John Russon (born 1960) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, working primarily in the tradition of

Continental Philosophy Continental philosophy is a group of philosophies prominent in 20th-century continental Europe that derive from a broadly Kantianism, Kantian tradition.Continental philosophers usually identify such conditions with the transcendental subject or ...

. In 2006, he was named ''Presidential Distinguished Professor'' and, in 2024, ''Research Leadership Chair'' at the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

, and in 2011 he was the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute's Canadian Lecturer to India.

Education

Russon received his Ph.D. in 1990 from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. His dissertation was entitled ''Hegel on the Body''.

Research

Russon is known for his original philosophical contributions, and also for his scholarly interpretations of G.W.F. Hegel, Contemporary

and

Ancient Philosophy This page lists some links to ancient philosophy, namely philosophical thought extending as far as early post-classical history (). Overview Genuine philosophical thought, depending upon original individual insights, arose in many cultures ro ...

Original philosophy

Russon is known as an original philosopher, primarily through his books ''Human Experience'', ''Bearing Witness to Epiphany'', ''Sites of Exposure'', and ''Adult Life''. Leonard Lawlor describes Russon as "one of the few original voices working in Continental Philosophy today,", Todd May writes, "John Russon is one of the best phenomenologists in contemporary philosophy," and Peter Gratton writes, "He is our premier phenomenologist." ''Human Experience'', which won the 2005 Broadview Press/Canadian Philosophical Association Book Prize, brought together themes from

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...

, Contemporary

and

, and produced an original interpretation of the development of

personal identity Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of a person over time. Discussions regarding personal identity typically aim to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time ...

; Kirsten Jacobson writes, "This work makes a major contribution to the philosophic comprehension of human nature." In this work Russon argues that the experiences through which we are inaugurated into any distinctive domain of meaning necessarily leave the stamp of their specific (and contingent) character on our subsequent experiences in that domain. He uses this notion to interpret the significance of family experience in the formation of personal identity, and he finds this aspect of our experience to be the key to understanding

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

(and

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

). Russon's approach to

—in particular his interpretation of

neurosis Neurosis (: neuroses) is a term mainly used today by followers of Freudian thinking to describe mental disorders caused by past anxiety, often that has been repressed. In recent history, the term has been used to refer to anxiety-related con ...

—is specially striking for its bringing together of the theme of embodiment that has been prominent in

existential phenomenology Existential phenomenology encompasses a wide range of thinkers who take up the view that philosophy must begin from experience like phenomenology, but argues for the temporality of personal existence as the framework for analysis of the human condi ...

with the theme of

dialectic Dialectic (; ), also known as the dialectical method, refers originally to dialogue between people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to arrive at the truth through reasoned argument. Dialectic resembles debate, but the ...

al self-transformation that is prominent in the philosophy of

and with the theme of the "system" of family life that is prominent in the work of such psychologists and family theorists as Salvador Minuchin, R.D. Laing and D.W. Winnicott. This work is also important for its use of these ideas to criticize the "individualist" premises of much political and economic theory, and to develop of a political theory of

multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...

. His interpretation of the dynamic and transformative role of sexuality (eros) provides an important link between his work and the philosophy of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

. The importance of sexuality to personal development, and especially its relationship to ethical life and to artistic creativity is further explored in ''Bearing Witness to Epiphany''. Like ''Human Experience'', this work stands out for its emphasis on the way that the important dimensions of our experience are embodied in the most basic material dimensions of our lives—everyday "things" and basic bodily practices—and this work thus offers a new

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

of "the thing" and of reality in general, arguing that issues of

cannot be separated from issues of

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

. Drawing extensively on musical experience, in this work Russon also describes "the music of everyday life", arguing, as Susan Bredlau notes, "that the temporal structure of musical meaning is a powerful analog for the temporal structure of all experiential meaning." His 2017 book, ''Sites of Exposure'', broadens the perspective of these earlier books to address issues of politics and history. Russon analyzes the dynamic process by which we make ourselves at home in a culture, and at the same time come into conflict with other cultures. Investigating this process throughout history, with a special emphasis on ancient

Athenian democracy Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC in the Ancient Greece, Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Classical Athens, Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, and focusing on supporting lib ...

, the history of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, and the history of

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

in Asia, Russon argues for a pluralist

as the only viable political direction. He concludes the book with a study of art, which is relevant because it is art that can transform our perspective in a way that opens us to the new possibilities of social and cultural life that are necessary if we are to get beyond simple situations of cultural conflict. He offers original studies of

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for hi ...

Rachel Whiteread Dame Rachel Whiteread (born 20 April 1963) is an English artist who primarily produces sculptures, which typically take the form of casts. She was the first woman to win the annual Turner Prize in 1993. Whiteread was one of the Young British ...

Anselm Kiefer Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan h ...

, and

Gerhard Richter Gerhard Richter (; born 9 February 1932) is a German visual artist. Richter has produced Abstract art, abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, photographs and Glass art, glass pieces. He is widely regarded as one of the most important con ...

, among others. His most recent book, ''Adult Life'', continues the study of human development begun in ''Human Experience'' and ''Bearing Witness to Epiphany'', and develops an original philosophical account of adulthood. In particular, Russon offers a phenomenological account of the experience of aging and develops an original account of economics and politics as dimensions of intersubjective life that go beyond the sphere of intimate relations studied in detail in his earlier books.

History of philosophy

In addition to his original philosophical contributions, Russon has also published substantial scholarly work in the

history of philosophy The history of philosophy is the systematic study of the development of philosophical thought. It focuses on philosophy as rational inquiry based on argumentation, but some theorists also include myth, religious traditions, and proverbial lor ...

. About this, Gregory Kirk writes, however, "A superficial review of Russon's publications presents the image of a scholar who writes two types of works: first, those that engage with the history of philosophy and second, those that presents the author's ideas as an original contributor to the discipline of phenomenology. . . . becomes clear when one reads Russon's work that there is less differentiating the two kinds of projects than would appear to be the case initially. Indeed, they are components of the same project insofar as they come together to produce the complete application of the method Russon has taken on through a synthesis and application of core ideas from significant figures in the tradition."

Hegel

Though his doctoral supervisor was the

Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art, and language. In April ...

scholar Graeme Nicholson, his interpretation of

's philosophy is more often thought of as continuing the tradition of his teacher H.S. Harris (1926–2007), the pre-eminent

scholar in the English-speaking world. Russon's

-interpretation is also distinctive because of its attempt to show the continuity of

's philosophy with the philosophical traditions of

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839� ...

existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...

and

deconstruction In philosophy, deconstruction is a loosely-defined set of approaches to understand the relationship between text and meaning. The concept of deconstruction was introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who described it as a turn away from ...

. This interpretation has been developed through many scholarly articles, and especially through three books: ''The Self and Its Body in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit,'' ''Reading Hegel's Phenomenology,'' and ''Infinite Phenomenology: The Lessons of Hegel's Science of Experience''.

Contemporary Continental philosophy

Russon's philosophical orientation is largely derived from

, and he has published many scholarly articles in this area, especially focusing on the work of

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...

Maurice Merleau-Ponty Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty. ( ; ; 14 March 1908 – 3 May 1961) was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interes ...

and

Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida;Peeters (2013), pp. 12–13. See also 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was a French Algerian philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in a number of his texts, ...

. His most recent works include, "Phenomenology as the Critical Disclosure of the Realities in our Experience," and "Being Present: The Existential Challenges of Remembering and Forgetting." A collection of papers focusing on his original phenomenological work, entitled "John Russon's Phenomenological Encounters," edited by Peter Gratton, was the subject of a recent volume of the journal ''Symposium: Canadian Journal of Continental Philosophy'' (Volume 27, number 2, Fall 2023).

Ancient philosophy

Russon is also known as a scholar of

ancient philosophy This page lists some links to ancient philosophy, namely philosophical thought extending as far as early post-classical history (). Overview Genuine philosophical thought, depending upon original individual insights, arose in many cultures ro ...

, especially for his use of the methods of 20th Century European philosophy (

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...

and

) to interpret the texts of

and

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

. Along with John Sallis, he organized an influential conference at the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

in 1997 entitled "Retracing the Platonic Text," (the papers from which were published as ''Retracing the Platonic Text'' by

Northwestern University Press Northwestern University Press is an American publishing house affiliated with Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It publishes 70 new titles each year in the areas of continental philosophy, poetry, Slavic and German literary criticis ...

in 2000). This conference helped to inaugurate the growing North American movement to interpret the texts of

Greek Philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC. Philosophy was used to make sense of the world using reason. It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including astronomy, epistemology, mathematics, political philosophy, ethics, metaphysic ...

through the lens of Contemporary

, a movement especially associated with the Ancient Philosophy Society. From 2011-2021, he was the editor of a book series from Northwestern University Press entitled ''Rereading Ancient Philosophy'', which featured books on ancient philosophy that are informed by the insights of continental philosophy. In 2021 he published ''Politics, Money, and Persuasion: Democracy and Opinion in Plato's Republic'', an original interpretation of the ''Republic'' focusing on the relation between politics and psychology--"an extended reading of Plato's great work that takes him as our guide to contemporary concerns including neoliberalism and the rise of financial capitalism."Peter Gratton, "Introduction," ''Symposium: Canadian Journal of Continental Philosophy'' 27 (2023):1-9, p. 4

Teaching

Russon has supervised the dissertations of many current professors of philosophy across North America on topics in

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works ...

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy and t ...

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

Edmund Husserl Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl (; 8 April 1859 – 27 April 1938) was an Austrian-German philosopher and mathematician who established the school of Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology. In his early work, he elaborated critiques of histori ...

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and Education reform, educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century. The overridi ...

and

Gilles Deleuze Gilles Louis René Deleuze (18 January 1925 – 4 November 1995) was a French philosopher who, from the early 1950s until his death in 1995, wrote on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes o ...

. Russon has held academic appointments at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, the

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly Undergraduate education, undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some Postgraduate education, graduate programs at the master's level and one at the Doctorate, doctor ...

, the

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

, and the

. He is also the founder and main organizer of the Toronto Summer Seminar in Philosophy, an annual private seminar for the study of philosophy, held in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada.

Select bibliography

Books

*''Politics, Money and Persuasion: Democracy and Opinion in Plato’s Republic'', (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2021). *''Adult Life: Aging, Responsibility, and the Pursuit of Happiness'', (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2020). *''Sites of Exposure: Art, Politics, and the Nature of Experience'', (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2017). *''Infinite Phenomenology: The Lessons of Hegel's Science of Experience'', (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2016). *''Bearing Witness to Epiphany: Persons, Things and the Nature of Erotic Life'', (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2009). *''Reading Hegel's Phenomenology'', (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2004). *''Human Experience: Philosophy, Neurosis and the Elements of Everyday Life'', (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003). *''The Self and Its Body in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit'', (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997).

Edited books

*''Teaching in Unequal Societies'', co-edited with Siby K. George and Pravesh Jung, (New Delhi: Bloomsbury, 2020). *''Perception and Its Development in Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology'', co-edited with Kirsten Jacobson, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2017). *''Reexamining Socrates in the Apology'', co-edited with Patricia Fagan, (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2009). *''Retracing the Platonic Text'', co-edited with John Sallis, (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2000). *''Hegel and the Tradition: Essays in Honour of H.S. Harris'', co-edited with Michael Baur, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997).

Selected articles in the history and problems of philosophy

*"Phenomenology as the Critical Disclosure of the Realities in Our Experience," ''Symposium'', 27 (2023): 134-52. *"Being Present: The Existential Challenges of Remembering and Forgetting," ''Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal'', 43 (2022): 321-37. *"To Account for the Appearances: Phenomenological Method and Existential Change in Aristotle and Plato," ''Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology'', 52 (2021): 155-68. *"Desire, Recognition and Freedom in Brandom, A Spirit of Trust," ''Existenz'', 15 (2020): 53-60. *"The Meaning of Health: Human Needs and the Philosophy of Medicine," ''Anekaant'', 10 (2019–20): 35-44. *"Personality as Equilibrium: Fragility and Plasticity in (Inter)Personal Identity," ''Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences'', 16 (2017): 623-35. *"The Right to Become an Individual," ''Anekaant'', 3 (2015): 17-22. *"Between Two Intimacies: The Formative Contexts of Adult Individuality," ''Emotion, Space and Society'', 13 (2014): 65-70. *"Haunted by History: Merleau-Ponty, Hegel, and the Phenomenology of Pain," ''Journal of Contemporary Thought'', (2013): 34-51. *"The Self as Resolution: Heidegger, Derrida and the Intimacy of the Question of the Meaning of Being," ''Research in Phenomenology'', 38 (2008): 90-110. *"Temporality and the Future of Philosophy in Hegel," ''International Philosophical Quarterly'', 48(2008): 59-68. *"Spatiality and Self-Consciousness: Originary Passivity in Kant, Merleau-Ponty and Derrida," ''Chiasmi International'', 9 (2007): 219-232. *"Reading: Derrida in Hegel's Understanding," ''Research in Phenomenology'', 36 (2006): 181-200. *"Merleau-Ponty and the New Science of the Soul," ''Chiasmi International'', 8 (2006): 129-138. *"The Intersubjective Path from Body to Mind," ''Dialogue'', 45 (2006): 307-314. *"The Virtue of Stoicism: On First Principles in Philosophy and Life," ''Dialogue'', 45 (2006): 347-354. *"The Elements of Everyday Life: Three Lessons from Ancient Greece," ''Philosophy in the Contemporary World'', 13,2 (2006): 84-90. *"Eros and Education: Plato’s Transformative Epistemology," ''Laval Théologique et Philosophique'', 56 (2000):113-125. *"The Metaphysics of Consciousness and the Hermeneutics of Social Life: Hegel’s Phenomenological System," ''Southern Journal of Philosophy'', 36 (1998) :81-101. *"Self-Consciousness and the Tradition in Aristotle's Psychology," ''Laval Théologique et Philosophique'', 52 (1996): 777-803. *"Aristotle’s Animative Epistemology," ''Idealistic Studies'', 25 (1995):241-253. *"Heidegger, Hegel and Ethnicity: The Ritual Basis of Self-Identity," ''Southern Journal of Philosophy'', 33 (1995): 509-532. *"Hermeneutics and Plato’s Ion," ''Clio'', 24 (1995): 399-418. *"Embodiment and Responsibility: Merleau-Ponty and the Ontology of Nature," ''Man and World'', 27 (1994): 291-308.

Notes

External links

YouTube channel

Official website

John Russon's homepage
at the University of Guelph.
Review of Russon's ''Reading Hegel's'' Phenomenology
at ''Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Russon, John 1960 births Living people 20th-century American philosophers 21st-century American philosophers Phenomenologists 20th-century Canadian philosophers 21st-century Canadian philosophers University of Toronto alumni Heidegger scholars