Human Existence and Transcendence

Jean Wahl (1888–1974) was professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne from 1936 to 1967. A number of his books have been translated into English, including A Short History of Existentialism and Philosophies of Existence.William C. Hackett is Research Fellow and Lecturer in Philosophy at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne.

"It brings back to life an all-but-forgotten book that provocatively explores the philosophical concept of transcendence."—The New York Review of Books"Hackett's [introductory] essay gives Wahl's readers an excellent guide to understanding what is at stake in philosophy and theology for Wahl, and it puts Wahl's thinking into conversation with late 20th-century and contemporary thinkers like Jean-Luc Nancy, Jean-Luc Marion, and Emmanuel Falque." —Reading Religion"It is the sign of an original thinker that his or her writing can detach itself from the moment of its production and gain different and surprising meanings when deployed in new debates. And this is why we should be grateful that, with this translation, Wahl is no longer a half-forgotten figure from the past, but is available to new generations of readers to inspire and provoke." —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"With this translation, augmented by William C. Hackett's comprehensive introduction to Jean Wahl and his summary of Wahl's seminal Human Existence and Transcendence, we now have Wahl's most important writings in English. The book presents the well-known ideas of transascendence and transdescendence and, in so doing, highlights the relevance of Wahl's 'philosophy of transcendence' today. Remarkable for its anticipations of later French thought, Wahl's work provides a key to much of what remains hidden in the tradition of twentieth-century French thought." —Leonard Richard Lawlor, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy, Penn State University"Jean Wahl, an early proponent of existentialism and an insightful interpreter of American pragmatism, Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, was a major presence on the French philosophical and intellectual scene for five decades, yet his work is largely unknown to English-speaking readers. His presentation in 1937 on 'Subjectivity and Transcendence' elicited responses from some of the leading philosophical voices in Europe, including Heidegger, Jaspers, Marcel, and Levinas. Human Existence and Transcendence grew out of and includes this presentation and those responses, and its translation will serve as an excellent introduction to the work of this important and influential philosopher." —Alan D. Schrift, F. Wendell Miller Professor of Philosophy, Grinnell College"This is a book by a philosopher for philosophers. The discussion includes poets and artists as philosophers, so a wide variety of readers are invited to these meditations on human life." —Catholic Library World"Brings back to life an all-but-forgotten book that provocatively explores the philosophical concept of transcendence." —The New York Review of Books