Carnal Hermeneutics

"Certain dualities, spirit vs. body, idea vs. sensation, self vs. the world, etc., have long dominated, often injuriously, much Western thinking. In this remarkable volume, the editors, along with some of the most important voices in the Continental tradition, allow hermeneutics to go 'all the way down' and in so doing move beyond these dualities by taking more seriously the 'surplus of meaning arising from our carnal embodiment.' What emerges is a reenergized and radically embodied or 'incarnational' hermeneutics that opens new vistas for religious, environmental, and artistic thinking. This is an important and consequential collection." -- -Jason M. Wirth Seattle University "Richard Kearney and Brian Treanor have assembled a remarkable collection of essays by important recent philosophers devoted to the surprising intersection of 'carnal' and 'hermeneutics' -the body as interpreter as well as interpreted. The British, French and American authors explore the existential, environmental and religious implications of a philosophy of the body." -- -David Carr Emory University "Carnal Hermeneutics brings together essays from some of the most prominent philosophers writing today. These excellent essays challenge us to think through the body in every sense. This collection makes an important contribution to philosophy of embodiment. The very idea of carnal hermeneutics is breath-taking." -- -Kelly Oliver Vanderbilt University "In response to the apparent 'non-relevance' of traditional phenomenological hermeneutics, must those scholars who continue to cling to a more 'conservative' perspective capitulate to the various nihilisms, to the critiques of correlationalism, or to the solid reductionism of speculative realism? Richard Kearney and Brian Treanor answer with an insistent 'No!' Indeed, they seek to infuse the debate with a dialogical energy that will keep the process moving and flesh renewed. That would not be a bad embodiment of a carnal hermeneutics." -- -B. Keith Putt Samford University