Nocturnal Seeing : Hopelessness of Hope and Philosophical Gnosis in Susan Taubes, Gillian Rose, and Edith Wyschogrod / Elliot R. Wolfson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolfson, Elliot R., author.

Series:

Cultural memory in the present.

Cultural Memory in the Present Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethics, Modern--20th century.

Ethics, Modern.

Jewish philosophy--20th century.

Jewish philosophy.

Melancholy (Philosophy).

Philosophy, Modern--20th century.

Philosophy, Modern.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (394 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, [2025]

Summary:

"In this erudite new work, Elliot R. Wolfson explores philosophical gnosis in the writings of Susan Taubes, Gillian Rose, and Edith Wyschogrod. The juxtaposition of these three extraordinary, albeit relatively neglected, philosophers provides a prism through which Wolfson scrutinizes the interplay of ethics, politics, and theology. The bond that ties together the diverse and multifaceted worldviews promulgated by Taubes, Rose, and Wyschogrod is the mutual recognition of the need to enunciate a response to the calamities of the twentieth century based on an incontrovertible acknowledgment of the decadence and malevolence of human beings, without, however, succumbing to acrimony and despair. The speculation of each of these philosophers on melancholia and the tragicomedy of being is unquestionably intricate, exhibiting subtle variations and idiosyncrasies, but we can nevertheless identify a common denominator in their attempt to find the midpoint positioned between hope and hopelessness. As Wolfson articulates, Taubes, Rose, and Wyschogrod exemplify a philosophical sensibility informed by a nocturnal seeing , which is not merely a seeing in the night but rather a seeing of the night. Ultimately, the book reveals the potential for these thinkers' ideas to enhance our moral sensitivity and to encourage participation in the ongoing struggle for meaning and decency in the present"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction : together apart : melancholia and the solitude of philosophic meditation

Brokenness of being and errancy of ontological untruth : Susan Taubes's criticism of Heidegger's Seinsdenken

Between Athens and Jerusalem : eros, aporia, and the pathless path of the broken middle : Gillian Rose's critique of postmodernity

Death and the infinitization of finitude : negation and the ethical crisis of modernity in Edith Wyschogrod's postmodern hermeneutic

Melancholic redemption and the hopelessness of hope.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781503640979

1503640973