Thinking After Europe

More than any other volume, Thinking after Europe demonstrates the philosophical and political relevance of Patočka. Not only does it include two new texts written by Patočka, it also presents new essays on Patočka written by the best scholars. Thinking after Europe runs through political dissidence to political phenomenology, to the philosophy of history, and the rethinking of community – in order to arrive at the very question of Europe. This is an immensely valuable collection. -- Leonard Lawlor, Sparks Professor of Philosophy, Penn State University
Thinking after Europe makes important contributions to both phenomenology and political philosophy. Exploring the neglected political dimensions of Patočka’s a-subjective phenomenology, these essays show how its grounding in a provocative rethinking of human historicity affords productive new philosophical resources for engaging critically with vital issues of global significance. With phenomenology at a methodological crossroads and enlightened political thought prone to naïve optimism or undue pessimism, this stimulating reconsideration of Patočka’s ‘heretical’ project is timely and very welcome indeed. -- Bryan Smyth, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, University of Mississippi
Even if the problem of the political, in all its dimensions, was always at the centre of Patočka’s work, it has never before been the object of an exhaustive and profound study. This book, edited by Francesco Tava and Darian Meacham, changes that. For Patočka the question of the political is inseparable from phenomenology itself. This is clear across his theory of the three movements of human existence, but also in the themes of community, dissidence, history, and finally the meaning and current situation of of Europe. This book takes on all these questions in a rigorous, lucid, and profound fashion. It is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in Patočka’s work. -- Renaud Barbaras, Professor of Contemporary Philosophy, University of Paris 1 (Sorbonne)