Spiritualism and Phenomenology

""Spiritualism and Phenomenology is another masterclass from Emmanuel Falque, one in which he introduces the exceptional but neglected thought of Maine de Biran to a contemporary readership. An invaluable resource for those working toward understanding the resources and the limits of phenomenology. Sarah Horton's translation is both faithful to Falque's text and eminently readable. A gift to students of phenomenology."" -Brian Treanor, professor of philosophy, Loyola Marymount University ""Falque's Spiritualism and Phenomenology is a magnificent effort. By showing how Maine de Biran acts as a precursor of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Edmund Husserl, and Michel Henry, Falque's reading of Biran in counter-relief will surprise and fascinate many. The book also elucidates Falque's recent work on extra-phenomenality by giving us some beautiful pages on the experience of pain and suffering."" -Joeri Schrijvers, extraordinary professor of philosophy, North-West University Potchefstroom ""In this pioneering book, Emmanuel Falque reanimates a much neglected dialogue between the spiritualism of Maine de Biran-the Columbus of metaphysics-and cutting-edge contemporary phenomenology. The result: a bracing hermeneutics of the flesh which explores the human body as at once foreign and familiar, alienated and effortful, tactile and metaphysical. A truly vital intellectual encounter."" -Richard Kearney, Charles Seelig Chair of Philosophy, Boston College ""Maine de Biran was an important influence upon French spiritualist metaphysics and upon French phenomenology. In this stimulating book, Emmanuel Falque suggests that, in his complexly engaged life and in his subtle and private thought, Biran mediated both perspectives through a more complex understanding of human interiority as being embodied and ecstatically aspiring. The view that this ultimately led him to the embrace of a Christian vision of reality is also convincingly expounded and defended here. A vital contribution to the remarkable revival of Biranianism in our own day."" -Catherine Pickstock, Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge