What is phenomenology and why does it matter? This presentation will seek to answer these questions by giving a basic introduction to classical phenomenology as a framework for making sense of recent French, "new," phenomenology. Focusing on questions in the philosophy of religion, ethics, and political theory, the hope will be to demonstrate that phenomenology from now on should be understood as a wide-ranging discourse that is not narrowly limited by methodological constraints, but rather a profound resource for philosophical inquiry and human social existence because of the openness provided by that very methodological orientation. In other words, phenomenology matters because it helps us to pay attention to what should matter.
J. Aaron Simmons is associate professor of philosophy at Furman University. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University and also holds a M.A. in humanities from Florida State University. Specializing in Philosophy of Religion, Simmons draws primarily upon the existential and phenomenological traditions of post-Kantian European philosophy. In addition to being the author of over 50 articles and book chapters, Simmons is the author of God and the Other (Indiana University Press), the co-author of The New Phenomenology (Bloomsbury), and co-editor of Kierkegaard and Levinas (Indiana University Press), Reexamining Deconstruction and Determinate Religion (Duquesne University Press), and Phenomenology for the 21st Century (Palgrave). He is also the author of a forthcoming book on Continental Philosophy of Religion and co-editor of a book entitled Kierkegaard's God and the Good Life. Originally from Tennessee, Simmons grew up in Brandon, Florida.
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