Yoav Ashkenazy, "The Death of Transcendence: Reflections on Jean Améry's 'At the Mind's Limits'" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022)

Sep 23, 2022

The Death of Transcendence

Reflections on Jean Améry's 'At the Mind's Limits'

Yoav Ashkenazy

Hosted by Yakir Englander

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Summary

The Death of Transcendence (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022) presents a clear and compelling close reading and interpretation of the five essays included in Jean Améry’s At the Mind’s limit, describing them as one continuous and progressing argument on the possibility of human society in wake of the Holocaust. Through the works of philosophers such as Wittgenstein, Murdoch, J.M. Bernstein and Charles Taylor, Ashkenazy uncovers the importance and significance of such concepts as transcendence, loss, self, other, love, and home for establishing and maintaining a human life and world, and recovering it should it be lost. Finally, the book examines the concept of resentment, described as a reactive and corrupting emotion by Nietzsche, and follows Améry’s argument that in extreme cases, it is in fact the moral, healthy choice. Written with both clarity and academic rigour, The Death of Transcendence offers novel ideas, firmly grounded in existing philosophical literature, and is intended for both professional scholars and enthusiasts.

Yoav Ashkenazy is an independent researcher. After receiving a Ph. D. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem he continued to teach philosophy and literature in various settings and serve as a research fellow at the Hartman Institute for Advanced Study. He currently lives in Vienna and is engaged in research, consultancy and management for various private organizations.

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Yakir Englander

Dr. Yakir Englander is the National Director of Leadership programs at the Israeli-American Council. He also teaches at the AJR. He can be reached at: Yakir1212englander@gmail.com

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