The Imperative

by Alphonso Lingis

". . . a more compelling reading of Kant than any I have ever seen." ―David Farrell Krell

In this provocative book, Alphonso Lingis argues that not only our thought is governed by an imperative, as Kant had maintained, but, rather, our sensual, sensing, perceiving, and emotional life is continually regulated by imperatives that come to us from the world around us. Through a series of phenomenological sketches drawn from life experiences, Lingis shows that there are directives in the natural world and in our interactions with others that govern our thought and behavior.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

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

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For now, 5 stars simply because the phenomenological accounts of Lingis had me strapped. Later, I want to attempt a recount of the Kantian imperative as characterized by Lingis when I am bored and need stimulation—I expect Lingis’ interpretation of Kant to be one of the more interesting and perhaps counterintuitive of the bunch.

[Joe Miller]

A truly brilliant book. I've never read prose that was so consistently breathtaking. You could call it philosophy but the first 19 of its 22 chapters will no doubt defy your expectations for technical jargon and textual interpretation.

[Uffe Sørensen]

Usædvanlig oplevelse. Første læsning lod jeg bare mig selv glide ind i. Indtryk og intuitiv fornemmelse for tingene på færde i værket sidder godt fast. Glæder mig virkelig til indgående læsning.

[Christopher Adamo]

The two sections (Directives, The Imperative) can be read independently. The first presents a phenomenology of perception developing, extending--in some places critiquing, Merleau-Ponty, though the core idea: perception as 'interrogation.' The second part presents a Levinasian reading, very sympathetic though, of Kant's 3 formulations of the categorical imperative, linking them to nature, the instrumental field, and civil society. I certainly expect to continue to study that main chapter "Images of the Imperative."

But I finished this book about a week ago, thought I'd (re)read key sections right away but the past week I've been mostly writing (and rewriting) on Levinas-- long way to go to finish off this chapter but it will (likely) include some material from this book.

[Matt]

Not an easy read, but definitely a beautiful one.