Jean-Luc Nancy: Transimmanence PDF

Jean-Luc Nancy “Reality as transimmanent” PHIL 223 Ms. Michelle McCallum - VC 1 Recap: Jean-Paul Sartre Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre famous book - Being and Nothingness Sartre’s philosophy was especially indebted to Heidegger’s work. A typi...

Jean-Luc Nancy “Reality as transimmanent” PHIL 223 Ms. Michelle McCallum - VC 1 Recap: Jean-Paul Sartre Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre famous book - Being and Nothingness Sartre’s philosophy was especially indebted to Heidegger’s work. A typical existentialist concern was related to act and exercise your freedom. Division between existentialist philosophers was between theism and atheism. phenomena - as they appear to human consciousness Sartre’s distinction between “being- for- itself” and “being-in –it-self” : Which refers to the distinction between “consciousness” and “non- consciousness”. 2  Getting familiar with terminology in SU 8 Transimmanence rejects any “outside of this world” as another world. Eschatology (Es-cha-tology) the part of theology concerned with death, judgement, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind. Transcendence is the basic ground concept from the word's literal meaning (from Latin), of climbing or going beyond. Immanence – The state of being inherent or exclusively existing within something. 3 Introduction: Jean-Luc Nancy (1940-2021): Transimmanence Wrote on Jacques Lacan, Hegel, Heidegger, Descartes, Kant and Derrida Had a heart transplant – book and movie The Intruder followed (what is real?) Books on: Community, Freedom, Sense of the World, Being Singular Plural Focus here only on his idea of transimmanence vs transcendence and immanence 4  Introduction We live in a post-metaphysical age – Still a renewed interest in transcendence especially in the intersection of philosophy, religion and theology. Several reasons for this: The important link between the future (eschatology) and transcendence (the unknown-lies beyond). In SA philosophers has engaged in exploring concepts of transcendence. Many books written of the concept transcendence in contemporary philosophy – theological discourses and the need to reconceptualize it. WHY DOES TRANSCENDENCE ATTRACT SO MUCH ATTENTION? 5  Introduction The understanding of transcendence immanence pair the late modern period is determined by the critique of metaphysics. The broader historical context: Trans (“across“) and the action of ascending (“to climb”) Points out the type of “crossing over” to some place above or outside the world. An ascension to an “outside world”. 6  Plato’s distinction- Being is radically transcendent (eternal forms) - (beyond all being, and it is the cause of it, linked to the supreme being, the divine, something outside this world). Such a way of speaking (metaphysical way) of speaking about transcendence (God) was immensely critisised in the modern period by: Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger. Nietzsche: No other reality, no true foundation, only this life. After this critique of metaphysics, the inevitable question arose if and how it is still possible to speak of transcendence? 7  Attempts by phenomenologist : Levinas and Marion – distinguished transcendence from immanence. We live in a post- metaphysical age – so options are: 1. Hyper-transcendence – transcendence which is ever more beyond; not knowable (this devalues the body and our lives on an immanent level) Critique: It is too distant/ unreachable). 2. Post-transcendence – Emphasis on the notion that we should put transcendence behind us - no transcendence; be content with our mundane immanent world and being. Possibly a 3rd transcendence: Immanent – transcendence. Meaning that one first has experience of this world, as reality as immanence, and then one may also have the experience of transcendence. 8 Why are we still searching for transcendence regarding our being? (Page 3-6) Self-transcendence – humans are self-transcending beings because we ‘transcend’ the world in speaking about it and giving it value Value and meaning of being needed – some grounds needed to value our others’ existence Immanence remains self-referential – it refers to itself for its foundation and therefore lacking a foundation Transcendence has a normative character – it provided traditionally people with norms and ethics Immanence is too reductive – continuous experience of reality as a subjective force, ultimate sense of life Postmodern thinking – more than rationality; not a return to old forms of transcendence Link with the future – future is the unknown, lies beyond, surpasses our experience (transcendent) 9 Can we think beyond immanence and transcendence about being and reality? Are our options in a post-metaphysical age only immanence (as post-transcendence) and transcendence (as hyper-transcendence)? Jean Luc Nancy: No! Immanence and transcendence are both inadequate to understand our being Existence: multiple relations in the world, but it remains an immanent world which joins, plays, speaks, shares it sense These relations between the modes of being and existing in the world creates an open- immanence – ever moving, diverse, multi- refracted; still ‘absolutely immanent’ Transimmanence is this open-immanence of being; not a balance between the immanent and the transcendent (outside) of the world; remains immanent but it is open ‘within this world’ to share the possibilities of meaning between beings 10  Can we think beyond immanence and transcendence about being and reality? Transimmanence is not just immanence because: 1. Nancy still recognises the ‘outside of the world’ (something more than the world and where it gets it sense from); this ‘outside’ is located ‘inside human experiences’; extension of our world with no real other world; we only have an ‘outside within’ us and the world; between us we circulate sense of the world, of being; this the trans of our being 2. Transimmanence is in tension with immanence that is enclosed and self-constituted; with closed immanence the interior is constituted by the exterior (radical immanence as/or transcendence); open-immanence is a “totality of infinite relationships without exteriority” Closed immanence would be a step back to the immanence- transcendence dichotomy; open-immanence as transimmanence is an alternative E.g. art which is the transcendence of immanence as such Not a crossing over to another world, but a crossing entirely within this world; ek-sistant (point from where to act) rather than ex-static (standing out, self-transcendence) 11  Transimmanence as a way to understand being and reality Transimmanence means to be ‘open’ in an immanent (closed) world to the sense (meaning) that circulates (cut across; trans-) between beings “the dynamic, ceaselessly flowing of the world, which evolves and revolves into ever more textured and artfully ex-posited complexity” Transcendence is rejected completely; no exteriority of the world; existence not determined of closed Not a choice for immanence, rather an open- immanence, ‘outside within’, existential openness Transimmanence allows for: 1) the experience of transcending our world, 2) find value and meaning in the sense of the world, 3) not completely self-referential, 4) ethical meaning in the sense found between us, 5) is not reductive immanence, 6) allows for postmodern thinking/return of transcendence, 7) a future that is totally transcendent/unknown 12 Transimmanence as a way to understand being and reality Transimmanence allows for: 1) the experience of transcending our world, 2) find value and meaning in the sense of the world, 3) not completely self-referential, 4) ethical meaning in the sense found between us, 5) is not reductive immanence, 6) allows for postmodern thinking/return of transcendence, 7) a future that is totally transcendent/unknown 13 Semester test information 14 Important reminders: Check the schedule 15