Knowing Other-Wise: Philosophy at the Threshold of Spirituality

Abstract

Recent discussions in the various circles of feminism, postmodernism, and environmentalism have begun to make clear that ontology and epistemology without ethics is deadly - oppressive to women, oppressive to men, oppressive to the earth. In response to this crisis of reason in modernity, this collection of essays suggests the importance of knowing other-wise, non-rational ways of knowing which are wise to the other- a spiritual knowing of the heart with the passionate eye of love. Knowing Otherwise calls into question the Western philosophical tradition of giving pride of place to reason in the acquisition of knowledge. Reasoning is only one of many ways in which we engage, i.e. know, the world. We know more than we think. We know by touch, by feel, by taste, by sight, by sounds, by smell, by symbols, by sex, by trust - by means of every modality of human experience. Philosophy becomes, in the fashion of Levinas, the wisdom of love at the service of love. Tracing connections between epistemology, ethics, and spirituality - between knowing and the other, between an other and the Other - all the essays serve as points of convergence between postmodern discussions and the Calvinian spirituality which is the home for writers in this collection. In particular, this collection explores the contributions of feminist thought and thinkers such as Emmanuel Levinas, Richard Rorty, Jacqes Derrida, and John D. Caputo to a spiritually and ethically sensitive knowing...remarkably accessible ...indispensable for Christians who perceive a second, more positive postmodernism.-Third Way ...remarkably accessible ...indispensable for Christians who perceive a second, more positive postmodernism. Third Way

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