Join LDS-Herm

Posted on April 11, 2010
Filed Under Philosophy, Religion | Leave a Comment

I’d mentioned in the what are you reading thread about joining LDS-Herm. I noticed there weren’t very good instructions on how to join.

To join go to LDS-Herm at Google Groups

You’ll have to create a Google Groups account, but there’s not much to it. Especially if you already have a Gmail account.

LDS-Herm is a philosophy mailing list oriented around hermeneutics. In general the discussions focus on Continental Philosophy with engagements with Mormon thinking. Heidegger probably gets the most attention although other figures like Badiou, Derrida, Kierkegaard, Girard and others have been discussed.

Right now they are starting a reading group on Clenn Wallis’ Basic Teachings of the Buddha. There have been a few discussions on and off the past year on the relationship of Buddhism and Mormon thought. Adam has written some very interesting things along those lines. I still tend to think that an essential feature of Mormon thought is a certain messianic and utopian view. However Adam notes that Buddhist thought does have a political aspects which obviously has ideals. Whether that is sufficient to constitute an utopian feature I can’t say. (I’m skeptical) But it does highlight a certain ambiguity between the utopian drive and the political drive.

Anyway, I probably won’t have time to join in the reading group too much, although I did order the text.

I should note that the mailing list does tend to assume a certain level of familiarity with philosophy. However most people are ignorant of some areas. (Clearly I don’t know much about Badiou or OOO even though I am reading on them) So a lot of the discussions are people asking questions about particular figures. And, given the hermeneutic focus, there is often a lot of close readings of Mormon religious texts.

Related posts:

  1. Misc: Reading Club on Ostler
  2. LDS Philosophy Blogs
  3. Reading Nephi Reading Isaiah
  4. What I’m Reading
  5. Upcoming SMPT Conference
  6. Ostler Reading Club: Of God and Gods

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