Description: This collection provides a new set of critical reflections on the philosophical themes of Moby-Dick. Written by leading philosophers and critics, the wide-ranging set of essays approach the issue of significance in Moby-Dick in relation to German idealism, American transcendentalism, and to the thinkers (Nietzsche, Heidegger) who rebelled against idealism in an accessible language. The essays draw out the philosophy from the text and show how the novel engages philosophical questions about agency, ethics, and metaphysics. They shed light on Melville's own philosophical context and on what he has to tell contemporary audiences about humanity's place in the world.
