Michel Henry

Michel Henry (1922-2002) was a French philosopher and novelist whose work spanned decades and genres while remaining united by a singular vision. In this specially commissioned collection, eight internationally recognized experts on Henry's thought investigate his profound acquaintance with the mystery of life-which he understood as the irreducible bedrock of all reality-in its self-manifestation under the rubrics of phenomenological experience, religion, and praxis. Each chapter investigates a different aspect of Henry's remarkable range of thought, focusing on his special relevance to debates on the relationship of phenomenology and theology as well as to contemporary radical discourses on embodiment and immanence, politics and theory. Henry's phenomenology of life is both deep and demanding, and its relevance to the topics under examination in this book cannot be denied. This collection represents the first sustained effort in coming to an understanding of just how far and wide that relevance reaches. It will not only spark a resurgence in Henry studies, but resonate within that sphere for many years to come.

Introduction, Jeffrey Hanson Part I: Phenomenology 1. The Invisible and the Phenomenon, Jean-Luc Marion 2. The Essence of Life: Drive or Desire? Renaud Barbaras 3. Michel Henry and The Idea of Phenomenology: Immanence, Givenness and Reflection, Jeffrey Hanson and Michel R. Kelly Part II: Christianity, God, and Incarnation 4.Inward Life, Kevin Hart 5. Phenomenology and Soteriology in the 'Christian Trilogy' of Michel Henry Sylvain Camilleri Part III: Theory and Practice 6. 'Truth as the Originary Intelligibility of Life, Rolf Kuhn 7. Towards a Radical Phenomenology of Social Life: Reflections from the Work of Michel Henry, Raphael Gély Index