Living Philosophy in Kierkegaard, Melville, and Others: Intersections of Literature, Philosophy, and Religion

Description

Edward F. Mooney takes us into the lived philosophies of Melville, Kierkegaard, Henry Bugbee, and others who write deeply in ways that bring philosophy and religion into the fabric of daily life, in its simplicities, crises, and moments of communion and joy. Along the way Mooney explores meditations on wilderness, on the enigma of self-deception, the role of maternal love and the pain of separations, and the pervasiveness of "difficult reality" where valuable things are presented to us under two (or more) aspects at once.

Edward F. Mooney is Professor Emeritus in Religion and Philosophy at Syracuse University, USA. He is the author of Excursions with Thoreau: Philosophy, Poetry, Religion (Bloomsbury 2015) and nine other books, including Lost Intimacy in American Thought (Bloomsbury. 2009), and On Soren Kierkegaard: Dialogue, Polemic, Lost Intimacy and Time (2007). His work has been translated into French, Japanese, Hebrew, and Portuguese.

Mooney renders the difficulties of Kierkegaard readily accessible, and numerous chapters make effective primers for its various thinkers. [This book] makes for compelling and engaging reading. * Modern Language Review * In Ed Mooney's writing, the best of philosophy, poetry, religion, and storytelling flow together beautifully. Every book Mooney writes is better than the last, and this, his latest, surpasses his already magnificent earlier writings. Mooney's sentences are a lens through which I feel I can see the world's subtly connected wonders more clearly. * David O'Hara, Chair of the Department of Religion, Philosophy, and Classics and Professor of Philosophy, Classics, and Environmental Studies, Augustana University, USA * Edward Mooney's philosophical reflections are lively, engaging, and personal, always keeping existential relevance at the forefront of their reader's attention. Here, in his newest collection of essays, Mooney bears witness to a fully enchanted world while resisting the dubious allure of easy answers. * Rick Anthony Furtak, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Colorado College, USA * In writing for the soul rather than the self, Mooney's aim is not to advance philosophy or literature, but to transform his readers, one by one. * Tzachi Zamir, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and author of Ascent: Philosophy and Paradise Lost (2017) *