Pathos and Praxis
An Integrated Phenomenology of Life
Published on 1. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-0-253-07234-4 (ISBN)
Description
Pathos and Praxis presents a new and original framework for an integrated phenomenology of life. It provides the first comparative study of two influential French philosophers, Paul Ricoeur and Michel Henry, and shows that their debates over the interpretation of Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx signal two rival approaches to the phenomenology of life.
Author Scott Davidson demonstrates that while Henry reveals the phenomenological meaning of life through an inward turn to a pure subjective feeling of being alive, Ricoeur anchors its significance in the reciprocal interaction between the self and the world. But these two alternatives are not necessarily opposed.
Pathos and Praxis proposes an integrated phenomenology of life to which both Henry and Ricoeur make an important contribution. To be a self is to suffer the pathos of "having a life" but also to be capable of engaging in the praxis of "leading a life." By thinking the pathos and praxis of life together, the integrated approach preserves human agency against deterministic conceptions of life and at the same time avoids the meritocratic hubris that depicts one's life solely as the result of one's own doing. This integration of having and leading a life reframes our thinking about human capabilities and vulnerabilities in a way that has important implications for biopolitics and the ethics of life.
Author Scott Davidson demonstrates that while Henry reveals the phenomenological meaning of life through an inward turn to a pure subjective feeling of being alive, Ricoeur anchors its significance in the reciprocal interaction between the self and the world. But these two alternatives are not necessarily opposed.
Pathos and Praxis proposes an integrated phenomenology of life to which both Henry and Ricoeur make an important contribution. To be a self is to suffer the pathos of "having a life" but also to be capable of engaging in the praxis of "leading a life." By thinking the pathos and praxis of life together, the integrated approach preserves human agency against deterministic conceptions of life and at the same time avoids the meritocratic hubris that depicts one's life solely as the result of one's own doing. This integration of having and leading a life reframes our thinking about human capabilities and vulnerabilities in a way that has important implications for biopolitics and the ethics of life.
Reviews / Votes
"With Pathos and Praxis, Scott Davidson constructs a judicious debate between Michel Henry and Paul Ricoeur.. Even though this debate did not occur in history, it is fully justified philosophically. This gap is filled by the author's "phenomenology of life" which provides a third way between the ordeal of suffering and the transformation of oneself by the other. It is necessary to pursue this debate in order to innovate, and it is the merit of this book to have perfectly achieved it."-Emmanuel Falque, Honorary Dean, Catholic University of Paris"Anyone interested in the philosophies of Ricoeur and Henry will benefit from this thoroughly researched book. But Pathos and Praxis is more than a scholarly investigation. In it, Davidson introduces the idea of an integrated phenomenology of life which integrates both our internal feeling of being alive-pathos-and our power to engage with the external world-praxis. Because of this integration, Pathos and Praxis is major contribution to phenomenology and to philosophy in general."-Leonard Lawlor, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy, Penn State University
"Davidson's plea for an integrated philosophy of life and action is hugely welcome. His engagement with the critical and neglected dialogue between two major phenomenologists marks an invaluable contribution to our understanding of human experience. His final discussion of a 'life after life' is a startling inspiration."-Richard Kearney, Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy, Boston College
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Bloomington, IN
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 225 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-253-07234-4 (9780253072344)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2025
Indiana University Press
€38.99
Available for download
Person
Scott Davidson is Professor of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His recent book projects include The Michel Henry Reader (edited with Frederic Seyler) and three edited volumes on Ricoeur's philosophy of the will: A Companion to Freedom and Nature, A Companion to Fallible Man, and A Companion to The Symbolism of Evil.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Life as Pathos and Praxis
1. From a Phenomenology of Consciousness to a Phenomenology of Life
2. Birth: The Pathos of Being-in-Life
3. Movement: The Force of Life and the Biranian Philosophy of Effort
4. Desire: The Henry-Ricoeur Debate over Freud
5. Praxis: The Henry-Ricoeur Debate over Marx
6. Language: Words of Life and the Living Word
7. Death: Being-towards-Life and the "Life after Life"
8. For an Integrated Phenomenology of Life
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction: Life as Pathos and Praxis
1. From a Phenomenology of Consciousness to a Phenomenology of Life
2. Birth: The Pathos of Being-in-Life
3. Movement: The Force of Life and the Biranian Philosophy of Effort
4. Desire: The Henry-Ricoeur Debate over Freud
5. Praxis: The Henry-Ricoeur Debate over Marx
6. Language: Words of Life and the Living Word
7. Death: Being-towards-Life and the "Life after Life"
8. For an Integrated Phenomenology of Life
Notes
Bibliography
Index