|
Twentieth-century
European philosophy has grown out of two movements: existentialism
(emphasizing the everyday turmoil of living) and phenomenology
(seeking the essential, indispensable core of things grasped
by pure consciousness). These movements highlight consciousness,
meaning, freedom, and body; later philosophers have also stressed
language, discourse, and power.
Major figures in "continental philosophy" are:
Edmund
Husserl (1859-1938) focused on pure consciousness, a non-bodily
region with its own structures and laws. Bypassing considerations
of space and time, Husserl used direct intuition to investigate
the essences of material and psychical entities as they inhabit
the mind. Husserl laid the groundwork for cognitive psychology
and Gestalt psychology. Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)
explored the nature of Being, not through intuition but through
interpretation and understanding of the "primary
sources" of consciousness, as found in the everydayness
of being-in-the-world. He believed that the essence of human
being is not consciousness but existence - and
he underlined the importance of Being and language.
Jean-Paul
Sartre (1905-1980) pointed to our existential
freedom to create ourselves out of the "nothingness"
from which we cannot escape. Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961)
concentrated on the role of the experiential body, an ambiguous
yet active vehicle for our past experiences and our "rising
toward the world."
Jacques
Derrida (1930- ) responded to the linguistic "structuralism"
of Ferdinand de Saussure by expanding his analysis of language
to include much more than the spoken word, showing the primacy
of writing at a deep level. The inventor of "deconstruction,"
Derrida pursues the difficult notions of "spacing"
and "difference." Michel
Foucault (1926-1984) focused on the "archeology
of knowledge," demonstrating how institutions radically
shape an individual's concrete actions and ways of thinking.
A cultural relativist, Foucault believed that there are no enduring
principles that transcend our situation in history. Emmanuel
Levinas (1906-1995) rejected a focus on essence or
Being in favor of a concern for others - i.e.,
ethical relationships with what he calls "the Other."
|
|
On
two audiotapes - about three hours in length.
Narrator: Lynn Redgrave
Author: Professor Ed Casey
Editor: Professor John Lachs and
Wendy McElroy
Publisher: Knowledge Products, Inc.
This
title is part of the Audio Classics Series by
Knowledge Products. Knowledge Products publishes a variety of
audio presentations on the great ideas and events of history.
|
