The theme of this year’s “Issues in Phenomenology” seminar will be ‘life’. As a concept, life figures prominently in the most basic tenets of phenomenological thought (lived experience; lifeworld; etc.). Yet it is itself rarely thematized as a key phenomenological concept. This course will examine this theme–the meaning of life (in phenomenology)-- drawing especially on the works of Renaud Barbaras, Jacques Derrida, and Michel Henry. The goal will be to uncover how to talk about what lies at the very basis of our experiencing of the world, and ultimately to put that into conversation with related themes from Reformational thought like spirituality, ground motives, and world view.
Note: This course does not require any prior familiarity with phenomenology.
*Attention TST students: if you are interested in taking this course for credit, you must petition your college of registration to count the course credit toward your degree program.