EROS AND ERIS

PHAENOMENOLOGICA COLLECTION FONDEE PAR H.L. V AN BREDA ET PUBLIEE

SOUS LE PATRONAGE DES CENTRES D' ARCHIVES-HUSSERL

127

EROS AND ERIS Contributions to a Hermeneutical Phenomenology

Liber Amicorum for Adriaan Peperzak

Edited by PAUL V AN TONGEREN, PAUL SARS, CHRIS BREMMERS and KOEN BOEY

Comite de redaction de la collection: President: S. Usseling (Leuven)

Membres: L. Landgrebet (Kln), W. Marx (Freiburg i. Br.), J.N. Mohanty (Philadelphia), P. Ricreur (Paris), E. Strker (Kln),

J. Taminiaux (Louvain-la-Neuve), Secretaire: J. Taminiaux

EROS AND ERIS Contributions to a Hermeneutical Phenomenology

Liber Amicorum tor Adriaan Peperzak

Edited by PAUL VAN TONGEREN, PAUL SARS, CHRIS BREMMERS and

KOEN BOEY

.. SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Eros and Eris : contributions ta a hermeneutical phenomenology : liber amicorum for Adriaan Peperzak I edited by Paul van Tongeren .. [et a 1. J.

p. cm. -- (Phaenomenologica ; 1271 Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-90-481-4189-0 ISBN 978-94-017-1464-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-1464-8 1. Philosophy. 2. Religion. r. Peperzak, Adriaan Theodoor,

1929- II. Tongeren, Paul van. III. Series. B29.E74 1992 100--dc20 92-25665

ISBN 978-90-481-4189-0

printed an acid-free paper

AII Rights Reserved 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1992 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or

utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, induding photocopying, recording or by any information storage and

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Table of Contents

Preface v

Introduction ix

Emmanuel Levinas Lettre de FeHcitation xv

SamuelIJsseling Eros and Eris: The Trojan War and Heidegger on the Essence of Truth 1

Michael Theunissen Hesiods theogonische Eris 11

Klaus Dsing Wandlungen der Tugendlehre bei Platon und Aristoteles 25

Franco Chiereghin ber den tragischen Charakter des Handelns bei Aristoteles und Hegel 39

Robert Bernasconi At War within Oneself: Augustine's Phenomenology of the Will in the Confessions 57

RemoBodei Strategien des Begehrens: Liebe und Konflikt bei Augustinus

Desire F. Scheltens L'Absolu et le Relatif dans la Doctrine Bonaventurienne. Le Dernier Horizon de la Pensee

William J. Richardson "Like Straw": Religion and Psychoanalysis

Louis Dupre The Mystical Theology of Cusanus's De Visione Dei

67

79

93

105

VI T ABLE OF CONTENTS

loseph l. Kockelmans From Necessity to Possibility 119

Guiliano Marini Kants Idee einer Weltrepublik 133

Gwendoline larczyk and Pierre-lean Labarriere Hegel und das absolute Wissen 147

lean-Franr;ois Courtine Critique et Systeme de la Metaphysique dans la Derniere Philoso-phie de Schelling 161

Cornelis Verhoeven "Do Not Forget the Whip". Notes on a Pronouncement of Nietzsche 177

Otto Pggeler Die Einheit der phnomenologischen Philosophie 189

lohn Sallis Spacing Imagination. Husserl and the Phenomenology of Imagina-tion 201

lean-Luc Marion Le Possible et la ReveIation 217

lacques Co lette L'Ardeur de la Pensee 233

lean Greisch Das Leibphnomen: ein Versumnis von Sein und Zeit

Alphonso Lingis The Destination

Urbain Dhondt

243

263

Ethics, History, Religion. The Limits of the Philosophy ofLevinas 273

Theo deBoer Feindschaft, Freundschaft und Leiblichkeit bei Levinas

Paul Ricoeur Fragilite et Responsabilite

AdPeperzak Curriculum Vitae and Publications

Personalia

281

295

305

311

Preface

This collection of essays is published in honour of Adriaan Peperzak on the occasion of bis leaving the Department of Philosophy of the Catholic University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He taught at this university on different chairs for almost 30 years. In 1991 he has been appointed to the Arthur Schmitt-Chair for Philosophy at Loyola University in Chicago. We are very grateful to the editors and the publisher of the Phaenomenologica for their willingness to accept this collection for publication in their series. Mrs. I. Lombaerts and Mr. St. Spileers of the Husserl-Archives in Louvain offered their indispensable assistance in the proofreading. H. Wanningen assisted the editors with translating and proofreading. We also thank the Department of Philosophy of the Catholic University Nijmegen, and the Radboud Foundation for their financial support.

Nijmegen, June 1992 PAUL J. M. VAN TONGEREN PAUL L. M. SARS CHRIS J. G. BREMMERS KOEN J. L. BOEY

Introduction

The title of this compilation combines two concepts that are opposites as well as inseparable: 'Eros and Eris'. They are joined together by Eros and separated in a fruitful field of tension or 'Auseinandersetzung'. Actually, both of these concepts refer to difference as weH as unity. Eros, for example, implies - among other things - the unity of adesire which is defined by a difference it entails or is related to something else or someone else; Eris, among other things, indicates a struggle or field of tension referrlng to a motivation which unifies and separates. Both concepts combined probably represent the life of a human being in relation to hirnself, others and reality. At any rate, they are characteristic of the way that mankind got to know itself and let the world know about its being in the history of Western culture and the way that man understands reality.

The contributions in this compilation display the originality and creativity of Eros and Eris, and their important role in the history of our culture, particularly in the history of philosophy. On the threshold of that history, Homer, Hesiod and Heraclitus, each in his own way, give evidence of this prominent role (cf. notably the contributions of IJsseling and Theunissen). In Ancient Greece they show their tragical dimension (Chiereghin). Klaus Dsing demonstrates how Plato and Aristotle in their ethics of virtue try to transform the "many-headed monster" of adesire with no sense of modera-tion into a harmonie form of living and living together. Since the Middle Ages Eros and Eris have occurred in new ways of thinking, inspired by Christianity: in the discovery of St. Augustine of the will colliding with itself and the solution of this inner conflict by means of a higher love (Bernasconi), in the longing for God (Dupre on Cusanus and Richardson on St. Thomas) and in the "light metaphysics" of St. Bonaventure (Scheltens).

The twin concepts 'Eros and Eris' also characterize Ad Peperzak: not only his life in its particularity, but also - and most of all - his works that have woven themselves into the history of Western culture, since his earliest steps on the ''way of thinking".l To Ad Peperzak philosophy is the erotic and the eristic: it is urged on by a longing for "true reality" in both a theoretical and practical sense, and it manifests itself as a struggle with itself, with the tradi-

x INTRODUCTION

tion which determines it and with others.2 The concentration, purity and true-to-life quality that philosophy requires, can only be approached in a constant struggle against prejudices, fashions, vanities, addictions and seduc-tions. Philosophy only flourishes when, on the one hand, thinking has its own motivation, independent and answerable to itself, and, on the other hand, knows it owes a debt to tradition, is dependent and limited. Thinking can only discover its own possibilities and impossibilities and become ''itself'' by

~ means of a critical hermeneutical recapturing of the tradition it is part of, and by means of entering into a dialogue with others, with those who agree and with those who do not agree.

The works in which Ad Peperzak carries on this dialogue in the interna-tional forum are included in a selective bibliography at the end of this book.3 His books and articles as well as the various contributions of this compilation display the intrigue and development of this dialogue and the specifically philosophical effort to justify it methodologically as a dialogue on the basis of an ontology and a philosophy of history in which intersubjectivity has a constitutive meaning.4 The dialogue with itself, with the tradition and with others is the arena where Eros and Eris meet in a struggle for the, inescap-ably desired, true reality. Although the philosopher adopts the attitude of an apprentice in this discussion, the dialogue is also a struggle which makes its own demands on the thinker: "Every conversation is a force field. One must be strong, to strengthen the position of truth".5

Because of their plurality and diversity the following contributions also reflect the extensive field where this dialogue is held in the works of Ad Peperzak. The discussion primarily concerns metaphysics and epistemology, but also the philosophy of religion, ethics (which Ad Peperzak, inspired by Levinas, increasingly considers to be primary philosophy), the philosophy of socio-politics and anthropology.6 All these disciplines are represented in this compilation. The themes of the contributions vary from truth to war, from the virtues to imagination, from woman and marriage to the question of being and certainty. Thus, a multitude of disciplines and topics will be discussed in their diversity and connection, a multitude which itself is a fruitful articula-tion of the field of tension mentioned above. Furthermore, the contents of this book will demonstrate Ad Peperzak's exceptionally deep knowledge of the history of Western philosophy. Ancient philosophy has already been referred to in the foregoing. In this compilation, modern philosophy is mainly represented by German idealism; this is not surprising, considering Ad Peperzak's considerable scientific contribution to this field.7 In his article, Kockelmans points out how "the possible" is gradually gaining ground on "the necessary" in the history of modern philosophy. The philosophy of Kant, Hegel and Schelling is discussed by Marini, Labarriere and J arczyk, and Courtine; the titles of their contributions contain key words characteristic of the ways of thinking explored, "Weltrepublik", "das absolute Wissen", "critique et systeme de la mitaphysique". After all, the "great systems" of German idealism pre-eminently represent the longing for unity and integration re-

IN1RODUCTION xi

claimed from diversity, changeability and strangeness; although these systems were already criticised within the movement itself. The counter-movement against this philosophy and the whole of its previous history was initiated by Nietzsche, thinker of differences from the very beginning. In his contribution, Cornelis Verhoeven reflects on the German philosopher's famous saying concerning women. Colette is inspired by Kierkegaard in an exploration of the "ardour" of philosophical thinking, which has faced the task of a new beginning since the nineteenth century, after the "completion" of (idealistic) philosophy. It would be impossible to understand the role that the history of philosophy plays in Ad Peperzak's method of developing systematic phi-losophy without focusing on the hermeneutical turn in philosophy in the twentieth century; in terms of the continental tradition that mainly means: in phenomenology. The subtitle of this compilation refers to the whole of the texts coHected as: "contributions to a hermeneutical phenomenology". Otto Pggeler's article raises the question of whether Ad Peperzak, whose ideas are intrinsically linked with philosophers with strongly varying views, such as Kant and Hegel, Ricoeur and Levinas, isn't attempting to reconcile incom-patible ideas. He goes on to ask to what extent a tradition of conflicts and multiformity as weH as a pluralistic reality can be combined in a "hermeneu-tical philosophy". "Phenomenology" can still represent the intention and the telos of philosophy. Indeed, true philosophy always is phenomenology, insofar as it is led by the concern to "save the phenomena" and attempts to make reality manifest, to let reality speak of itself and for itself, to let it become phenomenon.

This adage of "zu den Sachen selbst" also remains the point of departure for phenomenology in the strict sense of the word, in spite of all the com-plications and modifications that have occurred. Husserl tried to give phi-losophy back its "Sitz im Leben" - against an abstract empiricism and rationalism - but at the same time he wanted to maintain the idealistic pretension of philosophy. This field of tension, characteristic of the idea of intentionality and Husserl's phenomenology, is particularly expressed in the contributions of Marion and Sallis: the former discusses the possibility of the "presence of God", the latter explores the "presence of absence" in the imagination.

Several articles discuss the way in which the project of phenomenology was radicalized and reflected on, particularly in the works of Heidegger and Levinas. Heidegger has radicalized Husserl's "empiricism" and idealism by taking a different point of departure; instead of Husserl's "perception" Heidegger opts for the whole way in which man relates to reality, and at the same time he points out that all understanding is apriori determined and limited by the "order of discourse" and the movement of time and history, in which life and thinking are involved. Philosophy is an attempt to discover, explain and question the grounds we stand on and the linguistic and his-torical elements in which we are already situated, with regard to their possibilities and impossibilities. The same goes for Heidegger's own

Xll INTRODUCTION

"ground", as Jean Greisch shows by discussing the meaning of "corporality" in Heidegger's phenomenology. Levinas not only radicalizes and criticaHy reflects on Husserl's phenomenology as an "autonomous egology", but also the hermeneutical movement of philosophy, which he regards as illustrative for the "Odyssee" of Western philosophy. In his later lectures Ad Peperzak at times referred to his "discovery" of Levinas' writings as an "earthquake". The contributions of Lingis, Dhondt and De Boer show the radical questions Levinas' thinking poses to philosophy, as weH as the fruitful exploration of old and new ways of thinking, an exploration made possible by these questions.

Although the contributions to this compilation are organized in a linear-chronological order, they all carry out their own hermeneutical movement in the history of philosophy on the basis of a commitment with our life, here and now, and a thematic, professional interest. The starting point remains the same: what actuaHy appears and makes us think and what by the very fact of its appearance asks for attention and explanation. That which asks for interpretation, as weH as the way in which the dimension of contingency of the interpretandum in its explanation is preserved or transcended, as weH as the way in which the explanation is expected to generate meaning and truth or at least to refer to meaning and truth; all of these vary in the foHowing contributions, a variety which also occurs with regard to the authors these texts refer to. Nevertheless, these texts are joined by a common tradition, irrespective of the flexibility of that tradition as a history of interpreting and reinterpreting (cf. pggeler).

The project of phenomenology has to be made more explicit and open by means of a confrontation with what is different from it and at the same time is joined to it in its differences. On the one hand, this includes its previous history, notably the German idealism and Hegel's phenomenology (1) (cf. Labarriere and Jarczyk on Hegel and Courtine on Schelling); on the other hand, the transgression of the phenomenological description in Levinas' philosophy of the absolute exteriority (cf. Lingis, Dhondt and De Boer).

Heidegger's conception of phenomenology puts forward the archaic and pre-philosophical classical Greek thinking as a purer form of phenomenology than phenomenology itself (cf. IJsseling). Some phenomena only appear and only become meaningful if the distortions produced by the prevailing frame-works of interpretation are overcome (cf. Theunissen: the insight gained in an "elementary phenomenology" by an elaborate explanation of Hesiod's text). The interest in classical tragedy (cf. Chiereghin) and ethics of virtue (cf. Dsing) is by no means self-evident or an act of piety to honour ancient times; it appears in the context of the aporia of contemporary morals and ethics or in aspects that are wrongly excluded from these morals and ethics and need to be rediscovered. St. Augustine's thinking, as weH as many other ways of thinking, belongs to the previous history of phenomenology and played an important role in the articulation of phenomenological philosophy in the twentieth century. An explanation of his texts again stresses the

INTRODUCTION xiii

constitutive role of affectivity with respect to knowing (cf. Bernasconi and Bodei). We, people of the twentieth century, cannot do without hermeneu-ties, in order to recontextualize our own context of experience and its theo-retical framework, whieh was the basis for the various "phenomenologies". Thus we can gain an insight into the meaning which appeared in the original context and, therefore, prevent misunderstandings (cf. Richardson's commen-tary with respect to Lacan's hermeneutical exploration of St. Thomas' "sicut pa/ea" and Verhoeven's explanation of Zarathustra's advice concerning women). The meaning of previous ways of thinking needs to be discovered within the "continuous hermeneutieal relation" (Marini) which philosophy maintains with its own history. The factual state of philosophy expressed in prevailing ways of thinking and texts which have been handed down, should be freed of its obvious character by means of explanation, thus opening the road to discovering them as possible ways of thinking (cf. notably Kockel-mans and Sallis: the role of the category of the possible). At the same time, philosophy faces the danger of locking itself up in this hermeneutieal ex-ploration of the handed down logos and its own thinking if it is not guided by the necessity of openness, even by that which is beyond the limits of philoso-phy, a responsiveness to the more original (compared to its own abilities and passions). Still, philosophy can find these possibilities in its own history as weH (cf. Dupre on Cusanus' mysticism and Scheltens on the way in which St. Bonaventure's God is never known directly: knowledge of God always accompanies certain knowledge; or, with reference to Husserl and Heidegger, Marion).

Ad Peperzak's writings are indisputably a profound contribution to con-temporary hermeneutical philosophy. His explanation of history is always motivated by a professional interest and related to the life we live. Further-more, it continuously demonstrates openness with regard to what touches the grounds and boundaries of our understanding and with respect to what surrounds and moves this understanding.8

No contemporary thinker has contributed more to this essential her-meneutieal direction of philosophy than Paul Ricoeur. Both Ricoeur and Levinas, each in his own way, demonstrate this openness which enables us to live and think. When Ad Peperzak wrote his dissertation on Hegel, Ricoeur was his supervisor. To a considerable extent, the early reception of Ricoeur and Levinas by a wide audience in The Netherlands is the result of Peperzak's translations and commentaries.9 It is a privilege for us and an appropriate gift for Ad Peperzak that both "great masters" were willing to join the large number of prominent friends who have contributed to this liber amicorum.

While inviting friends and colleagues of Ad Peperzak, we were forced to be very selective. Those we invited nearly always accepted immediately; only a few were unable to contribute and expressed their sincere regrets. There were many others we could not invite, as the book threatened to turn into a serial publication. All the same, we have compiled a second liber amicorum together with a number of Ad Peperzak's Dutch friends and colleagues.1o

XIV INTRODUCTION

The fact that even two compilations were not enough, much to the regret of aH those who wished to pay tribute, once more illustrates that Ad Peperzak as weH as his works are held in high esteem, an esteem which stretches far and wide.

Nijmegen, June 1992 THE EDITORS

NOTES

1. At first, this "way of thinking" was explored as a reconstruction of the philosophical path of the young Hege! in his struggle to overcome "the moral - that is: Kantian - world view". Cf. the dissertation Le jeune Hegel et la vision morale du monde, preface de P. Ricoeur, La Haye (M. Nijhoff), 1960; second, revised and extended edition, 1969. A few years later, a collection of articles of a hermeneutical nature was published, in which Heidegger's influence is noticeable: Gronden en Grenzen. Wijsgerige en teologische overdenkingen, Haarlem (Gottmer), 1967 ('Grounds and Boundaries. Philosophical and Theological Meditations'). This collection contains essays on Aristotle, the Enlighten-ment, Hegel, existential phenomenology and Ricoeur.

2. Cf. A. Peperzak, Der heutige Mensch und die Heilsfrage; eine philosophische Hinfhrung, Freiburg (Herder), 1972 ('Contemporary Man and the Question of Salvation; a Philoso-phical Guide'). The original Dutch version of this first systematic treatise of Adriaan Peperzak is titled: 'Verlangen' ('Desire'). Initially, he opted for the title 'Erotics', which the publisher did not accept.

3. In this introduction, we only refer to his books. The various articles published in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish (not those published in Dutch) are included in the selective bibliography.

4. Cf. A. Peperzak, Weefsels. Een tweede inleiding in het filosoferen, Bilthoven (Ambo), 1972 (Textures. A Second Introduction to Philosophical Thinking'). In 1981 this sys-tematic, hermeneutical introduction was followed by Systematiek en geschiedenis. Een inleiding in de filosofie van de filosofiegeschiedenis, Alphen a/d Rijn (Samson), 1981; translated into English in 1986: System and History in Philosophy Albany (SUNY Press), 1986.

5. System and History in Philosophy, Albany (SUNY Press), 1986, p. 101. 6. Cf. A. Peperzak, Vrijheid. Inleiding in de wijsgerige antropologie I, Bilthoven (Ambo),

1972, 1975 (3) ('Freedom. Introduction to Philosophical Anthropology 1'); and: U en ik. Inleiding in de wijsgerige antropologie II, Bilthoven (Ambo), 1976 ('You and 1. Intro-duction to Philosophical Anthropology H').

7. Peperzak's profound study of Hegel's philosophy for many years not only resulted in his dissertation of 1960, but also in many articles in Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and English (see the bibliography at the end of this book) and three major studies: Philosophy and Polities. A Commentary on the Preface o[ Hegers 'Philosophy o[ Right' (International Archives of the History of Ideas, no. 113) DordrechtiBostoniLancaster (M. Nijhoff), 1987 (first published in Dutch in 1981, also published in Italian); Selbster-kenntnis des Absoluten. Grundlinien der Hegeischen Philosophie des Geistes (Spekulation und Erfahrung Ir, 6), Frommann-Holzboog, 1987 ('Self-knowledge of the Absolute. Basic Concepts of Hegel's Philosophy of Mind') (Italian translation: 'Autoconoscenza deli' assoluto. Lineamenti della filosofia dello spirito hegeliana, Napoli (Bibliopolis), 1988); Hegels praktische Philosophie. Ein Kommentar zur enzyklopdischen Darstellung der menschlichen Freiheit und ihrer objektiven Verwirklichung (Spekulation und Erfahrung H, 19), Frommann-Holzboog, 1991 ('Hegel's Practical Philosophy. A Commentary on the Encyclopaedic Representation of Human Freedom and its Objective Realization').

INTRODUCTION xv

8. For the relation between his philosophy and the life we live, the life we experience and explore for meaning, see: A. Peperzak, Zoeken naar zin, Kampen (Kok), 1990 ('In Search of Meaning'); and: Tussen filasofie en theologie, Kampen (Kok), 1991 ('Between Philoso-phy and Theology').

9. P. Ricoeur, Politiek en Gelaof, Utrecht (Ambo), 1968, 1969 (2) ('Politics and Faith'); a collection of articles on politics and faith, selected, translated and with an introduction and bibliography by A. Peperzak; E. Levinas, Het menselijk gelaat, Utrecht (Ambo), 1969, 1987 (7) ('The Human Face'); a collection of essays in two parts: 'Jewish Wisdom' and 'A Philosophy of the Human Face', selected, translated and with an introduction, bibliography and annotation by A. Peperzak; P. Ricoeur, Wegen van de filosofie; structu-ralisme/psychoanalyse/hermeneutiek Bilthoven (Ambo), 1970 ('Paths of Philosophy; Structuralism/Psychoanalysis/Hermeneutics'); ed. of a collection of articles on structur-alism, psychoanalysis and hermeneutics, selected and with an introduction and biblio-graphy by A. Peperzak; P. Ricoeur, Kwaad en Bevrijding Rotterdam (Lemniscaat), 1971 ('Evil and Deliverance'); ed. of a collection of articles on evil and deliverance, selected and with an introduction and bibliography by A. Peperzak; E. Levinas, Humanisme van de andere mens, Kampen (Kok), 1990 ('Humanism of the Other Person'); translation, introduction and annotation by A. Peperzak of E. Levinas, Humanisme de /'autre homme, Montpellier, 1972.

10. Gm de waarheid te zeggen. Gpstellen over filosofie en literatuur, Kampen (Kok), 1992 ('To Tell the Truth. Essays on Philosophy and Literature'). This book contains an exhaustive bibliography of A. Peperzak's writings from 1960 until 1992.

ADRIAAN PEPERZAK

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