Phenomenology

This translation of Lyotard's first book, La Phenomenologie, supplies an important link to Lyotard's more recent works. Phenomenology presents a commentary on the phenomenological movement. From the dual perspectives of a work on, and of, phenomenology, Lyotard's text profiles the different aspects of phenomenology, focusing particularly on the writings of Hegel, Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, and Tran Duc Thao. Phenomenology marks a particular episode in Lyotard's reflections on the "philosophical project" and is emblematic of his critical reflections on philosophy's involvements in routine, daily commitments. Like Merleau-Ponty, in this work Lyotard eliminates philosophy as a "separate existence." Beyond offering an account of certain phenomenological themes, Lyotard's commentary explicates phenomenology's relevance to psychology, sociology, and history.

Jean Francois Lyotard is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the Universite de Paris VIII and Professor of French and Italian at the University of California at Irvine. He is the author of Discourse, Figure; Economie Libidinae; Driftworks; The Postmodern Condition; The Differend; Peregrinations; and with Jean-Loup Thebaud, Just Gaming. Brian Beakley is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Eastern Illinois University. Gayle L. Ormiston is Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Kent State University. He is co-editor of The Hermeneutic Tradition: From Ast to Ricoeur, and Transforming the Hermeneutic Context: From Nietzsche to Nancy, both published by SUNY Press.