After Enlightenment: The Post-Secular Vision of J. G. Hamann

ISBN: 978-1-4051-6246-3

Hardcover

376 pages

November 2008, Wiley-Blackwell

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Provides a long-overdue, comprehensive introduction to Haman’s fascinating life and controversial works, including his role as a friend and critic of Kant and some of the most renowned German intellectuals of the age
Features substantial new translations of the most important passages from across Hamann’s writings, some of which have never been translated into English
Examines Hamann’s highly original views on a range of topics, including faith, reason, revelation, Christianity, biblical exegesis, Socrates, theological aesthetics, language, sexuality, religion, politics, and the relationship between Judaism and Christianity
Presents Hamann as the 'founding father’ of a distinctly post-modern, post-secular theology and, as such, as an alternative to the ‘postmodern triumvirate’ of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Derrida
Considers Hamann’s work as a touchtone of modern Jewish-Christian dialogue, in view of debates with his friend Moses Mendelssohn
Explores Hamann’s role as the visionary founder of a ‘metacritical’ movement that radically calls into question the basic principles of modern secular reason, and thus reprises the debate between those defending Hamann’s views and those labeling him the bête noir of the Enlightenment