Onward with Stanley Cavell

Stanley Cavell (1926–2018) was one of the most significant and field-shaping figures in contemporary philosophy. Onward with Stanley Cavell offers the first major investigation of his legacy and nachlass, providing fourteen insightful essays that engage with the posthumous volume, Here and There: Sites of Philosophy (2022), its connections to the rest of his work, and its broader implications for the future of thought.

Gathering an international group of interdisciplinary scholars, this collection explores the vitality of Cavell’s afterlife and the continued urgency of his writing. The chapters are organized into four thematic areas—Futures of Philosophy, The Ordinary Life of Language, A Mood for Psychoanalysis, and Thinking American Thought—reflecting the capacious and enduring nature of Cavell’s work. From his deep engagements with Wittgenstein, Austin, and Emerson to his forays into the philosophy of music, the volume tracks how Cavell’s voice continues to resonate across the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

At once an up-close encounter with the best of Cavellian criticism and an invitation for readers to chart their own new directions in scholarship, it will appeal to specialists and students in media studies, cultural studies, philosophy, and related fields, as well as the general reader interested in the impact of one of the most important modern philosophers.