Overview

Unarguably, Jean-Luc Marion is the leading figure in French phenomenology as well as one of the proponents of the so-called ""theological turn"" in European philosophy. In this volume, Kevin Hart has assembled a stellar group of philosophers and theologians from the United States, Britain, France, and Australia to examine Marion's work-especially his later work-from a variety of perspectives. The resulting volume is an indispensable resource for scholars working at the intersection of philosophy and theology. Hart characterizes Marion's work as a profound response to two major philosophical events: the end of metaphysics and the beginning of phenomenology. From the vantage point reached by Marion over the years, Hart argues, that end and that beginning are one and the same. Yet their unity is elusive: in order to discern it, the student of Marion must follow his vigorous and subtle rethinking of the history of modern philosophy and the nature of phenomenology. Only then can the reader begin to perceive many things that metaphysics has occluded, especially the nature of selfhood and our relations with God. The newfound unity of these two events is productive; it allows Marion to revise and extend the philosophy of disclosure that Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger were the first to practice. With Marion as guide, we can also refigure the human subject-the gifted one (l'adonne)-and thus also secure a phenomenological understanding of revelation. Marion challenges theologians to pursue the implications of this move. This is the Marion for whom a revived phenomenology is philosophy today, the Marion deeply concerned to understand, maintain, and, if need be, rework the central insights of Husserl and Heidegger. The volume includes essays that consider The Erotic Phenomenon (2003), a rethinking of human subjectivity in terms of the possibility of loving and being loved. Throughout, the contributors engage key concepts defined by Marion-givenness, the saturated phenomenon, erotic reduction, and counter-experience-and Marion himself concludes with a retrospective essay written in response to criticisms of his work.

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Reviews

As a sophisticated engagement with the question of Marion's relation to Christian theology specifically, and as a general response to Marion's work as a whole, Counter-Experiences is an undeniable success. The authors treat Marion's texts carefully, bring impressive intellectual force to their task, and provide rich documentation in the strongest volume of work on Marion's thought yet to appear in English. --Jeffrey Bloechl, College of the Holy Cross Hart has produced a remarkably lucid and engaging introduction to the thought of Marion. The volume includes insightful readings of, with, and against Marion from an excellent cohort of leading philosophers and theologians. These essays are organized thoughtfully and are supplemented by comprehensive bibliographic appendices. . . an indispensable resource for scholars working on Marion and for the scholarship engaged at the intersection of phenomenology and theology that his thought energizes. --Modern Theology Readers should be grateful to Kevin Hart for his marvelous introduction to Counter-Experiences, a collection of essays about Marion, which situates Marion in relation to the German philosophers. . . . Many of the best essays in Counter-Experiences address questions of Marion' philosophy of religion. . . . Counter-Experiences is useful precisely because it gives the reader not only a sense of the paths Marion has thus far traveled but also some sense of the most fruitful lines of inquiry his thought opens up. --First Things The collective strength of these exceptionally high-quality essays is the authors' diversity of reflection on the relation of phenomenology to theology. Readers new to Marion will find their way into the corpus and those already familiar with Marion's work will encounter stimulating interpretations, challenges, and defenses. Valuable, too, are Hart's introduction to Marion as phenomenologist and Marion's defense of the saturated phenomenon that bookend the volume. --Merold Westphal, Fordham University This collection contains many careful and insightful essays on Marion's thought, and is indispensable reading for anyone interested in Marion's contributions to contemporary phenomenology and theology. --Philosophy in Review This collection of essays from leading scholars in philosophy, theology, and religious studies, including J.D. Caputo, D. Tracy, and K. Turner, provides a wide variety of views dealing with Marion's theology, phenomenology, and the interaction of the two. --Religious Studies Review This collection will prove useful to those already interested in the implications of Marion's work for philosophy and theology, and it is indicative of the increasingly blurred boundaries between the two within phenomenology. Kevin Hart's introduction and David Tracy's 'Jean-Luc Marion: Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and Theology' in particular provide good overviews of the development of Marion's work within phenomenology and its increasing influence as philosophical theology, and could be of use to those looking for a manageable starting point in this area. --International Journal of Systematic Theology This is a ground-breaking book by leading continental thinkers on one of the most pioneering and controversial voices to emerge in French thought in decades. This volume addresses the lynch-pin of Marion's thought--the point where philosophy and theology, gift and revelation, impossibility and grace, intersect in fascinating and arresting ways. Kevin Hart, as editor, assembles and conducts a magisterial intellectual orchestra. --Richard Kearney, Boston College

“This collection will prove useful to those already interested in the implications of Marion's work for philosophy and theology, and it is indicative of the increasingly blurred boundaries between the two within phenomenology. Kevin Hart's introduction and David Tracy's 'Jean-Luc Marion: Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and Theology' in particular provide good overviews of the development of Marion's work within phenomenology and its increasing influence as philosophical theology, and could be of use to those looking for a manageable starting point in this area.” —International Journal of Systematic Theology “This collection of essays from leading scholars in philosophy, theology, and religious studies, including J.D. Caputo, D. Tracy, and K. Turner, provides a wide variety of views dealing with Marion's theology, phenomenology, and the interaction of the two.” —Religious Studies Review “Hart has produced a remarkably lucid and engaging introduction to the thought of Marion. The volume includes insightful readings of, with, and against Marion from an excellent cohort of leading philosophers and theologians. These essays are organized thoughtfully and are supplemented by comprehensive bibliographic appendices. . . an indispensable resource for scholars working on Marion and for the scholarship engaged at the intersection of phenomenology and theology that his thought energizes.” —Modern Theology “Readers should be grateful to Kevin Hart for his marvelous introduction to Counter-Experiences, a collection of essays about Marion, which situates Marion in relation to the German philosophers. . . . Many of the best essays in Counter-Experiences address questions of Marion' philosophy of religion. . . . Counter-Experiences is useful precisely because it gives the reader not only a sense of the paths Marion has thus far traveled but also some sense of the most fruitful lines of inquiry his thought opens up.” —First Things “This collection contains many careful and insightful essays on Marion's thought, and is indispensable reading for anyone interested in Marion's contributions to contemporary phenomenology and theology.” —Philosophy in Review “This is a ground-breaking book by leading continental thinkers on one of the most pioneering and controversial voices to emerge in French thought in decades. This volume addresses the lynch-pin of Marion's thought—the point where philosophy and theology, gift and revelation, impossibility and grace, intersect in fascinating and arresting ways. Kevin Hart, as editor, assembles and conducts a magisterial intellectual orchestra.” —Richard Kearney, Boston College “The collective strength of these exceptionally high-quality essays is the authors’ diversity of reflection on the relation of phenomenology to theology. Readers new to Marion will find their way into the corpus and those already familiar with Marion’s work will encounter stimulating interpretations, challenges, and defenses. Valuable, too, are Hart’s introduction to Marion as phenomenologist and Marion’s defense of the saturated phenomenon that bookend the volume.” —Merold Westphal, Fordham University “As a sophisticated engagement with the question of Marion’s relation to Christian theology specifically, and as a general response to Marion’s work as a whole, Counter-Experiences is an undeniable success. The authors treat Marion’s texts carefully, bring impressive intellectual force to their task, and provide rich documentation in the strongest volume of work on Marion’s thought yet to appear in English.” —Jeffrey Bloechl, College of the Holy Cross

Author Information

Kevin Hart is Edwin B. Kyle Professor of Christian Studies, University of Virginia. He is the author of a number of books, including The Dark Gaze: Maurice Blanchot and the Sacred.

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