Burt Hopkins - The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy: Volume 12

First published 2013 by Acumen

Published 2014 by Routledge
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711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

General Editors
Burt Hopkins, Seattle University, United States
John J. Drummond, Fordham University, United States

Founding Co-Editor
Steven Crowell, Rice University, United States

Contributing Editors
Marcus Brainard, London, United Kingdom
Ronald Bruzina, University of Kentucky, United States
Algis Mickunas, Ohio University, United States
Thomas Seebohm, Bonn, Germany
Thomas Sheehan, Stanford University, United States

Consulting Editors
Patrick Burke (Gonzaga University, Italy), Ivo de Gennaro (University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy), Nicholas de Warren (University of Leuven, Belgium), James Dodd (The New School, United States), R. O. Elveton (Carleton College, United States), Parvis Emad (DePaul University, (Emeritus), United States), James G. Hart (Indiana University, United States), Nam-In Lee (Seoul National University, Korea, Republic Of), Christian Lotz (Michigan State University, United States), Claudio Majolino (University of Lille, France), Dermot Moran (University College Dublin, Ireland), James Risser (Seattle University, United States), Michael Shim (California State University, Los Angeles, United States), Andrea Staiti (Boston College, United States), Panos Theodorou (University of Crete, Greece), Friedrich Wilhelm von Herrmann (University of Freiburg, Germany), Olav K. Wiegand (University of Mainz, Germany), Dan Zahavi (University of Copenhagen, Denmark), Andrea Zhok (University of Milan, Italy)

The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy is currently covered by the following Indexing, abstracting and full-text services: Philosophy Research Index, International Philosophical Bibliography, The Philosophers Index.

The views and opinions expressed in The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board except where otherwise stated.

Copyright under the Berne Convention. No reproduction without permission.

Copyright 2013, Taylor & Francis.
ISSN 1533-7472 (print) ISSN 2157-0752 (online)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

ISBN 13: 978-1-84465-541-0 (pbk)

Jeremy H. Smith
Otterbein University
JHSmith@otterbein.edu

Abstract: This article explicates the unified argument of James G. Harts 1200 page work Who One Is . Hart begins with an exploration of the non-objective self as propertyless ipseity; then relates that sheer ipseity to the concrete development a self; and then, that self to the ideal self which guides its development; and finally, the ideal self to God as its origin. Hart also shows the relevance of Jaspers notion of Existenz at each of these stages. The uniqueness and mineness of any I cannot be a matter of properties. Each I is a unique haecceity for which multiple instantiation would be meaningless. Hart concludes with a fully developed theology of selfhood according to which Gods creation of the haecceities is an act of sheer generosity.

Keywords: self, ipseity, haecceity, Existenz, phenomenological theology, James G. Hart

This essay pulls together, explains, and evaluates the overall argument of James Harts two-volume work Who One Is . Harts work is path-breaking for four reasons: it represents an extremely detailed and rigorous re-visioning of Husserlian phenomenology in the light of Michel Henrys philosophy of non-objective self-awareness; in that context, it develops a new Husserlian ethics; with that ethics as a starting point, it integrates Christianspecifically Thomistictheology with phenomenology; and finally, it does all of this in dialogue with multiple traditions. Indeed, Harts comprehensive engagement with competing perspectives is an essential aspect of his achievement, and one which deserves to lead to greater engagement in such dialogue on the part of the wider philosophical world.

The aim of Harts project is to work out the implications of the notion of self as non-objective ipseity for ethics and theology. Those implications respond to three fundamental questions: (1) What does it mean for the self to be non-objective and for I reference to be necessarily non-sortal? (2) How does this understanding of self impact our understanding of conscience and the ideal self? (3) And, given this interpretation, how are we to understand the relationship of the ideal self to God? In this essay I will attempt to show how Hart answers each of these questions, and how his account coherently and convincingly interrelates non-objective ipseity, the ideal self, and God.