"A Dangerous Liaison: the Analytic Engagement with Continental Philosophy," Department of Philosophy, University of York, December 9, 2011.

The history of antagonism between the analytic and hermeneutic-phenomenological traditions of philosophy suggests that dialogue is simply not possible, and that the difference runs deeper than approaches, methods, and styles. It seems, however, that both are asking the same questions – or at least questions about the same subjects – even if their answers differ radically. The problems of knowledge, existence, ethics, and aesthetics feature on the agendas of Anglo-American and Continental philosophy alike, and a minority of analytic philosophers have regarded their counterparts as a source of potential enlightenment. Phenomenology in particular is relevant to the philosophy of mind, and Merleau-Ponty’s work has been employed by Shaun Gallagher, Alva Noë, Brian O’Shaughnessy, and Charles Taylor. Husserl is another popular choice, with Dan Zahavi and Shaun Gallagher editing Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, a journal aimed at applying Husserl’s work to analytic philosophy and other disciplines. Heidegger’s hermeneutics have drawn attention from Richard Rorty, Hubert Dreyfus, Gilbert Ryle, and Andy Clark. Christopher Norris has even argued against the perception of Derrida as a postmodernist, advancing his work as a Kantian critique rather than a deconstruction of analytic philosophy. It appears that cross-pollination is not just possible, but actively practised by a self-selected few.  The aim of this one-day conference is to explore the potential for the analytic engagement with the hermeneutic-phenomenological tradition, and consider the value of such an engagement.

09:00: Registration.
09:30: Professor Christopher Norris (Cardiff) on Derrida.
Response: Dr Donnchadh O Conaill (Durham).
10:45: Break.
11:00: Mr Paul Giladi (Sheffield): ‘Hegel: Analytic Philosophy’s Pharmakon’.
11:45: Break.
12:00: Professor Barry Dainton (Liverpool) on Husserl.
Response: Mr David Allen (Warwick).
13:15: Lunch.
14:30: Dr Denis McManus (Southampton) on Heidegger.
Response: Dr Andreas Vrahimis (Birkbeck).
15:45: Break.
16:00: Mr Joshua Tepley (Notre Dame): ‘Heidegger and the Properties of Being’.
16:45: Break.
17:00: Dr Joel Smith (Manchester) on Merleau-Ponty: ‘Egocentric Space’.
Response: Mr Jack Wadham (Sheffield).
18:15: Close

https://sites.google.com/site/rafemcgregor/conference-a-dangerous-liaison