| The Problem of Difference: Phenomenology and Poststructuralism Contributor(s): Bell, Jeffrey (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0802080952 ISBN-13: 9780802080950 Publisher: University of Toronto Press OUR PRICE: $47.45 Product Type: Paperback Published: December 1998 Annotation: Beginning with Plato and Aristotle, Philosophers Throughout History have built their theories around the problem of reconciling a fundamental distinction. This problem of difference is a classic theme in philosophy, and one that has taken especially intriguing turns in recent decades. Jeffrey A. Bell here presents a finely constructed survey of the contemporary continental philosophers, focusing on how they have dealt with the problem of difference. Although Bell's work centres around three key figures -- Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, and Deleuze -- he also considers the positions of such thinkers as Foucault, Derrida, and Rorty, who have called for an end to the traditional response to the problem of difference -- an end to the search for any ultimate foundations on which our varied and different experiences of the world might be based -- and thus, in effect, an end to traditional philosophy. Jeffrey Bell has produced a well structured and highly readable work, tracing the links between phenomenology and poststructuralism in a clear and straightforward manner. Anyone with a serious interest in these thinkers will find his book rewarding and thought-provoking. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Philosophy | Movements - Phenomenology - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - General - Philosophy | History & Surveys - Modern |
| Dewey: 190.904 |
| LCCN: 98169955 |
| Series: Toronto Studies in Philosophy |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 6" W x 8.98" (0.99 lbs) 306 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Beginning with Plato and Aristotle, philosophers throughout history have built their theories around the problem of reconciling a fundamental distinction, as for example, Plato's distinction between knowledge (reality) and opinion (appearance), Descarte's mind/body distinction, and Kant's a priori/a posteriori distinction. This 'problem of difference' is a classic theme in philosophy, and one that has taken especially intriguing turns in recent decades. Jeffrey A. Bell here presents a finely constructed survey of the contemporary continental philosophers, focusing on how they have dealt with the problem of difference. Bell's work centres around three key figures - Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, and Deleuze. He also considers the positions of such thinkers as Foucault, Derrida, and Rorty, who have called for an end to the traditional response to the problem of difference - an end to the search for any ultimate foundations on which our varied and different experiences of the world might be based - and thus, in effect, an end to traditional philosophy. In clarifying the relationship between phenomenology and poststructuralism, Bell analyses the role of paradox in both traditions, in particular the role it plays in accounting for difference. Not only philosophers, but also teachers and students in the area of comparative literary they will benefit from this book. |
Contributor Bio(s): Bell, Jeffrey a.: - Jeffrey A. Bell is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University. |