YEARNING FOR PRESENCE, RETURNING TO THINGS

“Rather than having to think, always and endlessly, what else there could be, we sometimes seem to connect with a layer in our existence that simply wants the things of the world close to our skin.”
H. Gumbrecht

Does our tendency to search for meaning in a realm below, behind, or beyond a sign or symbol lead us to overlook the lived significance of our encounters in the here and now? Are we so attached to certain conceptual distinctions (surface/depth, immanence/ transcendence, signifier/signified) that we undermine our capacity to respond to the expressiveness of immediate experience? Can we find a way to understand our moments of wonder and mystery that stays grounded in the everyday world in which we live our lives?

This course will explore aspects of the phenomenology of presence, of the ways in which we are touched and moved by our sensory and emotional exposure to the objects of our world. Our readings will include selections from: Philosophy of Symbolic Forms E. Cassirer, The Origin of the Work of Art M. Heidegger, Eye and Mind M. Merleau-Ponty, The Enchantment of Modern Life J. Bennett, Production of Presence H. Gumbrecht, A Secular Age C. Taylor, Must the Sacred be Transcendent? P. Gordon, Looking at the Sky C. Baracchi, Gardens R. Harrison, Bearing Witness to Epiphany J. Russon.

COURSE LENGTH: 12 weeks
DISCUSSION TEAM: Giovanna D’Alesio, Carol Fiedler, Daniel Schouela
FIRST SESSION: Monday, January 9, 2012 at 6:15 pm