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Drew Dalton

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Drew M. Dalton
EducationKU Leuven (PhD), Wheaton College (BA)
Era21st-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
InstitutionsIndiana University, Dominican University
Main interests
literary theory, ethics, social philosophy, political philosophy, aesthetics

Drew M. Dalton is an American philosopher and a professor of English at Indiana University.[1] Previously, he was a professor of philosophy at Dominican University.[2] He is known for his works on continental philosophy.[3] Dalton received his Doctor of Philosophy in philosophy from KU Leuven.[4]

Dalton's work focuses on the concept of the absolute. In ethics, Dalton argues that the pursuit of an absolute good inevitably leads to evil. Nevertheless, Dalton argues, one should not give up on the idea of absolutes entirely. Instead, Dalton promotes "ethical resistance," as the proper way of relating to any given absolute. In metaphysics, Dalton argues for the idea of a "naturalized absolute" drawn by extension of the conclusions of contemporary scientific research. Dalton also champions "ethical pessimism," as the best response to what he calls the "absolute unbecoming of existence," which he claims is testified to in the contemporary scientific account of nature.

Philosophy

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Dalton draws extensively from phenomenology, psychoanalysis, speculative materialism, and German idealism.

Key points of Dalton's philosophy are:

  • Suspicion of the Absolute Good: Dalton argues that the idea of a perfect, absolute good can lead to ethical problems and even evil if it is not related to properly. He refers to this idea as the "tyranny of the absolute."[5] To make his case, Dalton uses examples from social and political history to demonstrate how concepts of the absolute good have been used to justify oppressive systems globally.
  • Ethics of Resistance: Instead of seeking to affirm any absolute good, Dalton proposes developing an "ethics of resistance," which "resists" any given concept of the absolute good.[6] For Dalton, ethical action is grounded in recognizing and resisting the allure of the absolute, wherever and however it appears.
  • Metaphysics of Decay: Dalton argues that the only epistemologically valid source for philosophical absolutes is the mathematical and scientific study of matter. It is from this alone, he claims, that metaphysical absolutes can be developed. Following this logic, Dalton proposes a "metaphysics of decay," which he bases on the "thermodynamic revolution" in the contemporary material sciences.[7] By speculatively extending the conclusions of the contemporary sciences, Dalton argues that one "natural absolute" that can be asserted is the idea of entropy which is defined in the second law of thermodynamics. From this he develops an account of being as something which is "unbecoming."[8]
  • Ethical Pessimism: In relation to what he calls the "absolute unbecoming of existence," Dalton embraces "ethical pessimism," as an normative system.[9] In "ethical pessimism," Dalton argues, one can ground ethical action and political engagement so long as goodness is conceived of negatively (per his "ethics of resistance").[10]
  • Influence of Phenomenology: Dalton's work heavily draws from phenomenological philosophy,[11] particularly the ideas of Emmanuel Levinas,[12][13] who he often uses as a foil to frame his conception of the importance of resisting the absolute in order to be ethically responsible.[14]
  • Influence of Speculative Realism: Dalton argues that the best way to consider questions of the absolute is through a mode of speculative naturalism. In this regard, his work complements and draws from other contemporary speculative realists like Quentin Meillassoux and Ray Brassier. Unlike these two, however, Dalton argues that these speculative projects need not be at odds with phenomenology, but can be used together to develop a "speculative phenomenological" approach to reality.[15]
  • Focus on Social and Political Issues: Dalton's philosophical ideas are often applied to contemporary social and political issues, analyzing how the pursuit of absolute ideals can contribute to oppression and injustice; and, alternatively, how a proper relation to the idea of the absolute can ground anew social and political activism.[16]

Books

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  • Longing for the Other: Levinas and Metaphysical Desire (Duquesne University Press, 2009)[17][18][19][20]
  • The Ethics of Resistance: Tyranny of the Absolute (Bloomsbury, 2018)[21][22][23][24]
  • The Matter of Evil: From Speculative Realism to Ethical Pessimism (Northwestern University Press, 2023)[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Drew Dalton". Department of English. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "Drew Dalton | Dominican University". www.dom.edu. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  3. ^ DeRoo, Neal (February 26, 2013). "Review of Reexamining Deconstruction and Determinate Religion: Toward a Religion with Religion". NDPR. ISSN 1538-1617.
  4. ^ "Drew Dalton". Dominican University. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "Drew M. Dalton: The Ethics of Resistance: Tyranny of the Absolute, Bloomsbury, 2020 – Phenomenological Reviews". March 10, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  6. ^ DALTON, Drew M. (2022). "The Moral Ambiguity of the Absolute". Tijdschrift voor Filosofie. 84 (5): 67–93. doi:10.2143/TVF.84.5.3290712. ISSN 2031-8952.
  7. ^ Dalton, Drew M.; DePaul University (2022). "The Metaphysics of Speculative Materialism: Reckoning with the Fact of Entropy". Philosophy Today. 66 (4): 687–705. doi:10.5840/philtoday2022623456. ISSN 0031-8256.
  8. ^ M. Dalton, Drew (November 16, 2023). "The Unbecoming of Being: Thermodynamics and The Metaphysics and Ethics of Entropic Decay". Technophany, A Journal for Philosophy and Technology: 1–24. doi:10.54195/technophany.14045. ISSN 2773-0875.
  9. ^ Dalton, Drew M. (2024). "The Unbecoming of Being: Thermodynamics and The Metaphysics and Ethics of Entropic Decay". Technophany, A Journal for Philosophy and Technology: 1–24. doi:10.54195/technophany.14045. ISSN 2773-0875.
  10. ^ Dalton, Drew M. (August 29, 2024). "Pessimism and the Questions of Moral Nihilism and Ethical Quietism: Schopenhauer and Mainländer on the Practical Potencies of Metaphysical Pessimism". Epoché: A Journal for the History of Philosophy. doi:10.5840/epoche2024828256.
  11. ^ Dalton, Drew M.; Canadian Society for Continental Philosophy (2024). "Speculative Phenomenology: Reexamining the Relation Between Phenomenology and Speculative Realism". Symposium. 28 (1): 121–148. doi:10.5840/symposium20242818. ISSN 1917-9685.
  12. ^ Dalton, Drew (Fall 2011). ""The Vaccination of the Infinite"" (PDF). jcrt.org. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  13. ^ Dalton, Drew M.; Graduate Faculty Philosophy Department, New School for Social Research (2013). "The Intrigue of the Other and the Subversion of the Subject: Levinas and Lacan on the Status of Subjectivity after Heidegger". Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal. 34 (2): 415–438. doi:10.5840/gfpj201334226. ISSN 0093-4240.
  14. ^ Dalton, Drew M.; Duquesne University Press (2014). "Phenomenology and the Infinite: Levinas, Husserl, and the Fragility of the Finite". Levinas Studies. 9: 23–51. doi:10.5840/levinas201494. ISSN 1554-7000.
  15. ^ Dalton, Drew M.; Canadian Society for Continental Philosophy (2024). "Speculative Phenomenology: Reexamining the Relation Between Phenomenology and Speculative Realism". Symposium. 28 (1): 121–148. doi:10.5840/symposium20242818. ISSN 1917-9685.
  16. ^ Dalton, Drew M. (September 25, 2024). "Pessimism and the Questions of Moral Nihilism and Ethical Quietism: Schopenhauer and Mainländer on the Practical Potencies of Metaphysical Pessimism". Epoché: A Journal for the History of Philosophy. 29 (1): 119–144. doi:10.5840/epoche2024828256.
  17. ^ Pittsburgh, Duquesne University Press 600 Forbes Avenue. "Longing for the Other: Levinas and Metaphysical Desire Drew M. Dalton". Duquesne University Press. Retrieved October 3, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "JCRT 11.3 Fall 2011". jcrt.org. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  19. ^ Yates, Christopher (June 2012). "Drew M. Dalton: Longing for the other: Levinas and metaphysical desire: Duquesne University Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2009, 313 pp, paperback, US $25, ISBN 978-0-8207-0425-8". Continental Philosophy Review. 45 (2): 325–332. doi:10.1007/s11007-012-9216-y. ISSN 1387-2842.
  20. ^ Abdullah, Ayesha (June 13, 2011). "Drew Dalton, Longing for the Other: Levinas and Metaphysical Desire". Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy. 19 (1): 171–176. doi:10.5195/jffp.2011.485. ISSN 2155-1162.
  21. ^ Dalton, Drew M. (2018). The ethics of resistance: tyranny of the absolute. London: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-350-04203-2. OCLC 1031415054.
  22. ^ "Drew M. Dalton, The Ethics of Resistance | CSCP / SCPC". www.c-scp.org. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  23. ^ Nethery IV, H.A. (July 19, 2019). "Book Review: Drew Dalton, The Ethics of Resistance: Tyranny of the Absolute (London, U.K.: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018), pp. 154". Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy. 27 (1): 100–104. doi:10.5195/jffp.2019.878. ISSN 2155-1162.
  24. ^ Hasan-Birdwell, Aminah (December 22, 2021). "Review of The Ethics of Resistance: Tyranny of the Absolute". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. University of Notre Dame. ISSN 1538-1617.
  25. ^ "The Matter of Evil". Northwestern University Press. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
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