Being, Desire, and God

The first collection of late philosopher William J. Richardson’s essays, underscoring his deep and expansive scholarly interests in continental philosophy, and containing his interpretation of key issues in phenomenology, the philosophy of religion, and psychoanalysis.

Being, Desire, and God brings together the scholarly articles of William J. Richardson in one place for the first time. Richardson maintained a reputation as a foremost scholar of Heidegger’s philosophy—his only sole-authored monograph was the first on Heidegger’s thought in English, and included the only preface Heidegger ever wrote for another philosopher’s work—as well as an expert in psychoanalysis and the philosophy of religion.

Richardson also published many articles. However, many are contained in volumes now out of print, or scholarly journals with limited availability. Being, Desire, and God remedies this issue by presenting a thematic overview of Richardson’s work in a single volume.

The essays included in this volume are unique insofar as few can be categorized as exclusively dealing with either the philosophy of religion, psychoanalysis, or phenomenology. On the contrary, the book is a model for the dialogue possible between these fields. Those interested in both the depth and breadth of continental philosophy, as well as detailed exegesis of some of its most influential ideas, will find value in this book. In addition, this book demonstrates Richardson’s deep and sustained attention to questions endemic to Christian philosophy, such as original sin and the nature of religious experience. This collection also includes many instances of Richardson’s sustained engagement with literature and culture.