Rethinking God as Gift: Marion, Derrida, and the Limits of Phenomenology (Perspectives in Continental Philosophy) [Paperback]

Robyn Horner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0823221229 | ISBN-13: 978-0823221226 | Publication Date: July 1, 2001 | Edition: 4

Rethinking God as Gift is situated at the intersection of philosophy, critical theory and theology. The first sustained study of the work of Jean-Luc Marion in English, it offers a unique perspective on contemporary questions and their theological relevance. Taking its point of departure from the problem of the gift as articulated by Jacques Derrida, who argues that the conditions of possibility of the gift are also its conditions of impossibility, Horner pursues a series of questions concerning the nature of thought, the viability of phenomenology, and, most urgently, the possibility of grace. For Marion, phenomenology, as the thought of the given, offers a path for philosophy to proceed without being implicated in metaphysics. His retrieval of several important insights of Edmund Husserl, along with his reading of Martin Heidegger and Emmanuel Lvinas, enables him to work out a phenomenology where even impossiblephenomena such as revelation and the gift might be examined. In this important confrontation between Marion and Derrida issues vital to the negotiation of postmodern concerns in philosophy and theology emerge with vigour. The careful elucidation of those issues in an interdisciplinary context, and the snapshot it provides of the state of contemporary debate, make Rethinking God as Gift an important contribution to theological and philosophical discussion.

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About the Author

Robyn Horner is Professor of Religion and Theology at Monash University in Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Fordham University Press; 4 edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823221229
• ISBN-13: 978-0823221226
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Evaluation, May 9, 2009

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This review is from: Rethinking God as Gift: Marion, Derrida, and the Limits of Phenomenology (Perspectives in Continental Philosophy) (Paperback)

Robyn Horner provides a clear and readable history of the development of the gift discourse, noting the involvement of ontotheology, phenomenology, etc. Horner also provides an analysis of both Jean-Luc Marion and Jacques Derrida that is simultaneously critical and respectful. She is considerably more complimentary to Marion than John Caputo, without negating the important work of Derrida. It is an excellent review of the major players in the gift conversation with an epilogue in which Horner makes her own very important contribution to the discussion.