Among the first and foremost of American continental philosophers, Alphonso Lingis refines his own thought through a topic usually deemed unworthy of philosophical examination-passion. Lingis criticizes traditional scientific accounts of the emotions as dividing or disrupting our lives and argues for passion as a unifying force, a concept which invites philosophical exploration. The book's structure is twofold. First, it offers an examination of Lingis's most recent developments through the topic of passion with essays from some of the most established commentators on the work of Lingis. Second, it offers a substantial retrospective on Lingis's thought in relation to some of the major figures in continental philosophy, namely Levinas, Kant, Heidegger, Butler, Foucault, and Nietzsche, all interweaving the theme of passion. Written to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of Lingis's birth, these essays show how Lingis's thought has not only endured over so many productive decades but also remains vital and even continues to grow.

Encounters with Alphonso Lingis is the first extensive study of this American philosopher who is gaining an international reputation to augment his national one. Lingis's books have already been translated into nearly a dozen languages, and writers from many disciplines are finding his works a source for fresh philosophical and scholarly inquiries. The distinguished contributors to this volume reflect on their own encounters with this unique American thinker as they engage his work from their various critical perspectives. They address most of the central themes found in his writings including singularity and otherness, death and eroticism, emotions and rationality, embodiment and the face, excess and the sacred. In the book's first section, the contributors discuss Lingis's significance as a contemporary philosopher, particularly with regard to such renowned figures as Dante, Kant, Nietzsche, Foucault, and the major existential and phenomenological thinkers of the past century. In the second section, they focus on Lingis's ideas as the basis for inquiries into additional fields, such as art, literature, cultural studies, and politics. The book closes with a new essay by Lingis himself."

Encounters with Alphonso Lingis is the first extensive study of this American philosopher who is gaining an international reputation to augment his national one. Lingis's books have already been translated into nearly a dozen languages, and writers from many disciplines are finding his works a source for fresh philosophical and scholarly inquiries. The distinguished contributors to this volume reflect on their own encounters with this unique American thinker as they engage his work from their various critical perspectives. They address most of the central themes found in his writings including singularity and otherness, death and eroticism, emotions and rationality, embodiment and the face, excess and the sacred. In the book's first section, the contributors discuss Lingis's significance as a contemporary philosopher, particularly with regard to such renowned figures as Dante, Kant, Nietzsche, Foucault, and the major existential and phenomenological thinkers of the past century. In the second section, they focus on Lingis's ideas as the basis for inquiries into additional fields, such as art, literature, cultural studies, and politics. The book closes with a new essay by Lingis himself."

In The Twilight Zone and Philosophy, philosophers probe into the meaning of the classic TV series, The Twilight Zone. Some of the chapters look at single episodes of the show, while others analyze several or many episodes. Though acknowledging the spinoffs and reboots, the volume concentrates heavily on the classic 1959-1964 series. Among the questions raised and answered are: What's the meaning of personal identity in The Twilight Zone? ("Number 12 Looks Just Like You," "Person or Persons Unknown"). As the distinction between person and machine becomes less clear, how do we handle our intimacy with machines? (A question posed in the very first episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Lonely"). Why do our beliefs always become uncertain in The Twilight Zone? ("Where Is Everybody?") Just where is the Twilight Zone? (Sometimes it's a supernatural realm but sometimes it's the everyday world of reality.) What does the background music of The Twilight Zone teach us about dreams and imagination? Is it better to lose the war than to be damned? ("Still Valley") How far should we trust those benevolent aliens? ("To Serve Man") Where's the harm in media addiction? ("Time Enough at Last") Is there something objective about beauty? ("The Eye of the Beholder") Have we already been conquered? ("The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street") Are there hidden costs to knowing more about other people? ("A Penny for Your Thoughts")

What is philosophy? Is philosophy an academic discipline that produces arguments and theories, or is philosophy also about understanding the world through stories, metaphors, analogies, ambience, and even through feelings? Alphonso Lingis approaches philosophy the way a travel writer approaches a strange new land, with his eyes open and with a conscious desire for experience. Using the genealogical approach of Nietzsche and Foucault, his work continues the phenomenological tradition. Alexander E. Hooke's Alphonso Lingis and Existential Genealogy is the first book-length study of Lingis' philosophical works.