The Present Tide of Pessimism in Philosophy and Letters: Agonistic Literature and Cervantes’ Message

Abstract

In beginning I shall recur to the fifth volume of Analecta Husserliana,in which papers and debate of the conference held by the International Husserl and Phenomenological Research Society in Montreal four years ago are reproduced, because its general subject, “the crisis of culture, ” seems to be related to our own subject here today. In particular the prologue by Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka could serve with few changes in stress but the same content to put us in an expansive, though proper, mental frame for the discussions that we will hold. The very first subtitle by Dr. Tymieniecka, “La crise de l’homme: Y-a-t-il encore une tâche pour la philosophie?” 1 could, without much effort, lead to a parallel question, “Is there still a task for literature?” Granted that programming future literature could be even more difficult, even unrealistic, than foretelling the development of philosophy; however, both the lovers of letters and philosophy are by no means immune to the quixotic infirmity, or heroic endeavor, or pretension if you will . . . . voila,before knowing it I am arriving at my major paradigm. But let us continue with our approach; let us see our matter in perspective first.