The Far Reaches

"Michael Gubser's scintillating accomplishment both recaptures the geographical breadth of the phenomenological tradition over the twentieth century and brings out how many of its members emphasized its ethical contributions. Reviving the lost vocation for social renewal among the Central European founders of phenomenology, The Far Reaches then turns to how East European dissidents drew heavily on their legacy. By restoring morality to phenomenology, and phenomenology to East European politics, Gubser has rewritten the intellectual history of the twentieth century." - Samuel Moyn, Columbia University "Husserl was a terrible writer. Michael Gubser is not. He guides us very capably through some of the most complex thinkers and difficult texts. Phenomenology, he shows us, is not just the name for an esoteric philosophical movement detached from life. On the contrary, phenomenology focused precisely on the connection between the human subject and the world. From its origins in late-imperial, German-speaking Central Europe to its later forms in communist Czechoslovakia and Poland, phenomenology was always about ethics - and social renewal in a time of crisis." - Marci Shore, Yale University "Michael Gubser's profoundly interesting, important, and rich work on phenomenology, its Catholic and Central European traditions, and its ethical and social legacy, offers a stunning confrontation between the twentieth century and one of its most famous philosophical systems. Like few other works before it, it simply reboots the field." - Stefanos Geroulanos, New York University