Which philosopher are you most interested in right now?
For me, it's unquestionably W. D. Ross. Just finished reading The Right and the Good, and have Foundations of Ethics on its way to my university library. His theory of prima facie deontological ethics was a very nice breath of fresh air after drudging through consequentialist lit and being disappointed with Kantian and virtue ethics. His theory is pluralistic in terms of value and non-absolutist in terms of action - there is no one single principle or thing that grounds ethics, and there are no (or, at least, practically not any) actions that we are absolutely obligated to do/refrain from doing.
I'm also reading Emmanuel Levinas. I have a guidebook for Totality and Infinity and Existence and Existents, as well as a compilation of many of his most influential works (in excerpts). Levinas is so fucking difficult to read, though, which is why I got the guidebook to help me understand. I might get a book called Radicalizing Levinas which integrates Levinasian ethics into a broader "practical" ethics, things like animals, feminism, the environment, etc. But basically I'm digging Levinas because of his asymmetrical ethics, the fundamental non-reciprocality of the ethical, as well as his general suspicion of Heidegger's ontology as being a totalitarian culmination of the millennia-long fetishization of the Same by Western metaphysics.
So what philosopher are you enthusiastic about right now, and why should I read them.
I'm also reading Emmanuel Levinas. I have a guidebook for Totality and Infinity and Existence and Existents, as well as a compilation of many of his most influential works (in excerpts). Levinas is so fucking difficult to read, though, which is why I got the guidebook to help me understand. I might get a book called Radicalizing Levinas which integrates Levinasian ethics into a broader "practical" ethics, things like animals, feminism, the environment, etc. But basically I'm digging Levinas because of his asymmetrical ethics, the fundamental non-reciprocality of the ethical, as well as his general suspicion of Heidegger's ontology as being a totalitarian culmination of the millennia-long fetishization of the Same by Western metaphysics.
So what philosopher are you enthusiastic about right now, and why should I read them.
Comments (12)
As for me, Deleuze remains the philosopher I can't turn away from, but not necessarily because of 'his philosophy' per se, but because he's the one philosopher who seems to asks all the right questions. Deleuze inspires me to read and explore subjects way beyond philosophy, from evolution to art, anthropology to math. It's the kinds of questions he asks, moreso than the 'answers' he gives, that really inspires me.
"Since the attempt to understand religion on the basis of philosophy has failed, we ought to try the reverse method and read philosophy in the light of religion"
Gilbert Simondon - "The Genesis of the Individual" (article - *Must* Read, can be found online)
Levi Bryant - Difference and Givenness
Miguel de Beistegui - Truth and Genesis (Beistegui is a Heidegger scholar and half his book is on Heidegger, so this might be up your alley)
Manuel Delanda - Intensive Science and Virtual Philosophy
Daniel Smith - Essays on Deleuze
A working knowledge of Bergson, Kant, and Leibniz would be useful too.
THEN you can try reading Difference and Repeition, and even then it's a good idea to read Henry Somers-Hall's Guide along with it.
Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus are, despite their popularity, the worst places to start IMO!
Putnam
Kripke
Quine
Shestov
Gabriel Marcel
Berdyaev
I'm not sure how to sell anyone on reading them. The first four are important philosophers in the recent history of analytic philosophy. I wanted to explore existentialism as well, and am looking for good role models. Marcel fits the bill. When I started looking into Marcel and Christian Existentialism, I came across Shestov and Berdyaev.
Right now, I'd like to concentrate on Putnam.
Not many well-known Western philosophers actually do this. What little we have of Heraclitus' writings is worth reading (translating however are suspect). Then there is Bergson, who is the father of modern French philosophy and there is enough in his writings to last a lifetime. Stephen Robbins is the only philosopher I have found that can build on Bergson and actually add additional insights. Beyond these authors, I still hunt around looking for interesting insights from those authors who have studied Eastern thought such as Alan Watts. Really deep insights into the nature of nature are tough to find. Most translations of Buddhism and Daoism are seriously wanting, more calibrated as marketing devices as opposed to penetrating philosophy.
Recently I enjoyed Zajonc's book on the nature of light. I very much enjoyed Itzhak Bentov's take on Buddhism and life's journey.
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll keep that in mind when I go back to Deleuze.