Stuart Jesson
Information
I recently completed a PhD at Nottingham University entitled
‘Forgiveness and its reason’ which, as the title suggests, is an
attempt to get to grips with the inner logic of forgiveness.
Alongside postgraduate study I also worked for a number of
charities supporting vulnerably housed and homeless people.
Teaching
I teach modules on the ‘Religion, Philosophy and Ethics’ strand
of the Undergraduate Programme and am in the process of developing
the curriculum in this area.
Research
My doctoral study has left me with a number of related research
interests. I am fascinated by the unusual work of the French
mystic/philosopher Simone Weil, in particular the way in which she
wrestled with the relationship between God and suffering in her
notebooks. I hope to show how Weil’s work might be used in a
creative but critical way in the process of negotiating ethical and
theological issues. I am also interested in the postmodern
condition of theology and the reception and influence of Jacques
Derrida, who is one of the most controversial thinkers of
recent times. More generally, I have an interest in ‘continental
philosophy of religion’; that is, using the philosophical tradition
that passes through Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Heidegger as a
resource for thinking about religious life, beliefs and
practices.
Publications
Review of Kevin Vanhoozer and Martin Warner (eds),
‘Transcending Boundaries in Philosophy and Theology: Reason,
Meaning and Experience’ in International Journal of Systematic
Theology, vol. 11, issue 1.
Review of Jean-Luc Marion, The Erotic Phenomenon and Kevin Hart
(ed) Counter-Experiences: Reading Jean-Luc Marion, in International
Journal of Systematic Theology, vol. 10, issue 1.
Review of Michael Purcell, Levinas and theology’, in International
Journal of Systematic Theology, vol. 9, issue 2.