The Philosophy of Wilhelm Schapp - by Daniele de Santis & Daniele Nuccilli (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Despite studying with Heinrich Rickert in Freiburg, Wilhelm Dilthey in Berlin, and Edmund Husserl in Göttingen, Wilhelm Schapp (1884-1965) has, until now, been largely neglected in phenomenological scholarship.As the first English-language volume dedicated to Schapp's thought, this book seeks to correct this by investigating Schapp's pioneering philosophy, his relationship to his contemporaries, and what we can learn from his work today.

In three parts, leading international scholars introduce the key themes of Schapp's philosophy, from his early writings to his mature reflections. The first part explores his phenomenology of perception and the bodily dimension of our existence in the world. Focus then moves to Schapp's philosophy of law and his ideas on the problem of value-based experience, followed lastly by his hermeneutics of stories and the narrative essence of human beings. The volume closes with an autobiographical piece by Schapp himself. Translated here in English for the first time, Schapp retrospectively outlines his position in relation to Husserl and the phenomenological school more broadly.

Crossing the divide between continental and analytic philosophy, The Philosophy of Wilhelm Schapp not only provides a fresh insight into the early development of the phenomenological tradition, but also demonstrates the relevance of Schapp's thought to recent debates in areas from the philosophy of mind to the theory of contracts.

Review Quotes

The Philosophy of Wilhelm Schapp is timely, fascinating, and insightful. By featuring essays on Schapp's significant contributions to the philosophy of perception, law, science, history, values, and existence, this volume sheds light on one of the most important representatives of early realist phenomenology. It is essential reading for anyone interested in this extraordinary chapter of phenomenology and the diverse topics of Schapp's philosophical reflection.

This admirable collection of expert papers is a necessary and most welcome contribution to the reassessment of Wilhelm Schapp for contemporary philosophy. Schapp not only contributed early to Husserlian phenomenology of perception, but he went on to develop a sophisticated philosophy of law and values, and, further, his original, and still relevant, hermeneutical 'philosophy of stories', of narrative, of histories. This collection expertly addresses all three areas of Schapp's work and offers a valuable contemporary reassessment that will undoubtedly insert Schapp into contemporary discourse on history, stories, and the narratives of our lives.

About the Author

Daniele De Santis is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Charles University, Czech Republic. Previous titles include: Husserl and the A Priori: Phenomenology and Rationality (2021) and The Routledge Handbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy (co-editor, 2021).

Daniele Nuccilli is MSCA-CZ Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Philosophy (Úfar) of Charles University, Czech Republic. He has edited the Italian translation of Schapp's In Geschichten verstrickt and the collected volume The Phenomenological Movement (2020).