Contemporary Continental Philosophy (dimensions Of Philosophy Series)

E-Book Overview

Contemporary Continental Philosophy steps back from current debates comparing Continental and analytic philosophy and carefully, yet critically outlines the tradition’s main philosophical views on epistemology and ontology. Forgoing obscure paraphrases, D’Amico provides a detailed, clear account and assessment of the tradition from its founding by Husserl and Heidegger to its challenge by Derrida and Foucault. Though intended as a survey of this tradition throughout the twentieth century, this study’s focus is on the philosophical problems which gave it birth and even now continue to shape it.The book reexamines Husserl as an early critic of epistemological naturalism whose grasp of the philosophical importance of the theory of meaning was largely ignored. Heidegger’s contrasting effort to revive ontology is examined in terms of his distinction between ontic and ontological questions. In contrast with many earlier studies, the author outlines confusions engendered by the misappropriation of the distinct philosophical agendas of Husserl and Heidegger by such famous figures as Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. The book is also original in its emphasis on how social externalism in epistemology, inspired by Karl Mannheim, influenced this tradition’s structuralist and Marxist phases. The philosophical defenses of a theory of interpretation by Gadamer and Habermas are closely examined and assessed and the study concludes with a a probing yet balanced account of Foucault and Derrida as critics of philosophical autonomy. The book concludes by reassessing this century-long divide between the analytic and Continental traditions and its implication for the future of philosophy.

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E-Book Information

• Series: Dimensions of Philosophy Series

• Year: 1,999

• Pages: 280

• Pages In File: 280

• Language: English

• Topic: 195

• Issue: до 2011-01

• Identifier: 0813332222,9780813332222

• Ddc: 190/.9/04

• Lcc: B804 .D28 1999

• Org File Size: 34,093,219

• Extension: pdf

• Toc: Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 8 1 Phenomenology......Page 14 The Inextinguishable Task......Page 16 Against Born Dogmatists......Page 24 Transcendental Interiority......Page 36 The European Crisis......Page 40 Critical Friendship and Enmity......Page 46 French Phenomenology......Page 48 No Raison d'Être?......Page 54 Notes......Page 56 Bibliography......Page 60 2 Ontology......Page 62 Being, Not Beings......Page 66 Always, We Ourselves......Page 70 Existential Analysis......Page 77 Other Minds......Page 81 Understanding......Page 83 Authenticity and Inauthenticity......Page 85 Back to the Things Themselves......Page 88 Nonnaturalistic Time......Page 91 A Criticism......Page 95 Popular Existentialism......Page 98 The Last Word......Page 114 Notes......Page 117 Suggested Readings......Page 121 Bibliography......Page 122 3 Social Epistemology......Page 124 Epistemology as Sociology......Page 125 Social Ontology......Page 134 "Against the Observer, the Native,"......Page 142 Scientific Holism......Page 150 How to Read......P