James L. Marsh Boeken

The book presents a mediated dialogue between critical modernism and postmodernism through the works of Marsh and Caputo, exploring their differing views on the role of reason in creating a humane society. While Marsh draws from Habermas and Caputo from Derrida, both philosophers integrate their extensive backgrounds in continental philosophy and Christianity. The debate centers on the political implications of reason, with Westphal facilitating the discussion, advocating for an engagement with the tension between the two philosophical perspectives rather than seeking a synthesis.

Exploring the intersection of metaphysics and philosophy of religion, this work presents a North American philosophy of liberation. It begins with existential phenomenology, advancing through a liberating interpretation of Christ, and culminates in a critique of neo-imperialism. The book ultimately seeks to define the appropriate theory and practice of liberation for individuals living in the centers of power in North America and Western Europe, addressing the challenges and responsibilities of such positions.

This book is a philosophical-literary reflection on the condition of the possibility of radical intellectual life, art, culture, politics, and religion in the contemporary United States. The standpoint assumed and defended in this reflection is that of critical modernism, a principled commitment to a radical leftist version of modern, western rationality. In this book of fragments such rationality emerges, after encounters with liberalism, conservatism, and postmodernism, as the preferable form of rationality.