Studies in Continental Thought
2 total works
"Against Ethics is beautifully written, clever, learned, thought-provoking, and even inspiring." -Theological Studies
"Writing in the form of his ideas, Caputo offers the reader a truly exquisite reading experience. . . . his iconic style mirrors a truly refreshing honesty that draws the reader in to play." -Quarterly Journal of Speech
"Against Ethics is, in my judgment, one of the most important works on philosophical ethics that has been written in recent years. . . . Caputo speaks with a passion and a concern that are rare in academic philosophy. His profound sense of humor deepens the passion of the viewpoints he develops." -Mark C. Taylor
"Obligation happens!" declares Caputo in this brilliant and witty postmodern critique of ethics, framed as a contemporary restaging of Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling.
In these spirited essays, John D. Caputo continues the project he launched with Radical Hermeneutics of making hermeneutics and deconstruction work together. Caputo claims that we are not born into this world hard-wired to know Being, Truth, or the Good, and we are not vessels of a Divine or other omnipotent supernatural force. Focusing on how various contemporary philosophers develop aspects of this fragmented view of the life world in areas such as madness, friendship, democracy, gender, science, the "end of ethics," religion, and mysticism, this animated study by one of America's leading continental philosophers shakes the foundations of religion and philosophy, even as it gives them new life.