Eros for the Other: Retaining Truth in a Pluralistic World

by Wendy Farley

Eros for the Other takes up the problem of how truth claims and ethical norms can survive the increasingly radical recognition of the historical, cultural, pluralistic, and often ideological character of human experience. Sharing with postmodernism a suspicion of totalizing forms of knowledge and practice, Wendy Farley parts with postmodernism in defending the possibility of truth and ethics. Arguing that reality occurs in the concrete existence of actual beings (human and otherwise), she develops an interpretation of the nature of knowledge as an eros for the other—as an openness to the distinctive beauties and fragilities of other creatures. Employing Plato, Levinas, Hannah Arendt, Iris Murdoch, Anne Carson, and representatives of Continental philosophy and feminist theory, Eros for the Other constructs an original argument for the interdependence of truth, ethics, and pluralism. Through dialogues with Western thought and its critics an original vision emerges of the way reason discerns reality, experiences beauty, and lives compassionately in the midst of the plurality of concrete, historical existence.

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled onto this book through Willie Jennings. I can see why he admired it. I've not read any other Farley so I can't compare this to her other work. I can say though that the thinkers she is engaging with (Plato, Aristotle, Levinas, Derrida, Weil, Jaspers, Lorde) resonate with projects I've worked on in the past. Here there is a robust and nuanced defense of the pursuit of truth. In some ways it is dated but in others so contemporary to be very helpful and enlightening. Take the first line, written in 1996 "As I listen to many of my students, study debates on postmodernism, and realize that for many Americans game shows and talk shows are a primary resource of information about the world, I begin to suspect that we already live in a society in which the capacity for distinguishing truth from falsehood has been lost." Talk shows and postmodernism date it; the issue of truth and falsehood is entirely contemporary. The dated parts have analogs in the contemporary world (Facebook and Twitter instead of talk and game shows) and the urgency for distinguishing truth from falsehood is all the more important and fraught. Definitely worth reading.

[Sarah Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're not a philosopher, this is a bit of a challenging read--discussing the nature of reality, whether truth exists and, if so, how we can know and what truth consists of require specialized language and deep thinking. Farley is a wonderful writer, but it took me months to get through this because I needed to take it in small chunks and think over what I had read before moving on.

The other reason it took me so long to finish is because I came to this book at the exact right moment, after watching childhood heroes fall into Trumpism and COVID denial, feeling as if truth has become a deeply elusive thing even to someone like me, who has long valued seeking truth no matter what. I came away with a better understanding of truth vs. totalitarian systems, but also feeling the weight of seeking truth in such a wide world and against such moral odds. I'll be thinking over what I learned here probably for the rest of my life--and hopefully putting some of it into practice.