By Way of Obstacles: A Pathway through a Work
Ebook
In By Way of Obstacles, Emmanuel Falque revisits the major themes of his work--finitude, the body, and the call for philosophers and theologians to "cross the Rubicon" by entering into dialogue--in light of objections that have been offered. In so doing, he offers a pathway through a work that will offer valuable insights both to newcomers to his thought and to those who are already familiar with it. For it is only after one has carved out one's pathway that one may see more clearly where one has been and where one might be going. Here readers will discover the profound relation between Falque's emphasis on the human experience of the world and his desire for philosophy and Christian theology to enter into conversation. For only by speaking within the human horizon of finitude can Christianity be credible for human beings, and it is because Christian theology teaches that God entered into our finitude that it can also teach us something of what it is to be human. Contemporary phenomenology, Falque warns, over-privileges an encounter with the infinite that cannot be originary. Calling us back to finitude, he calls us to a deeper understanding of our humanity.
“Complementing the earlier lovers’ quarrel with his mentors and French predecessors, in this new book, Emmanuel Falque responds instead to some of his contemporary critics. Writing ‘as an act of life,’ he forges for readers a pathway through his rich and extensive work, showing us ‘how things stand’ at the crossroads between phenomenology and theology.”
—Christina M. Gschwandtner, Fordham University
“Emmanuel Falque gives us in By Way of Obstacles a way of negotiating his prolific work. Here, we see Falque being formed as a thinker by Miguel de Unamuno on the one hand, and by Mikhail Bulgakov and Nikolai Berdyaev on the other. Always, too, we find him meditating on the meaning of experience, the exposure to peril that marks all genuine philosophical and theological thought.”
—Kevin Hart, The University of Virginia
“Anyone interested in French phenomenology and theology must read the work of Emmanuel Falque, and By Way of Obstacles is the place to begin. Summarizing and explicating Falque’s key questions, motivations, and innovations, By Way of Obstacles enables readers to come to grips with the dimensions of his project and his responses to aspects of critique. Sarah Horton’s translation remains faithful to Falque’s struggle while bringing its diverse resonances to light in English.”
—Robyn Horner, Australian Catholic University
“With his characteristic intellectual bounty and passion, Falque demonstrates the generativity of the art of disputatio, shaping and sharpening his thought through debate and confrontation with a broad gathering of thinkers and methodologies—philosophical, theological, and psychoanalytic—across history. The resulting essay captures the dynamic vitality and orality of a raucous symposium; it bears witness to thinking in motion while also clarifying the ground from where Falque speaks.”
—Tamsin Jones, Trinity College
- Title: By Way of Obstacles: A Pathway through a Work
- Authors: Emmanuel Falque, Sarah Horton, Cyril O'Regan
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666729696, 9781666729689, 9781666734140, 1666729698, 166672968X, 1666734144
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666729696
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-12-17T21:35:18Z
Emmanuel Falque is Professor and Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Catholic University of Paris. He is the founder of the International Network in Philosophy of Religion (INPR).