Introduction

Abstract

This volume centers on the exploration of the ways in which the canonical texts and thinkers of the phenomenological and existential tradition can be utilized to address contemporary, concrete philosophical issues. Within the discipline of philosophy, there are, on the one hand, many thinkers who see philosophy as a process of abstraction in the pure search for theoretical knowledge, without thinking it necessary to explain how philosophy is practically situated. On the other hand, there are a growing number of philosophers who feel that philosophy can and should strive to illuminate and engage with pressing social, moral, and political issues. In the more general sphere of public debate, there are many who question the value of the continued existence of the discipline of philosophy. Especially in the light of serious financial difficulties faced by many colleges and universities, there is a grave demand to justify the practice of philosophy by showing it can have a serious impact on other areas of academic study or some other sort of practical importance. In this book, the authors illustrate the ways in which existential and phenomenological thought can be used to address current, and often pressing, practical issues. Overall, the essays illustrate how ideas rooted in phenomenological and existential interpretations of human existence are open to contemporary ways of engaging with the enduring question of the meaning of human existence.