The Theology Mill

Steven DeLay / Kierkegaard and French Phenomenology

Feb 7, 2023

Steven DeLay, a Philosophy PhD and author, discusses Kierkegaard, phenomenology, and the relationship between philosophy, theology, and fiction. They explore the value and dangers of studying philosophy and theology, as well as the distinction between literature and philosophy. The podcast also touches on coffee preferences and top books of 2022, and the guest's personal journey from atheism to Christianity.

01:01:30

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Episode guests

Steven DeLay

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The relationship between philosophy and fiction can be explored through the imaginative aspect of literature, while philosophy aims to express beliefs and make truth claims.

Critics argue that phenomenology overlooks interpretation, conceptuality, and history in shaping experience, but phenomenology counters by emphasizing intuition and first-person reflection to understand human existence.

Reading philosophy and literature offers valuable insights depending on an individual's interests, with philosophy addressing truth and belief, while literature explores human experience and provides a reflection of faith.

Deep dives

The Connection Between Philosophy and Fiction

The relationship between philosophy and fiction is often observed, with potential connections found in Husserl's concept of eidetic variation and the imaginative aspect of literature. Philosophy aims to make truth claims and express beliefs, while literature explores the essence of human experience through language and storytelling. Philosophical authors are responsible for their claims, while literary authors often use different voices and characters, creating an impersonality. An important perspective is Roland Barthes' view of the voice in literature, where the meaning of a text is separate from the author and resides with the reader. For Stephen Delay, writing fiction alongside philosophy allows for a creative exploration of the human experience.

Introduction

2min

Coffee Preferences and Top Books of 2022

5min

Kierkegaard's Influence in Philosophy and Personal Journey

12min

The Value and Dangers of Philosophy and Theology

9min

The Death of God and the Death of Morality

22min

Translation of Books, Philosophy, and Fiction

4min

Literature and Philosophy: Exploring the Author's Role and Textual Meaning

6min

Future Projects and Translations

2min

Steven DeLay earned his PhD in philosophy at Oxford in 2017 and is the author of several books of philosophy and fiction, including a handful now with Wipf and Stock.

In this standalone interview, Steven talks Kierkegaard, phenomenology, philosophy for Protestants, and the relationship between theology and fiction.

PODCAST LINKS:

Blog post: https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2023/02/07/standalone-episode-steven-delay-kierkegaard-phenomenology-and-the-relationship-between-philosophy-and-theology-and-fiction/

Steven’s author page: https://wipfandstock.com/author/steven-delay/

Steven’s website: https://stevendelay.com/

Steven’s academia.edu page: https://oxford.academia.edu/StevenDeLay

Temple Coffee Roasters: https://templecoffee.com/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvht9V0Pndgvwh5vkpe0GGw

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Bergo, Bettina. Anxiety: A Philosophical History.

Chrétien, Jean-Louis. Conscience et roman 1: La conscience au grand jour.

Clemente, Matthew. “As If It Were True: An Interview with Richard Kearney.”

DeLay, Steven. In the Spirit: A Phenomenology of Faith.

———. Phenomenology in France: A Philosophical and Theological Introduction.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment.

Falque, Emmanuel. Crossing the Rubicon: The Borderlands of Philosophy and Theology.

Fowles, John. The Magus: A Novel.

Graves, Adam J. The Phenomenology of Revelation in Heidegger, Marion, and Ricoeur.

Heidegger, Martin. Being and Time.

Hopp, Walter. Phenomenology: A Contemporary Introduction.

Kierkegaard, Soren. Fear and Trembling.

Marion, Jean-Luc. Being Given: Toward a Phenomenology of Givenness.

———. A Brief Apology for a Catholic Moment.

———. God Without Being: Hors-Texte.

———. The Idol and Distance: Five Studies.

———. Negative Certainties.

———. Reduction and Givenness: Investigations of Husserl, Heidegger, and Phenomenology.

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées.

Plantinga, Alvin. Warranted Christian Belief.

Rudd, Anthony. Painting and Presence: Why Paintings Matter.

Sellars, Wilfrid. Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind.

OUTLINE:

(01:28) – Decaf coffee, black coffee

(04:14) – Favorite books of 2022

(07:09) – Rice University – Oxford University

(09:43) – A conversion via Kierkegaard

(12:35) – Literature – philosophy – phenomenology – theology

(16:52) – Barth, Bultmann, and Rudolf Otto

(18:46) – Why should Christians read philosophy?

(23:05) – The merits of reading atheists and agnostics

(29:13) – Heidegger, onto-theology, and negative theology

(32:45) – Phenomenology a Catholic science?

(39:38) – Philosophy for Protestants

(41:30) – The GOAT of phenomenology

(44:16) – The hermeneutical critique of phenomenology

(47:41) – Desert island: phenomenology books

(49:38) – Philosophy and fiction

(59:31) – Steven’s forthcoming work

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The Theology Mill

Steven DeLay / Kierkegaard and French Phenomenology

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Connection Between Philosophy and Fiction

Critiques of Phenomenology

The Value of Reading Philosophy and Literature

The Importance of Jean-Louis Chrétien

Exploring the Connection Between Philosophy and Fiction

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts