A Finite Thinking

by Jean-Luc Nancy

This book is a rich collection of philosophical essays radically interrogating key notions and preoccupations of the phenomenological tradition. While using Heidegger's Being and Time as its permanent point of reference and dispute, this collection also confronts other important philosophers, such as Kant, Nietzsche, and Derrida. The projects of these pivotal thinkers of finitude are relentlessly pushed to their extreme, with respect both to their unexpected horizons and to their as yet unexplored analytical potential. A Finite Thinking shows that, paradoxically, where the thought of finitude comes into its own it frees itself, not only to reaffirm a certain transformed and transformative presence, but also for a non-religious reconsideration and reaffirmation of certain theologemes, as well as of the body, heart, and love. This book shows the literary dimension of philosophical discourse, providing important enabling ideas for scholars of literature, cultural theory, and philosophy.

Genres: Philosophy, Theory

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Jean-Luc Nancy is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Strasbourg. Stanford has published English translations of a number of his works, including The Muses (1996), The Experience of Freedom (1993), The Birth to Presence (1993), Being Singular Plural (2000), The Speculative Remark (2001), and A Finite Thinking (2003).

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense, but well worth the grunt work. Really rewarding blend of Heidegger, and post-modern philosophy. If you can get a grip on the beautiful wordplay that seeps onto every page, the Heidegger-esque repetition of seemingly disconnected words, then you will enjoy this wonderful text. Nancy is considered a premiere Continental Philosopher for a reason. He is definitely a heavy-hitter.