Beyond the Philosopher's Fear: A Cavellian Reading of Gender, Origin and Religion in Modern Skepticism (Intersections: Continental and Analytic Philosophy)

Based on a detailed analysis of gender in Stanley Cavell's treatment of the skeptical problem, this book addresses the relationship between gender and religion in modern skepticism. Engaging in dialogue with Julia Kristeva's philosophy, Viefhues claims that a religious problem underlies Cavell's understanding of the feminine. The feminine which the skeptic fears is construed as a placeholder for the beyond, marking the transcendence of our origins which are elusive yet at the same time part of ourselves. It is argued that a religious question of origins thus lies at the heart of the modern skeptical problem. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 List of Abbreviations 10 1 Introduction 12 Cavell: Between the Continentals and the Analytics 14 Cavell on Skepticism and Gender? 15 The Cavellian Feminine, Kristeva, and the Need for a New Religious Imagination 18 From Language to Gender to Religion 19 2 Cavell on Language: What is it in Language that Makes the Skeptical Worry Possible? 22 What do Wittgenstein’s Criteria Reveal about Language? 22 From Criteria to Projection 31 3 Cavell on Possessing Language: What Makes the Skeptical Worry Unavoidable? 50 The Skeptic’s Humanity 50 Speaking: Privacy and Public 66 Emersonian Authorship as the Office of All Language Users 81 4 Beyond the Singing Body? Gender and Skepticism 94 A Community of Mutual Conversation 94 The Unknown Woman 113 Gender and Skepticism 127 The Gender of Skepticism 133 5 Beyond the Philosopher’s Fear: Nostalgia for Mothers and Other Origins 136 Neighboring the Beyond 136 Kristeva’s Voice 143 A Theological History of Skepticism 156 A New Religious Imagination for the Morning After or a New Science of the Human 166 Bibliography 180 Index 186 A 186 B 186 C 186 D 186 E 186 F 186 G 187 H 187 I 187 J 187 K 187 L 187 M 187 N 187 O 187 P 187 R 188 S 188 T 188 V 188 W 188

Based on a detailed analysis of gender in Stanley Cavell's treatment of the skeptical problem, this book addresses the relationship between gender and religion in modern skepticism. Engaging in dialogue with Julia Kristeva's philosophy, Viefhues claims that a religious problem underlies Cavell's understanding of the feminine.

The feminine which the skeptic fears is construed as a placeholder for the beyond, marking the transcendence of our origins which are elusive yet at the same time part of ourselves. It is argued that a religious question of origins thus lies at the heart of the modern skeptical problem.