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When Reason Is in a Bad Mood: A Fanonian Philosophical Portrait

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Philosophy's Moods: The Affective Grounds of Thinking

Part of the book series: Contributions To Phenomenology ((CTPH,volume 63))

Abstract

This article examines the impact of racism on philosophical reasoning through an exploration of the thought of Frantz Fanon. How does one respond to forms of reason premised upon the rejection of one’s humanity? Such a challenge leads to melancholia, the author argues, in the face of what he calls disciplinary decadence, which calls for a teleological suspension of philosophy and a philosophical anthropology conducive to metacritical and open conception of a human being.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For recent, detailed biographies, see Macey (2002) and Cherki (2006).

  2. 2.

    For more discussion on Fanon’s relation to this concept, see Gordon (1995a), especially chapter 3.

  3. 3.

    Problema I: “Is There a Teleological Suspension of the Ethical?,” (Kierkegaard 1983: 54–67).

  4. 4.

    For more discussion, see Gordon (2006a, 2008b: 304–320).

  5. 5.

    For more on Fanon’s significance in philosophy, see Hope and Nicholls (2010).

  6. 6.

    See, e.g., the chapter “Racism and Culture” in Fanon (1967a). See also Part II of Gordon (1995b).

  7. 7.

    See, e.g., Jaspers (1971).

  8. 8.

    For commentary see, Mamdani (1996).

  9. 9.

    For discussion, see Gordon (2006b: 75–97).

  10. 10.

    For an updated discussion of this dynamic, see Comaroff and Comaroff (2000: 291–343).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA

    Lewis R. Gordon

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  1. Lewis R. Gordon
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Correspondence to Lewis R. Gordon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Philosophy, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel

    Hagi Kenaan

  2. , Department of Philosophy, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Gan, 69978, Israel

    Ilit Ferber

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Gordon, L.R. (2011). When Reason Is in a Bad Mood: A Fanonian Philosophical Portrait. In: Kenaan, H., Ferber, I. (eds) Philosophy's Moods: The Affective Grounds of Thinking. Contributions To Phenomenology, vol 63. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1503-5_13

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