Stéphane Symons – författare

What happens when the world around us feels fragmented? How can a person continue to respond positively to their environment when it seems to have lost its internal coherence? These questions lie at the heart of this innovative interpretation of some of the most influential German philosophers of the twentieth century. The key figures in this study are the young Georg Lukács (1885–1971), Ernst Jünger (1895–1998), Ernst Bloch (1885–1977), Theodor Adorno (1903–1969), Max Kommerell (1902–1944), and Siegfried Kracauer (1889–1966).

By establishing an intellectual dialogue among these otherwise diverse thinkers, this study identifies a common interest: the question whether an unworldly, fragmented universe can nonetheless elicit a creative response from individuals. Together, these authors offer an alternative to what is considered the dominant trend in twentieth-century German philosophy: the phenomenological emphasis on humans'' lived interactions with a shared and unified lifeworld. Special attention is given to six distinct interpretations of Miguel de Cervantes''s novel Don Quixote and the unworldly actions of its main character.

Unworldliness in Twentieth Century German Thought will appeal to researchers and advanced students interested in twentieth-century continental philosophy, German intellectual history, critical theory, and literature and philosophy.

What happens when the world around us feels fragmented? How can a person continue to respond positively to their environment when it seems to have lost its internal coherence? These questions lie at the heart of this innovative interpretation of some of the most influential German philosophers of the twentieth century. The key figures in this study are the young Georg Lukács (1885–1971), Ernst Jünger (1895–1998), Ernst Bloch (1885–1977), Theodor Adorno (1903–1969), Max Kommerell (1902–1944), and Siegfried Kracauer (1889–1966).

By establishing an intellectual dialogue among these otherwise diverse thinkers, this study identifies a common interest: the question whether an unworldly, fragmented universe can nonetheless elicit a creative response from individuals. Together, these authors offer an alternative to what is considered the dominant trend in twentieth-century German philosophy: the phenomenological emphasis on humans'' lived interactions with a shared and unified lifeworld. Special attention is given to six distinct interpretations of Miguel de Cervantes''s novel Don Quixote and the unworldly actions of its main character.

Unworldliness in Twentieth Century German Thought will appeal to researchers and advanced students interested in twentieth-century continental philosophy, German intellectual history, critical theory, and literature and philosophy.

Philosophical thinking allows itself to be nourished by seemingly non-committal exercises of thought but at the same time seeks forms of irrefutable knowledge. Because of this focus on both the subjective and the universal, philosophy also falls for the lure of the “what-if?” question. What if two legendary artists, writers or philosophers, who did not know each other, did enter into a conversation?  

In this book, Stéphane Symons outlines an (im)possible conversation between Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher Ludwig Binswanger (1881-1966) and French educator, philosopher, poet and filmmaker Fernand Deligny (1913-1996). Although the two never met, this imaginary conversation can offer insight into both authors'' thinking and the human condition.

According to Binswanger, self-awareness and social consciousness are the most important and characteristic features of human beings. In contrast, from his contacts with children and adolescents with autism, Deligny emphasizes our ability to interact with the material environment, especially with seemingly insignificant things and nature. Bringing the two thinkers into conversation, Symons sheds new light on what it is to be truly human. In the process, leading roles are played by one of Binswanger''s patients, Ellen West, and a young boy with autism, Janmari.

In So What’s New about Scholasticism? thirteen international scholars gauge the extraordinary impact of a religiously inspired conceptual framework in a modern society. The essays that are brought together in this volume reveal that Neo-Thomism became part of contingent social contexts and varying intellectual domains. Rather than an ecclesiastic project of like-minded believers, Neo-Thomism was put into place as a source of inspiration for various concepts of modernization and progress.

This volume reconstructs how Neo-Thomism sought to resolve disparities, annul contradictions and reconcile incongruent, new developments. It asks the question why Neo-Thomist ideas and arguments were put into play and how they were transferred across various scientific disciplines and artistic media, growing into one of the most influential master-narratives of the twentieth century.

Edward Baring, Dries Bosschaert, James Chappel, Adi Efal-Lautenschläger, Rajesh Heynickx, Sigrid Leyssen, Christopher Morrissey, Annette Mülberger, Jaume Navarro, Herman Paul, Karim Schelkens, Wim Weymans and John Carter Wood reconstruct a bewildering, yet decipherable thought-structure that has left a deep mark on twentieth century politics, philosophy, science and religion.

In So What’s New about Scholasticism? thirteen international scholars gauge the extraordinary impact of a religiously inspired conceptual framework in a modern society. The essays that are brought together in this volume reveal that Neo-Thomism became part of contingent social contexts and varying intellectual domains. Rather than an ecclesiastic project of like-minded believers, Neo-Thomism was put into place as a source of inspiration for various concepts of modernization and progress.

This volume reconstructs how Neo-Thomism sought to resolve disparities, annul contradictions and reconcile incongruent, new developments. It asks the question why Neo-Thomist ideas and arguments were put into play and how they were transferred across various scientific disciplines and artistic media, growing into one of the most influential master-narratives of the twentieth century.

Edward Baring, Dries Bosschaert, James Chappel, Adi Efal-Lautenschläger, Rajesh Heynickx, Sigrid Leyssen, Christopher Morrissey, Annette Mülberger, Jaume Navarro, Herman Paul, Karim Schelkens, Wim Weymans and John Carter Wood reconstruct a bewildering, yet decipherable thought-structure that has left a deep mark on twentieth century politics, philosophy, science and religion.