Dangerous Emotions

by Alphonso Lingis

Alphonso Lingis is an original among American philosophers. An eloquent and insightful commentator on continental philosophers, he is also a phenomenologist who has gone to live in many lands. Dangerous Emotions continues the line of inquiry begun in Abuses , taking the reader to Easter Island, Japan, Java, and Brazil as Lingis poses a new range of questions and brings his extraordinary descriptive skills to bear on innocence and the love of crime, the relationships of beauty with lust and of joy with violence and violation. He explores the religion of animals, the force in blessings and in curses. When the sphere of work and reason breaks down, and in catastrophic events we catch sight of cosmic time, our anxiety is mixed with exhilaration and ecstasy. More than acceptance of death, can philosophy understand joy in dying? Haunting and courageous, Lingis's writing has generated intense interest and debate among gender and cultural theorists as well as philosophers, and Dangerous Emotions is certain to introduce his work to an ever broader circle of readers.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Anthropology

195 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2000

About the author

Alphonso Lingis was an American philosopher, writer and translator, with Lithuanian roots, professor emeritus of philosophy at Pennsylvania State University. His areas of specialization included phenomenology, existentialism, and ethics. Lingis is also known as a photographer, and he complements the philosophical themes of many of his books with his own photography.

Reviews

[Vidinė vėjo pusė · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 😂😍🤣🤔🙄

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

what can I say - it's lingis, you either love or hate him. as the former owner of my copy wrote in the magins "you are such a WEIRD man!" dangerous emotions isn't his strongest or most rigorous work (that would be foreign bodies I suppose) but it is beautiful and excessive and problematic in that singular lingis way. the chapter "catastrophic time" is by far the most unique contribution, while other chapters riff on d&g, derrida, and especially bataille without so much as a citation (which is either frustrating or helpful, depending on how you feel about the former).

[Michael Caylo-Baradi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this a few years ago, because of two other books by him. Beautiful, yes, beautiful. And then, disgust. I put the book away, in one of my boxes. Now I read the title again, and again. Indeed, he is telling me emotions. Dangerous ones. Emotions from the vantage point of power. Without apologies. I'm compelled to read this book again.

[Cary Stough · Rating 5 out of 5]

So helpful for someone who has trouble basing post-structuralist concepts in daily life. Also very good for the fan of Bataille.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

good existentialist piece about experiencing everything and fulfilling one's desires

[Andrew Bourne · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Alphonso bores me, he thrusts into the matador's tights and licks the breasts off a stranger. Then I'm here.

[Kat Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goes down as easy as honey.