious or political, but a patient abiding with difference and exploration of the particularity of human social organization — “ethicality” or Sittllichkeit. The book’s language is fluid and jargon-free; the Hegelian experiential lessons it expounds would be useful in both higher-level undergraduate and graduate courses. They are supported by an exoskeleton of textual scholarship, including German citations and a brief history of 20th century Francophone Hegel interpretation. I find the book engaging, deep, and useful." Michael Vater, NDPR
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"The 15 chapters each focus on a section of Hegel's book, making this an excellent resource in a course on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers." —Choice... more
"The 15 chapters each focus on a section of Hegel's book, making this an excellent resource in a course on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers." —Choice
In Reading Hegel’s Phenomenology, John Russon uses the theme of reading to clarify the methods, premises, evidence, reasoning, and conclusions developed in Hegel’s seminal text. Russon’s approach facilitates comparing major sections and movements of the text, and demonstrates that each section of Phenomenology of Spirit stands independently in its focus on the themes of human experience. Along the way, Russon considers the rich relevance of Hegel’s philosophy to understanding other key Western philosophers, such as Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Husserl, Heidegger, and Derrida. Major themes include language, embodiment, desire, conscience, forgiveness, skepticism, law, ritual, multiculturalism, existentialism, deconstruction, and absolute knowing. An important companion to contemporary Hegel studies, this book will be of interest to all students of Hegel’s philosophy.
In Reading Hegel’s Phenomenology, John Russon uses the theme of reading to clarify the methods, premises, evidence, reasoning, and conclusions developed in Hegel’s seminal text. Russon’s approach facilitates comparing major sections and movements of the text, and demonstrates that each section of Phenomenology of Spirit stands independently in its focus on the themes of human experience. Along the way, Russon considers the rich relevance of Hegel’s philosophy to understanding other key Western philosophers, such as Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Husserl, Heidegger, and Derrida. Major themes include language, embodiment, desire, conscience, forgiveness, skepticism, law, ritual, multiculturalism, existentialism, deconstruction, and absolute knowing. An important companion to contemporary Hegel studies, this book will be of interest to all students of Hegel’s philosophy.
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"This treatise makes an outstandingly important contribution to the interpretation of the Phenomenology." --H.S. Harris, The Owl of Minerva A major criticism of Hegel's philosophy is that it fails to comprehend the experience of the... more
"This treatise makes an outstandingly important contribution to the interpretation of the Phenomenology." --H.S. Harris, The Owl of Minerva
A major criticism of Hegel's philosophy is that it fails to comprehend the experience of the body. In this book, John Russon shows that there is in fact a philosophy of embodiment implicit in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. Russon argues that Hegel has not only taken account of the body, but has done so in a way that integrates both modern work on embodiment and the approach to the body found in ancient Greek philosophy.
Although Russon approaches Hegel's Phenomenology from a contemporary standpoint, he places both this standpoint and Hegel's work within a classical tradition. Using the Aristotelian terms of 'nature' and 'habit,' Russon refers to the classical distinction between biological nature and a cultural 'second nature.' It is this second nature that constitutes, in Russon's reading of Hegel, the true embodiment of human intersubjectivity. The development of spirit, as mapped out by Hegel, is interpreted here as a process by which the self establishes for itself an embodiment in a set of social and political institutions in which it can recognize and satisfy its rational needs. Russon concludes by arguing that self-expression and self-interpretation are the ultimate needs of the human spirit, and that it is the degree to which these needs are satisfied that is the ultimate measure of the adequacy of the institutions that embody human life.
This link with classicism - in itself a serious contribution to the history of philosophy -provides an excellent point of access into the Hegelian system. Russon's work, which will prove interesting reading for any Hegel scholar, provides a solid and reliable introduction to the study of Hegel.
A major criticism of Hegel's philosophy is that it fails to comprehend the experience of the body. In this book, John Russon shows that there is in fact a philosophy of embodiment implicit in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. Russon argues that Hegel has not only taken account of the body, but has done so in a way that integrates both modern work on embodiment and the approach to the body found in ancient Greek philosophy.
Although Russon approaches Hegel's Phenomenology from a contemporary standpoint, he places both this standpoint and Hegel's work within a classical tradition. Using the Aristotelian terms of 'nature' and 'habit,' Russon refers to the classical distinction between biological nature and a cultural 'second nature.' It is this second nature that constitutes, in Russon's reading of Hegel, the true embodiment of human intersubjectivity. The development of spirit, as mapped out by Hegel, is interpreted here as a process by which the self establishes for itself an embodiment in a set of social and political institutions in which it can recognize and satisfy its rational needs. Russon concludes by arguing that self-expression and self-interpretation are the ultimate needs of the human spirit, and that it is the degree to which these needs are satisfied that is the ultimate measure of the adequacy of the institutions that embody human life.
This link with classicism - in itself a serious contribution to the history of philosophy -provides an excellent point of access into the Hegelian system. Russon's work, which will prove interesting reading for any Hegel scholar, provides a solid and reliable introduction to the study of Hegel.
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15 essays of original phenomenological research, exploring the continuing significance of Merleau-Ponty's *Phenomenology of Perception*.
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A Festschrift for H.S. Harris.
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I consider anger, erotic passion and love as different forms of knowing and reflect on the importance of love (in contrast to the indifference of technology) as an approach to nature.
Research Interests: Psychology, Geography, Philosophy, Anger, Space and Place, and 11 moreSexuality, Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy, Philosophy of the Emotions, Philosophy of Emotion, Philosophy of Love, Philosophy of Sex, Experiences of Place and Space, Phenomenology of Space and Place, Istanbul, and Philosophy of Love and Sex
This EAP issue includes the following: An “in memoriam" for environmental psychologist Robert Sommer, who died in February, 2021; A “book note” on architect Giulia Foscari’s Elements of Venice (2014). A “book note” on architect and... more
This EAP issue includes the following:
An “in memoriam" for environmental psychologist Robert Sommer, who died in February, 2021;
A “book note” on architect Giulia Foscari’s Elements of Venice (2014).
A “book note” on architect and planner Matthew Carmona’s 3rd edition of Public Places, Urban Spaces (2021), an overview of urban-design theories, concepts, and practices.
Environmental educator Michael Maser’s explication of a place-based education grounded in what he calls “self-in-place.”
Philosopher John Russon’s discussion of parallels between love of place and love of human beings.
Philosopher Jeff Malpas’ consideration of the relation between “spirit of time” and “spirit of place.”
Cartographer Luke Harvey’s efforts to draw on the example of London parks to develop graphic means for presenting aspects of place experience visually.
An “in memoriam" for environmental psychologist Robert Sommer, who died in February, 2021;
A “book note” on architect Giulia Foscari’s Elements of Venice (2014).
A “book note” on architect and planner Matthew Carmona’s 3rd edition of Public Places, Urban Spaces (2021), an overview of urban-design theories, concepts, and practices.
Environmental educator Michael Maser’s explication of a place-based education grounded in what he calls “self-in-place.”
Philosopher John Russon’s discussion of parallels between love of place and love of human beings.
Philosopher Jeff Malpas’ consideration of the relation between “spirit of time” and “spirit of place.”
Cartographer Luke Harvey’s efforts to draw on the example of London parks to develop graphic means for presenting aspects of place experience visually.
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I consider anger, erotic passion and love as different forms of knowing and reflect on the importance of love (in contrast to the indifference of technology) as an approach to nature.
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The tension of living in a world that is simultaneously one's home, and indifferent environment, and home to others. (Manuscript of English original, originally published in Turkish.) Published in Environmental and Architectural... more
The tension of living in a world that is simultaneously one's home, and indifferent environment, and home to others. (Manuscript of English original, originally published in Turkish.) Published in Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology, Summer/Fall 2020, pp 12-14.
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The 2020 summer/fall issue includes the following entries: • An “in memoriam” for architect and sacred geometer Keith Critchlow, who died in London in April; • A “book note” on philosopher Dermot Moran’s study, Husserl’s Crisis of the... more
The 2020 summer/fall issue includes the following entries:
• An “in memoriam” for architect and sacred geometer Keith Critchlow, who died in London in April;
• A “book note” on philosopher Dermot Moran’s study, Husserl’s Crisis of the European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology (2010);
• A “book note” on philosopher Ingrid Leman Stefanovic’s The Wonder of Water (2020), an edited collection examining how human experience relates to decisions about water;
• Torontonian Robert Fabian’s update on downtown neighborhood planning in his city;
• Philosopher John Russon’s exploration of the lived ambiguity of travelling to a foreign place;
• Independent researcher Stephen Wood’s discussion of two contrasting modes of science teaching—what he calls “knowledge-based learning” vs. “understanding-based learning”;
• Philosopher of science Henri Bortoft’s explication of Goethe’s proto-phenomenology of nature as one example of a science of wholeness (originally published as four separate essays in the last four EAP issues and now integrated into one).
• An “in memoriam” for architect and sacred geometer Keith Critchlow, who died in London in April;
• A “book note” on philosopher Dermot Moran’s study, Husserl’s Crisis of the European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology (2010);
• A “book note” on philosopher Ingrid Leman Stefanovic’s The Wonder of Water (2020), an edited collection examining how human experience relates to decisions about water;
• Torontonian Robert Fabian’s update on downtown neighborhood planning in his city;
• Philosopher John Russon’s exploration of the lived ambiguity of travelling to a foreign place;
• Independent researcher Stephen Wood’s discussion of two contrasting modes of science teaching—what he calls “knowledge-based learning” vs. “understanding-based learning”;
• Philosopher of science Henri Bortoft’s explication of Goethe’s proto-phenomenology of nature as one example of a science of wholeness (originally published as four separate essays in the last four EAP issues and now integrated into one).
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The tension of living in a world that is simultaneously one's home, an indifferent environment and home to others.
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These books are excellent choices as texts for various courses in philosophy.
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If you are interested in teaching Sites of Exposure in one of your classes, you can contact Indiana University Press for an exam copy.
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I was interviewed by Scott Marratto about my time in the profession and about the state of Continental Philosophy in Canada.
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I argue that creative acts of expression are presupposed in our basic powers of apparently simple description. I use art works in a number of different media to demonstrate how our own access to recognizing the specific character of our... more
I argue that creative acts of expression are presupposed in our basic powers of apparently simple description. I use art works in a number of different media to demonstrate how our own access to recognizing the specific character of our own experience can be facilitating by their path-breaking illumination.
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I use phenomenology to interpret the distinctive character of our human reality with a goal of determining how we can live in order to answer to our human needs.
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Through phenomenological description of the experience of the present, I should the inescapable intertwining of present and past, identifying a number of different ways the past remains present, and what they implications of this are for... more
Through phenomenological description of the experience of the present, I should the inescapable intertwining of present and past, identifying a number of different ways the past remains present, and what they implications of this are for understanding our experience. This involves reflecting on the nature of recording, the nature of habit and the nature of existential change.
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We explore Heidegger's deepening reflection on space from the notion of lived space and "world" in *Being and Time*, through the distinction between "earth" and "world" in "The Origin of the Work of Art" and the *Contributions to... more
We explore Heidegger's deepening reflection on space from the notion of lived space and "world" in *Being and Time*, through the distinction between "earth" and "world" in "The Origin of the Work of Art" and the *Contributions to Philosophy*, to the critique of technology in "Building Dwelling Thinking."
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Because Dasein, as conceived by Heidegger, is inherently temporal, the "who" of Dasein can never be defined simply in terms of a (self-)present identity but must have the character of what Derrida calls "differance." Dasein's... more
Because Dasein, as conceived by Heidegger, is inherently temporal, the "who" of Dasein can never be defined simply in terms of a (self-)present identity but must have the character of what Derrida calls "differance." Dasein's authenticity, then, must be an embracing of this, its character as differance. This means that the "self" is "neither a substance nor a subject" but a resolution. The anticipatory resoluteness of authenticity, however, is a unique kind of resolve: it is the resolve to be open to transformation. For that reason, Dasein's proper self-appropriation--authenticity--is found precisely in its inherent inappropriability. Because Dasein is always being-in-the-world, the openness of its own "who" is equally an openness to being's "what." Dasein's authenticity is nothing other than the enactment of the question of the meaning of being.
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Through careful phenomenological reflection, I demonstrate the layers of passivity that are inherent to the phenomenon of attention. Because attention is a form of freedom, however, this study also illuminates the dimensions of passivity... more
Through careful phenomenological reflection, I demonstrate the layers of passivity that are inherent to the phenomenon of attention. Because attention is a form of freedom, however, this study also illuminates the dimensions of passivity inherent to freedom as such. I bring these points out more fully through reflection on the nature of work and the nature of language.
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Our self-consciousness is fundamentally spatial, fundamentally mediated by "extention" and distance. More exactly, self-consciousness and space are intertwined infinites, defined by their mutual exclusivity. This phenomenon is... more
Our self-consciousness is fundamentally spatial, fundamentally mediated by "extention" and distance. More exactly, self-consciousness and space are intertwined infinites, defined by their mutual exclusivity. This phenomenon is recognized by Kant in the "Transcendental Aesthetic" and in the "Paralogisms" of the Critique of Pure Reason, and explicitly developed by Merleau-Ponty in the Phenomenology of Perception in his discussion of the "spatiality of situation." The conception of the "blindness" of art proposed by Derrida in his Memoirs of the Blind demonstrates the essential nature of this structure in the highest levels of our freedom. We are able to conclude finally that from the most elementary levels to the highest levels, our activity is subtended by an originary passivity.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Philosophy of Agency, Kant, Art, Space and Place, and 11 moreDeconstruction, Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Derrida, Phenomenology of the body, Phenomenology of Space and Place, Passivity, Deconstruction and postmodernism, Spatial Perception, and Kant and German idealism
Drawing on Merleau-Ponty's accounts of the phantom limb and language, and Derrida's account of the trace, I show essential ways in which our self-experience is mediated by history and expression. I use this to identify three different... more
Drawing on Merleau-Ponty's accounts of the phantom limb and language, and Derrida's account of the trace, I show essential ways in which our self-experience is mediated by history and expression. I use this to identify three different "temporalities" that are integral to all experience.
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I perform a phenomenology of 3 kinds of pain--phantom limb pain, nostalgia and compassion--to reveal the inherently temporal and intersubjective character of experience and the inherently concrete character of lived temporality. I... more
I perform a phenomenology of 3 kinds of pain--phantom limb pain, nostalgia and compassion--to reveal the inherently temporal and intersubjective character of experience and the inherently concrete character of lived temporality. I conclude with a consideration of the essential role of pain in our experience of history and the essential role of history in our experience of pain.
Research Interests: Psychology, Philosophy, Homer, Philosophical Psychology, Pain, and 18 moreEmbodiment, Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy, Hegel, Émmanuel Lévinas, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Wittgenstein, Greek Epic, Epic poetry, MInd-Body Medicine, Nostalgia, Odyssey, Ramayana, Nostalgia and Memory, Phantom Limbs and Mirror Therapy, Phantom Limb pain, Nostalgia and home, and MIRROR BOX therapy for phantom limb pain
I draw upon Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism to define a concept of "existential pain." Using this to criticize the "medical model" of pain, I investigate the problems integral to institutionalized healthcare.
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Argues that perception is bodily, intersubjective, and creative. This is the introduction to a collection of essays I edited for the journal "Chiasmi" on Merleau-Ponty in relation to contemporary research in psychology and the natural... more
Argues that perception is bodily, intersubjective, and creative. This is the introduction to a collection of essays I edited for the journal "Chiasmi" on Merleau-Ponty in relation to contemporary research in psychology and the natural sciences.
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I use Merleau-Ponty's account of embodiment in the Phenomenology of Perception as a basis for developing an environmental ethics.
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A precis of my book _Human Experience_, written for a symposium on that book that was published by _Dialogue_ in 2006.
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A response to essays by John Christman, John Stuhr, and David Morris on my book _Human Experience_.
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We generally take for granted the distinction between health and illness and we imagine the “sick” to be those individuals marked out by physiological impairment. I argue, however, that human health is an existential issue—it is a matter... more
We generally take for granted the distinction between health and illness and we imagine the “sick” to be those individuals marked out by physiological impairment. I argue, however, that human health is an existential issue—it is a matter of how we embrace our freedom—and that therefore the illness and health of a person do not map neatly onto the distinction between those who have a physiological malady and those who do not. I use a range of case studies to illustrate more exactly what human health is, and how this relates to what we normally consider to be sickness.
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Drawing primarily on Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, we argue that, for human beings, illness must be understood primarily as an existential rather than as a physiological phenomenon. We use IBD and HIV/AIDS as paradigmatic cases for... more
Drawing primarily on Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, we argue that, for human beings, illness must be understood primarily as an existential rather than as a physiological phenomenon. We use IBD and HIV/AIDS as paradigmatic cases for demonstrating the existentially complex and inherently intersubjective dimensions of illness.
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I use dynamic systems theory to interpret Aristotle's notion of the "mean," and then I apply this to intersubjective relations to interpret the nature of personality.
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Our identities as individual agents rest on original experiences of intersubjective support (or lack thereof). In particular, I identify 3 forms of engaging with the world to which we must become habituated and which essentially require... more
Our identities as individual agents rest on original experiences of intersubjective support (or lack thereof). In particular, I identify 3 forms of engaging with the world to which we must become habituated and which essentially require intersubjective support if we are to be effective agents.
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I use the insights of phenomenology and existentialism to interpret our sexual experience, but I do not use academic prose or technical concepts. Instead, I draw upon simple descriptions of familiar experiences to identify essential... more
I use the insights of phenomenology and existentialism to interpret our sexual experience, but I do not use academic prose or technical concepts. Instead, I draw upon simple descriptions of familiar experiences to identify essential dimensions of sexual life. In Part I, I discuss our experience of interpersonal excitement in public situations, I discuss familiar cultural narratives about sexuality, and I discuss our intimate experiences of desire. Each of these descriptions attunes us to a central aspect of meaning that is alive in our sexual life. I then turn, in Part II, to discuss the experience of sexual initiation (“losing one’s virginity”). The insights revealed in the earlier descriptions encourage us to notice the complex range of existential issues that are at stake in our sexual initiation. This analysis allows us to see both how much our interpretation of sexuality is typically shaped by our cultural narratives, and how misleading (and crippling) these narratives can be. More specifically, the analysis allows us to see that sexuality is inherently a matter of communication and of negotiating interpersonal vulnerabilities. This focus on the centrality of interpersonal relationships provides resources for distinguishing healthy and unhealthy approaches to sexuality, and allows us to appreciate the importance of the erotic impulse to matters of creative endeavour outside the domain we typically identify as the sexual.
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While it is essential that we live as self-defined individuals, independently negotiating with an independent reality, this experience is not exhaustive of our reality. Such experience is importantly contextualized by two other kinds of... more
While it is essential that we live as self-defined individuals, independently negotiating with an independent reality, this experience is not exhaustive of our reality. Such experience is importantly contextualized by two other kinds of experience, each an experience of intimacy. First, independent individuality depends upon a process of childhood development in which identity is formed through a familial intimacy in which the child lives from a non-reflective, bodily sense of a sharedness of identity with another (typically, but not necessarily, the mother). Second, independent individuality finds its healthy development in the establishment of new intimate bonds; these adult intimacies, unlike childhood intimacy, are bonds between persons who themselves have developed the sense of independent individuality and thus have experiential characteristics significantly different from those of childhood intimacy. From a developmental perspective, each of these two forms of intimacy is something good in itself but also something whose good resides in its enabling of something else, childhood intimacy facilitating the transformation into independent individuality and adult intimacy facilitating a transformative engagement with one's own limitations.
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A phenomenological approach to the experiences of adulthood and aging. I especially consider the distinctive experiential challenges that define the context within which meaningful adult lives are lived.
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We are constitutively split between two different experiences. In the experience of “intimacy,” the differentiation that we typically presume of self from other and of fact from value is not operative; such intimacy is distinctive of the... more
We are constitutively split between two different experiences. In the experience of “intimacy,” the differentiation that we typically presume of self from other and of fact from value is not operative; such intimacy is distinctive of the formative experience of children. This formative experience, however, precisely gives rise to the experience of “economics,” the experience, that is, of discrete subjects who work upon an alien world. Our challenge is to live in a way that acknowledges both forms of experience without resorting to the authoritative terms of either. Overall, I argue that money, which is roughly the collectively recognized medium for recognizing the universality of exchange value, in principle misrepresents the lived nature of value. Hence, the more money defines our frame of reference (“economics”), the more the non-universalizable values that are essential to our existence (“intimacy”) are effaced.
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I argue that the notion of individual rights is ambivalent as an interpretation of human beings. In particular, the notion cannot do justice to the social and material contexts that are formative of individuals. I argue for replacing... more
I argue that the notion of individual rights is ambivalent as an interpretation of human beings. In particular, the notion cannot do justice to the social and material contexts that are formative of individuals. I argue for replacing the notion of the "the rights of the individual" with "the right to become an individual."
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Using Hegel's analysis of ethicality, Derrida's analysis of democracy and Heidegger's analysis of technology, I identify three aspects of our reality that do not fit easily into the prescriptions of the liberal model of the public... more
Using Hegel's analysis of ethicality, Derrida's analysis of democracy and Heidegger's analysis of technology, I identify three aspects of our reality that do not fit easily into the prescriptions of the liberal model of the public sphere. I identify these as the ontological "secrets" of our past, future and present, respectively. This analysis leads to a critique of capitalist globalization.
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I outline the core notions of "deconstruction" and "differance" in Derrida's philosophy. I then address how these notions have ethical significance. I ultimately argue that Derrida's ethics is simulataneously a version of deontology and... more
I outline the core notions of "deconstruction" and "differance" in Derrida's philosophy. I then address how these notions have ethical significance. I ultimately argue that Derrida's ethics is simulataneously a version of deontology and a version of virtue ethics.
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Hegel's dialectic "Consciousness," Part A from the Phenomenology of Spirit, is interpreted in light of the concept of "reading." The logic of reading is especially helpful for interpreting the often misunderstood dialectic of... more
Hegel's dialectic "Consciousness," Part A from the Phenomenology of Spirit, is interpreted in light of the concept of "reading." The logic of reading is especially helpful for interpreting the often misunderstood dialectic of understanding, as that is described in Chapter 3 of the Phenomenology, "Force and Understanding: Appearance and the Supersensible World." Hegel's concept of "the Inverted World" in particular is clarified, and from it Hegel's notion of originary difference is developed. Derrida's notion of "differance" is used to illuminate Hegel's use of difference and to interpret the Hegelian metaphysics that is developed in "Force and Understanding" and in the opening moves of Hegel's Science of Logic. It is argued that the philosophical projects of Hegel and Derrida are ultimately indistinguishable.
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This paper traces the impact of Hegel on French philosophy from roughly the 1920s to the 1960s.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Deconstruction, Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy, Contemporary French Philosophy, and 15 moreHegel, Jean Wahl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Derrida, Georges Bataille, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Paul Sartre, G.W.F. Hegel, 19th-century German philosophy, French philosophy, Alexandre Kojève, Existentialism, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy, Jean Hyppolite, and 20th century French philosophy
The project of Hegel's phenomenology is defined by the imperative to describe "what is happening," the phenomenological method is shown to be as much practical as theoretical. The Phenomenology of Spirit is the process of the... more
The project of Hegel's phenomenology is defined by the imperative to describe "what is happening," the phenomenological method is shown to be as much practical as theoretical. The Phenomenology of Spirit is the process of the progressively more adequate description of "now," the full description of which requires us to recognize and engage as much in interpersonal and political life as in theoretical cognition. Hegel's book is a record of what must always be enacted anew as a living process, and it is an exhortation to the reader to turn meaningfully to the appreciation of her own living, experiential situation.
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The relationship between Hegel's philosophy and hermeneutics. Hegel's is a hermeneutical philosophy, arguing that all experience is interpretive. The ways we interpret each other in interpersonal and social situations of mutual... more
The relationship between Hegel's philosophy and hermeneutics. Hegel's is a hermeneutical philosophy, arguing that all experience is interpretive. The ways we interpret each other in interpersonal and social situations of mutual recognition is an especially important site for this.
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I discuss the relevance of key arguments from the Science of Logic and Phenomenology of Spirit for contemporary Philosophy of Mind.
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By studying the distinctive character of human action, I analyze the specific nature of law in Hegel's philosophy, showing how and why law necessarily two essential forms--tradition and posited law. I show further why the intrinsic... more
By studying the distinctive character of human action, I analyze the specific nature of law in Hegel's philosophy, showing how and why law necessarily two essential forms--tradition and posited law. I show further why the intrinsic demands of law point to their fulfillment in the norms of conscience and forgiveness. I also show how this entire account is integral to Hegel's metaphysics of finitude in general.
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A overview of the "Self-Consciousness" chapter of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. I analyze the basic significance of each of the three themes of the chapter, (which Hegel calls "desire," "recognition," and "thought"), and I consider... more
A overview of the "Self-Consciousness" chapter of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. I analyze the basic significance of each of the three themes of the chapter, (which Hegel calls "desire," "recognition," and "thought"), and I consider how the relationship between self and other is constituted in each of these fundamental relationships.
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The core of Robert Brandom's interpretation of Hegel in A Spirit of Trust is his detailed analysis of Hegel's dialectic of "recognition" (Anerkennung). I argue that, with this analysis, Brandom has effectively demonstrated the compelling... more
The core of Robert Brandom's interpretation of Hegel in A Spirit of Trust is his detailed analysis of Hegel's dialectic of "recognition" (Anerkennung). I argue that, with this analysis, Brandom has effectively demonstrated the compelling character of Hegel's argument. However, I criticize Brandom's larger interpretation of Hegel for its failure to recognize the distinctive nature of what Hegel calls "the Freedom of Self-Consciousness." This, I argue, is closely aligned with the distinctive nature of reason (Vernunft), which is central to the experience of agency, but the weight of which is under-appreciated in Brandom's account of it.
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An interpretation of Hegel's study of what he calls "Unhappy Consciousness" that argues (in the tradition of Jean Wahl and Jean Hyppolite) that this figure is the key to understanding both the logic of the chapter on self-consciousness... more
An interpretation of Hegel's study of what he calls "Unhappy Consciousness" that argues (in the tradition of Jean Wahl and Jean Hyppolite) that this figure is the key to understanding both the logic of the chapter on self-consciousness and the structure of the Phenomenology of Spirit as a whole.
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I explain the general structure of Hegel's Science of Logic. I consider in particular its relationship to Kant's project in the Critique of Pure Reason, and to Fichte's Science of Knowledge. I especially focus on the logic of the... more
I explain the general structure of Hegel's Science of Logic. I consider in particular its relationship to Kant's project in the Critique of Pure Reason, and to Fichte's Science of Knowledge. I especially focus on the logic of the Concept (Begriff), showing its difference from the logics of Being and Essence.
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This is an interpretation of the "Morality" section of Hegel's _Phenomenology of Spirit_. I identify the central insight of Kant's moral philosophy, explain the core idea involved in Hegel's criticism of Kant's moral position, and then... more
This is an interpretation of the "Morality" section of Hegel's _Phenomenology of Spirit_. I identify the central insight of Kant's moral philosophy, explain the core idea involved in Hegel's criticism of Kant's moral position, and then define what Hegel's positive position on morality is.
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A study of the experience of conscience, and its relation to the logic of self-consciousness in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit.
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This paper investigates the relationship between scepticism and phenomenology in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, and argues that the Phenomenology as a whole can be understood as articulating the dialectic of scepticism. I initially... more
This paper investigates the relationship between scepticism and phenomenology in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, and argues that the Phenomenology as a whole can be understood as articulating the dialectic of scepticism. I initially consider the dialectic of scepticism in the "Self-Consciousness" chapter, and then consider how scepticism is at play throughout the "Spirit" chapter.
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I use Heidegger's account of unreflective being-in-the-world and Hegel's account of the dialectic of recognition to argue that our sense of self-identity is always rooted in ritual practices. I use this account of self-identity and... more
I use Heidegger's account of unreflective being-in-the-world and Hegel's account of the dialectic of recognition to argue that our sense of self-identity is always rooted in ritual practices. I use this account of self-identity and ritual to argue that science and religion are mutually dependent and to defend a multicultural politics.
Research Interests: Religion, International Relations, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Multiculturalism, and 23 morePhilosophy Of Religion, Humanities, International Law, Human Rights, Postcolonial Studies, International organizations, Conflict, Security, Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, Race and Ethnicity, Nationalism, Continental Philosophy, German Idealism, Hegel, Cross-Cultural Studies, Diplomacy, Postcolonial Theory, Heidegger, Ethnicity, Minority Rights, Peace, and Freedom
This essay uses Hegel's analysis of recognition (*Anerkennung*) to interpret the the pivotal roles of conscience and religion in the argument of Hegel's *Phenomenology of Spirit* as a whole.
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I Use Hegel's analysis of Romantic art to show how Christianity gives rise to secularity, and I conclude with a reflection on the place of art in contemporary culture.
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A conference on my book Sites of Exposure.
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A conference on my book Adult Life (2020)
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One week of collective study, in downtown Toronto, of Hegel.
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A week of intensive study for 25 faculty and advanced graduate students, focused on Paul's Epistle to the Romans and Augustine's Confessions.
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Week-long workshop on Locke's Second Treatise and Smith's Wealth of Nations.
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10 day workshop on Plato's Laws for faculty and advanced graduate students.
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A intensive week of study focused on the Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun
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A week-long, intensive study of Plato's Phaedrus, cancelled due to COVID-19.
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A week of collective study of virtue in Aristotle's *Nicomachean Ethics*.
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A week-long intensive of early Buddhist discourses.
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Is language simply a matter of formulating our ideas from our thought process into words? For example, were you ever called upon to express your deep and intimate feelings, and your words failed you? How about if what we learned about... more
Is language simply a matter of formulating our ideas from our thought process into words? For example, were you ever called upon to express your deep and intimate feelings, and your words failed you? How about if what we learned about ourselves from a probing conversation with others were not the beliefs and values that we formerly claimed? Drawing on Heidegger's writings on the nature of language, this conference will investigate the crucial, formative role that language plays in bringing our experience into a meaningful form in the first place. Explore this powerful relationship between expression and experience, investigating the nature and importance of artistic expression in our personal, social, and political dimensions of our lives. Reflect on important experiences of feelings when we don't "have a voice," such as can be experienced by, for example, healthcare patients, women, and people in oppressed racial or social groups.
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We typically think of the human body as one thing in the world alongside other things, an object with clear boundaries and with scientifically measurable properties. In our living experience, however, this is not how we relate to our own... more
We typically think of the human body as one thing in the world alongside other things, an object with clear boundaries and with scientifically measurable properties. In our living experience, however, this is not how we relate to our own bodies. For each of us as an individual person, our body is our living connection with reality, the very medium within which our encounter with the world is enacted. This “lived body” is not one thing among many, but is the very condition for the fact that “there is” anything for us at all. Drawing upon the ground-breaking philosophical work of Martin Heidegger, whose “existential phenomenology” focuses on describing our experience in the terms in which it is lived, we will explore this lived experience of the body and especially the significance of this for our understanding of illness and health. We will take our primary orientation from Heidegger and from other prominent philosophers who have developed his basic concept of “being-in-the-world,” and we will supplement our study by reading short essays by a variety of contemporary writers who have applied these ideas to specific issues in healthcare, ethics and related areas.
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the first of a series of lectures in a short course on Phenomenology. This one introduces Phenomenology by discussion of Kant's 4th Paralogism from the Critique of Pure Reason.
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A lecture on Chapter 3 of John Berger's *Ways of Seeing*, and a discussion of its implications for understanding sexuality.
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A short lecture I gave on the notion of "self" in Heidegger's Being and Time to the "Agora" philosophy society.
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This is an informal lecture I gave on the theme of "reason" in the Critique of Pure Reason and the Critique of Practical Reason. I use this discussion as a point of orientation for understanding Kant's overall philosophical project and... more
This is an informal lecture I gave on the theme of "reason" in the Critique of Pure Reason and the Critique of Practical Reason. I use this discussion as a point of orientation for understanding Kant's overall philosophical project and especially for understanding his moral philosophy.
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A short lecture I gave on the notion of "self" in Heidegger's Being and Time. If you click on the "agorapf.org" link, you can see the video.