This volume contains for the first time in English, Jan Patocka´s seminal essay The Phenomenology of Afterlife , as well as contributions surrounding and analyzing this text. In his essay, Patocka reflects on our relation to the dead and on how the departure of a loved one affects our continued existence. The premise of Patocka´s investigation is that our existence always takes place by and through an originary and reciprocal being for others .
The contributors in the volume extend the field of inquiry into the wider phenomenological and post-phenomenological discussion of death by being cognizant of how works of literature can broaden our understanding of the care of death, grief, forgiveness and non-reciprocal love. Also included are reflections on issues of philosophical anthropology, community, collective memory, and the ecstatic nature of life - issues that can all be related back to Patocka´s initial reflections, but which nonetheless radiate intoa myriad of directions. This volume appeals to students and researchers in the field.
