Neal DeRoo | Institute for Christian Studies (original) (raw)
Papers by Neal DeRoo
This lecture argues for the development of a ‘phenomenological politics’ akin to the ‘phenomenolo... more This lecture argues for the development of a ‘phenomenological politics’ akin to the ‘phenomenological psychology’ of phenomenology’s early days. Drawing on the phenomenological concepts of expression (in Husserl, Derrida and Merleau-Ponty) and spirit (in Husserl and Henry), the paper argues that both subjects and subjectivity are socio-politically (and not simply inter-subjectively) constituted. It then shows the crucial quasi-transcendental role (Guenther; Derrida) that Stiftungen play in that constitution vis-à-vis the transcendental and ultra-transcendental dimensions at play in ‘classical’ transcendental phenomenology. In doing so, the paper suggests that phenomenology is both essentially political and politically essential.
This paper proposes to look at revelation in the mode of expression, rather than manifestation. I... more This paper proposes to look at revelation in the mode of expression, rather than manifestation. In doing so, it looks at two possible ways of thinking divine revelation as operating transcendentality rather than simply as phenomena.
In this paper, I will suggest that Christian philosophy ought not concern itself primarily with C... more In this paper, I will suggest that Christian philosophy ought not concern itself primarily with Christian beliefs, but with explaining the role of spirituality in our intuition of the world. My claim will be that such spirituality is a more "properly basic" level of our experiencing of the world than are beliefs or thoughts.
Epistemology, Archaeology, Ethics : Current Investigations of Husserl’s Corpus
One of fifteen original essays by an international team of expert contributors that together repr... more One of fifteen original essays by an international team of expert contributors that together represent a crosssection of Husserl Studies today. The collection manifests the extent to which single themes in Husserl's corpus cannot be isolated, but must be considered in relation to their overlap with each other. Many of the accepted views of Husserl's philosophy are currently in a state of flux, with positions that once seemed incontestable now finding themselves relegated to the status of one particular school of thought. In this chapter, DeRoo sheds light upon one area of phenomenology, which is Edmund Husserl's positive account of protention.
Schutzian Research, 2015
This paper begins from one of the most commonly found questions in phenomenology, "What is Phenom... more This paper begins from one of the most commonly found questions in phenomenology, "What is Phenomenlogy?", to argue that phenomenology is a trans-disciplinary approach to engaging with the products of human culture. This approach is characterized by paying particular attention to the distinction between facticity and transcendence within "lived experience" so as to help us better articulate and evaluate the promises that animate every human institution. Such a task necessarily requires inter-disciplinary input and helps us engage in our lives-in our shared cultural life-differently.
Presenters explain how in their CORE philosophy class they seek to demonstrate that their student... more Presenters explain how in their CORE philosophy class they seek to demonstrate that their students' real life-spiritual life distinction is symptomatic of a dualism endemic to contemporary Christianity (section 1), and that their reading of Augustine's Confessions can provide a unified and holistic corrective to it (section 2) and that doing so helps students see a more radical vision of Christian faithfulness, one that calls for a holistic, life-wide response to the work of Christ that will not allow for an easy distinction between 'spiritual' life and everyday life (section 3).
Dialogue, 2010
At the heart of Levinas' work is an account of subjectivity that is premised on his account of te... more At the heart of Levinas' work is an account of subjectivity that is premised on his account of temporality. In this regard, Levinas is like many other phenomenologists. However, in order to understand Levinas in this manner, we must first reconceive what Levinas means by 'ethics', so we can see the fundamental continuity in his accounts of subjectivity and temporality. By understanding the continuities, not just within but also between, Levinas' ethical subject and his futural temporality, we are able to reconceive of the scope and method of phenomenology, so as to adequately assess Levinas' influence in that discipline.
Derrida Today, 2011
This paper seeks to examine the significance of Derrida's work for an understanding of the ba... more This paper seeks to examine the significance of Derrida's work for an understanding of the basic tenets of phenomenology. Specifically, via an analysis of his understanding of the subject's relation to the future, we will see that Derrida enhances the phenomenological understanding of temporality and intentionality, thereby moving the project of phenomenology forward in a unique way. This, in turn, suggests that future phenomenological research will have to account for an essential (rather than merely a secondary) role for both linguistic mediation and cultural and political factors within the phenomenological subject itself.
Religions
This work sought to address the question of where religious violence is located in our constituti... more This work sought to address the question of where religious violence is located in our constitution of experience, so as to show how transcendental phenomenology can help us begin to better understand religious violence. The paper begins with an outline of four distinct levels of phenomenological analysis provided by transcendental phenomenology. It then relates those four levels to religious experience, showing that religious violence can refer to violence occurring on all four of those levels. In doing so, it also shows that “religious experience” can refer both to particular experiences we call ‘religious’ and to a dimension of all experiencing. Finally, the paper ends with the suggestion that religious communities wishing to address the question of religious violence must pay attention both to the spiritual force that animates them and to the cultural context in which they express that force.
Religions, 2021
The claim that phenomenology has something to contribute to the study of religion is not new [...]
T he 'theological' turn in phenomenology has proven somewhat controversial, both within phenomeno... more T he 'theological' turn in phenomenology has proven somewhat controversial, both within phenomenology 1 and for theology. 2 Given that phenomenology is allegedly concerned with the 'things themselves,' and that theology is concerned with speaking about God, how can phenomenology speak about theological matters without making God a 'thing,' the object of an experience, thereby missing, perhaps, what is essential about God? On this thinking, 'theological' phenomenology either renders God an object able to be studied phenomenologically, in which case it is unorthodoxly theological; or, it leaves God, the 'object' of its phenomenological investigation, non-objectified, thereby rendering the movement insufficiently phenomenological. In this paper, I will try to circumvent the second claim and, by so doing, hope to contribute something to the first claim as well. That is, by showing how 'theological' phenomenology is in fact rigorously phenomenological, I hope to prove not only its phenomenological weight, but also to show where it might make contributions to theological discourse. To do this, I will examine a major thread of 'theological' phenomenology: the turn to eschatology. 3 While eschatology has become a major talking point in 'theological' phenomenology-from Kearney's micro-eschatology to Lacoste's parousia, Marion's Eucharistic eschatology and even, perhaps,
The presenter states that philosophy in general—and phenomenology in particular—remain predominan... more The presenter states that philosophy in general—and phenomenology in particular—remain predominantly academic endeavors, done by professional philosophers, to professional philosophers, for professional philosophers and that the key to changing this situation and so to recover the public nature of the phenomenological enterprise is to reconceive the task of philosophy as the 2 discernment of the spirits of the age in which we find ourselves. To do this, he highlights two distinct elements of phenomenological methodology that enable it to perform such a task: first, its epistemological claim that the matters to be investigated must be both taken on their own terms (the given) and taken within the context of how those terms are constituted by things outside of themselves; and second, the way it uses rigorous analytic tools in service of clarifying the common, integral life-world. He uses philosophy of religion as a test case to show how these two elements of phenomenological methodolo...
Forum Philosophicum, 2020
This paper develops a phenomenological account of spirituality that can help us think more broadl... more This paper develops a phenomenological account of spirituality that can help us think more broadly and deeply about religion and its role in our lives. It begins by explaining spirituality as a supra-subjective force that shapes a subject’s intuitive engagement with the world (Section I). Then, it shows that such a spirituality is affective in (and affected by) cultural expression (Section II), by way of historically situated institutions or traditions [Stiftungen] (Section III). The last step of the paper will be to connect this account of spirituality to our understanding of religion by articulating four distinct levels of phenomenological analysis that will have emerged in the discussion of spirituality and showing that each of these levels must be accounted for in a distinct way if we want to offer a full-fledged philosophy of religion (Section IV). In so doing, we will see that this account of spirituality potentially helps us see a broader range of things that could count as “...
Open Theology, 2018
This paper: a) offers a phenomenology of the religious that challenges the assumption that “relig... more This paper: a) offers a phenomenology of the religious that challenges the assumption that “religious experience” is primarily to be understood as a type of experience, called ‘religious’ experience, which is distinct from other (i.e., ‘non-religious’) experiences; and b) traces out some implications of this for phenomenological and other scholarly approaches to religion. To achieve these aims, the paper begins by explaining the phenomenological claim-found most explicitly in Husserl and Merleau- Ponty-that all experiences are expressive of a certain kind of spirit. This account of spirit, when applied to the phenomenological understanding of the ‘religious,’ allows us to distinguish between religiosity (as a transcendental structure), religions (as dynamic forces that express that structure), and religious phenomena (as concrete phenomena that express religions). In turn, this tri-partite distinction allows us to explain how religiosity leads to the development of religion in a way...
Essays in Philosophy, 2008
The purpose of this talk is two-fold: first, to lay out a phenomenological justification for why ... more The purpose of this talk is two-fold: first, to lay out a phenomenological justification for why scientific or theoretical investigation must be carried out both within particular disciplines and across various disciplines; and second, to show that such a justification--alluded to with varying levels of explicitness in various works by various figures--itself opens new paths of exploration for phenomenology.
Journal of Phenomenological Psychology
This essay argues that Richard Kearney’s philosophical work has something important to say to phe... more This essay argues that Richard Kearney’s philosophical work has something important to say to phenomenological psychology and, in turn, has something important to learn from it. It begins by highlighting a movement of return after deconstruction, consistent throughout Kearney’s oeuvre, that emerges clearly in the recently published Imagination Now collection—which contains some of Kearney’s most important writings. It then shows how this movement is a fundamentally therapeutic endeavor. A quick review of several recent volumes about Kearney’s work makes clear how his philosophy suggests an embodied and not simply a linguistic approach to therapy. As such, a certain phenomenological psychology is revealed as being implicitly operative in Kearney’s work. The essay then ends by highlighting three possible benefits of having phenomenological psychologists engage with Kearney’s work: a revaluation of the non-cognitive aspects of subjective constitution, a renewed look at the role of both...
This lecture argues for the development of a ‘phenomenological politics’ akin to the ‘phenomenolo... more This lecture argues for the development of a ‘phenomenological politics’ akin to the ‘phenomenological psychology’ of phenomenology’s early days. Drawing on the phenomenological concepts of expression (in Husserl, Derrida and Merleau-Ponty) and spirit (in Husserl and Henry), the paper argues that both subjects and subjectivity are socio-politically (and not simply inter-subjectively) constituted. It then shows the crucial quasi-transcendental role (Guenther; Derrida) that Stiftungen play in that constitution vis-à-vis the transcendental and ultra-transcendental dimensions at play in ‘classical’ transcendental phenomenology. In doing so, the paper suggests that phenomenology is both essentially political and politically essential.
This paper proposes to look at revelation in the mode of expression, rather than manifestation. I... more This paper proposes to look at revelation in the mode of expression, rather than manifestation. In doing so, it looks at two possible ways of thinking divine revelation as operating transcendentality rather than simply as phenomena.
In this paper, I will suggest that Christian philosophy ought not concern itself primarily with C... more In this paper, I will suggest that Christian philosophy ought not concern itself primarily with Christian beliefs, but with explaining the role of spirituality in our intuition of the world. My claim will be that such spirituality is a more "properly basic" level of our experiencing of the world than are beliefs or thoughts.
Epistemology, Archaeology, Ethics : Current Investigations of Husserl’s Corpus
One of fifteen original essays by an international team of expert contributors that together repr... more One of fifteen original essays by an international team of expert contributors that together represent a crosssection of Husserl Studies today. The collection manifests the extent to which single themes in Husserl's corpus cannot be isolated, but must be considered in relation to their overlap with each other. Many of the accepted views of Husserl's philosophy are currently in a state of flux, with positions that once seemed incontestable now finding themselves relegated to the status of one particular school of thought. In this chapter, DeRoo sheds light upon one area of phenomenology, which is Edmund Husserl's positive account of protention.
Schutzian Research, 2015
This paper begins from one of the most commonly found questions in phenomenology, "What is Phenom... more This paper begins from one of the most commonly found questions in phenomenology, "What is Phenomenlogy?", to argue that phenomenology is a trans-disciplinary approach to engaging with the products of human culture. This approach is characterized by paying particular attention to the distinction between facticity and transcendence within "lived experience" so as to help us better articulate and evaluate the promises that animate every human institution. Such a task necessarily requires inter-disciplinary input and helps us engage in our lives-in our shared cultural life-differently.
Presenters explain how in their CORE philosophy class they seek to demonstrate that their student... more Presenters explain how in their CORE philosophy class they seek to demonstrate that their students' real life-spiritual life distinction is symptomatic of a dualism endemic to contemporary Christianity (section 1), and that their reading of Augustine's Confessions can provide a unified and holistic corrective to it (section 2) and that doing so helps students see a more radical vision of Christian faithfulness, one that calls for a holistic, life-wide response to the work of Christ that will not allow for an easy distinction between 'spiritual' life and everyday life (section 3).
Dialogue, 2010
At the heart of Levinas' work is an account of subjectivity that is premised on his account of te... more At the heart of Levinas' work is an account of subjectivity that is premised on his account of temporality. In this regard, Levinas is like many other phenomenologists. However, in order to understand Levinas in this manner, we must first reconceive what Levinas means by 'ethics', so we can see the fundamental continuity in his accounts of subjectivity and temporality. By understanding the continuities, not just within but also between, Levinas' ethical subject and his futural temporality, we are able to reconceive of the scope and method of phenomenology, so as to adequately assess Levinas' influence in that discipline.
Derrida Today, 2011
This paper seeks to examine the significance of Derrida's work for an understanding of the ba... more This paper seeks to examine the significance of Derrida's work for an understanding of the basic tenets of phenomenology. Specifically, via an analysis of his understanding of the subject's relation to the future, we will see that Derrida enhances the phenomenological understanding of temporality and intentionality, thereby moving the project of phenomenology forward in a unique way. This, in turn, suggests that future phenomenological research will have to account for an essential (rather than merely a secondary) role for both linguistic mediation and cultural and political factors within the phenomenological subject itself.
Religions
This work sought to address the question of where religious violence is located in our constituti... more This work sought to address the question of where religious violence is located in our constitution of experience, so as to show how transcendental phenomenology can help us begin to better understand religious violence. The paper begins with an outline of four distinct levels of phenomenological analysis provided by transcendental phenomenology. It then relates those four levels to religious experience, showing that religious violence can refer to violence occurring on all four of those levels. In doing so, it also shows that “religious experience” can refer both to particular experiences we call ‘religious’ and to a dimension of all experiencing. Finally, the paper ends with the suggestion that religious communities wishing to address the question of religious violence must pay attention both to the spiritual force that animates them and to the cultural context in which they express that force.
Religions, 2021
The claim that phenomenology has something to contribute to the study of religion is not new [...]
T he 'theological' turn in phenomenology has proven somewhat controversial, both within phenomeno... more T he 'theological' turn in phenomenology has proven somewhat controversial, both within phenomenology 1 and for theology. 2 Given that phenomenology is allegedly concerned with the 'things themselves,' and that theology is concerned with speaking about God, how can phenomenology speak about theological matters without making God a 'thing,' the object of an experience, thereby missing, perhaps, what is essential about God? On this thinking, 'theological' phenomenology either renders God an object able to be studied phenomenologically, in which case it is unorthodoxly theological; or, it leaves God, the 'object' of its phenomenological investigation, non-objectified, thereby rendering the movement insufficiently phenomenological. In this paper, I will try to circumvent the second claim and, by so doing, hope to contribute something to the first claim as well. That is, by showing how 'theological' phenomenology is in fact rigorously phenomenological, I hope to prove not only its phenomenological weight, but also to show where it might make contributions to theological discourse. To do this, I will examine a major thread of 'theological' phenomenology: the turn to eschatology. 3 While eschatology has become a major talking point in 'theological' phenomenology-from Kearney's micro-eschatology to Lacoste's parousia, Marion's Eucharistic eschatology and even, perhaps,
The presenter states that philosophy in general—and phenomenology in particular—remain predominan... more The presenter states that philosophy in general—and phenomenology in particular—remain predominantly academic endeavors, done by professional philosophers, to professional philosophers, for professional philosophers and that the key to changing this situation and so to recover the public nature of the phenomenological enterprise is to reconceive the task of philosophy as the 2 discernment of the spirits of the age in which we find ourselves. To do this, he highlights two distinct elements of phenomenological methodology that enable it to perform such a task: first, its epistemological claim that the matters to be investigated must be both taken on their own terms (the given) and taken within the context of how those terms are constituted by things outside of themselves; and second, the way it uses rigorous analytic tools in service of clarifying the common, integral life-world. He uses philosophy of religion as a test case to show how these two elements of phenomenological methodolo...
Forum Philosophicum, 2020
This paper develops a phenomenological account of spirituality that can help us think more broadl... more This paper develops a phenomenological account of spirituality that can help us think more broadly and deeply about religion and its role in our lives. It begins by explaining spirituality as a supra-subjective force that shapes a subject’s intuitive engagement with the world (Section I). Then, it shows that such a spirituality is affective in (and affected by) cultural expression (Section II), by way of historically situated institutions or traditions [Stiftungen] (Section III). The last step of the paper will be to connect this account of spirituality to our understanding of religion by articulating four distinct levels of phenomenological analysis that will have emerged in the discussion of spirituality and showing that each of these levels must be accounted for in a distinct way if we want to offer a full-fledged philosophy of religion (Section IV). In so doing, we will see that this account of spirituality potentially helps us see a broader range of things that could count as “...
Open Theology, 2018
This paper: a) offers a phenomenology of the religious that challenges the assumption that “relig... more This paper: a) offers a phenomenology of the religious that challenges the assumption that “religious experience” is primarily to be understood as a type of experience, called ‘religious’ experience, which is distinct from other (i.e., ‘non-religious’) experiences; and b) traces out some implications of this for phenomenological and other scholarly approaches to religion. To achieve these aims, the paper begins by explaining the phenomenological claim-found most explicitly in Husserl and Merleau- Ponty-that all experiences are expressive of a certain kind of spirit. This account of spirit, when applied to the phenomenological understanding of the ‘religious,’ allows us to distinguish between religiosity (as a transcendental structure), religions (as dynamic forces that express that structure), and religious phenomena (as concrete phenomena that express religions). In turn, this tri-partite distinction allows us to explain how religiosity leads to the development of religion in a way...
Essays in Philosophy, 2008
The purpose of this talk is two-fold: first, to lay out a phenomenological justification for why ... more The purpose of this talk is two-fold: first, to lay out a phenomenological justification for why scientific or theoretical investigation must be carried out both within particular disciplines and across various disciplines; and second, to show that such a justification--alluded to with varying levels of explicitness in various works by various figures--itself opens new paths of exploration for phenomenology.
Journal of Phenomenological Psychology
This essay argues that Richard Kearney’s philosophical work has something important to say to phe... more This essay argues that Richard Kearney’s philosophical work has something important to say to phenomenological psychology and, in turn, has something important to learn from it. It begins by highlighting a movement of return after deconstruction, consistent throughout Kearney’s oeuvre, that emerges clearly in the recently published Imagination Now collection—which contains some of Kearney’s most important writings. It then shows how this movement is a fundamentally therapeutic endeavor. A quick review of several recent volumes about Kearney’s work makes clear how his philosophy suggests an embodied and not simply a linguistic approach to therapy. As such, a certain phenomenological psychology is revealed as being implicitly operative in Kearney’s work. The essay then ends by highlighting three possible benefits of having phenomenological psychologists engage with Kearney’s work: a revaluation of the non-cognitive aspects of subjective constitution, a renewed look at the role of both...
this paper explains how thinking of Caputo's radical theology as a transcendental phenomenology h... more this paper explains how thinking of Caputo's radical theology as a transcendental phenomenology helps us clarify several key moments of his radical theological project, including his account of God, the relation between religiosity and determinate religions, and the nature of the radicality at work in radical theology.