Pathos and Praxis

Scott Davidson is Professor of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His recent book projects include The Michel Henry Reader (edited with Frédéric Seyler) and three edited volumes on Ricoeur's philosophy of the will: A Companion to Freedom and Nature, A Companion to Fallible Man, and A Companion to The Symbolism of Evil.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Life as Pathos and Praxis1. From a Phenomenology of Consciousness to a Phenomenology of Life2. Birth: The Pathos of Being-in-Life3. Movement: The Force of Life and the Biranian Philosophy of Effort4. Desire: The Henry-Ricoeur Debate over Freud5. Praxis: The Henry-Ricoeur Debate over Marx6. Language: Words of Life and the Living Word7. Death: Being-towards-Life and the "Life after Life"8. For an Integrated Phenomenology of LifeNotesBibliographyIndex

"With Pathos and Praxis, Scott Davidson constructs a judicious debate between Michel Henry and Paul Ricoeur.. Even though this debate did not occur in history, it is fully justified philosophically. This gap is filled by the author's "phenomenology of life" which provides a third way between the ordeal of suffering and the transformation of oneself by the other. It is necessary to pursue this debate in order to innovate, and it is the merit of this book to have perfectly achieved it."—Emmanuel Falque, Honorary Dean, Catholic University of Paris"Anyone interested in the philosophies of Ricœur and Henry will benefit from this thoroughly researched book. But Pathos and Praxis is more than a scholarly investigation. In it, Davidson introduces the idea of an integrated phenomenology of life which integrates both our internal feeling of being alive—pathos—and our power to engage with the external world—praxis. Because of this integration, Pathos and Praxis is major contribution to phenomenology and to philosophy in general."—Leonard Lawlor, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy, Penn State University"Davidson's plea for an integrated philosophy of life and action is hugely welcome. His engagement with the critical and neglected dialogue between two major phenomenologists marks an invaluable contribution to our understanding of human experience. His final discussion of a 'life after life' is a startling inspiration."—Richard Kearney, Charles B. Seelig Chair of Philosophy, Boston College