Breath of Proximity ― Intersubjectivity, Ethics and Peace

This book offers an original contribution towards a new theory of intersubjectivity which places ethics of breath, hospitality and non-violence in the forefront. Emphasizing Indian philosophy and religion (Vedas and Upanishads) and related cross-cultural interpretations, it provides new intercultural interpretations of key Western concepts which traditionally were developed and followed in the vein of re-conceptualizations or revitalizations of Greek thought, as in Nietzsche and Heidegger, for example. The significance of the book lies in its establishment of a new platform for thinking philosophically about intersubjectivity, so as to nudge contemporary philosophy towards a more sensitive approach, which is needed in our times. Its originality lies in its innovative approach, which searches for the origin of ethical gestures (represented in respecting the breath/breathing) through the newly introduced concept of “mesocosm” as a space of a ritual, or a new ethical space of intersubjective encounters. The book also introduces the possibility of an original ethics based on breath. Intended for philosophers, feminists and others concerned with intercultural philosophy and comparative religion, the book will appeal to readers interested in contemporary ethical and political theories of peaceful conflict resolution and concepts of hospitality. A Breath of Hospitality will benefit all who seek a more sensitive approach in philosophy, including philosophy of religion, and often-neglected practical and educational layers of our everyday intersubjective relations.

Lenart ?kof was born in Ljubljana, on July 6, 1972. He studied philosophy at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. In 2001 he obtained Ph.D. in Religious studies at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana with a thesis on Schopenhauer’s ethics of compassion. During his postgraduate studies he spent 6 months on a KAAD research grant in Tubingen, Germany, studying at indological and philosophical seminars and in 1998-2001 he was a guest student at indological seminars at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. In 2005 he published a translation and commentary of the ancient Indian Upanishads from Sanskrit into Slovene. He is Professor of Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska, Slovenia, where he was Chair of Depts. of Philosophy and Anthropology, and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Research in 2006-2012. Dr. ?kof published a paper in Schopenhauer Jahrbuch (2006, another paper in 2010). He has also important publications in the field of pragmatism. In 2008 he published two papers on American pragmatism. The first one was published in the leading journal for the philosophy of American pragmatism, Contemporary Pragmatism (USA). The second one was published in a special issue dedicated to the memory of Richard Rorty of journal Ideas y Valores (Colombia). His other important publications are about Rorty’s philosophy of religion (in one of the leading journals for philosophy of religion Sophia), contemporary political ethics and intercultural philosophy (Peace Review: Journal for Social Justice) and Dewey’s philosophy as compared to Ambedkar. He is also an author of three monographs in ethics, Indian and comparative philosophy and pragmatism. In May 2012 his fourth book on American pragmatism was published by Lexington Books. Dr. ?kof received a Fulbright research grant for the 2005-06 academic year and Humboldt research grant for the 2010-11 academic year.