The Verge of Philosophy (review)

John Sallis’ The Verge of Philosophy is a challenging book to review. It is not necessarily difficult to report on the book’s aim or structure. The Verge of Philosophy explores the beginnings and ends of philosophy. It is short and consists in an opening exordium followed by five chapters in which Sallis reflects on the beginnings, ends, and boundaries of philosophy by reflecting on works by Plato, Heidegger, and Derrida. Chapter 1 focuses on Heidegger’s depiction of Plato as marking the beginning of philosophy—the philosopher whose thinking begins philosophy yet conceals an alternative perspective found in pre-Socratic thought. Sallis shows that Plato’s writings are more ambivalent, identifying both a founding of metaphysics as well as a “regression” to what “escapes metaphysics” in them. Chapter 2, the book’s longest chapter, presents a complex analysis of Derrida by examining three sites in his oeuvre: Of Spirit: Heidegger and the Question, “Plato’s Pharmacy,” and Derrida’s reflections on Plato’s notion of the chora. Chapter 2 is arguably the strongest chapter in the book, not only for its thoughtful analysis of Derrida but for how Sallis articulates his own views by identifying his differences from Derrida over the course of his analysis. The Verge of Philosophy closes with a chapter on music and politics and a short concluding chapter that discusses the book’s findings.

Nor is it difficult to identify potential flaws. Critics have faulted Sallis’ books for neglecting technical Plato scholarship and for their obscurity. These criticisms can be made of The Verge of Philosophy. Sallis’ readings of Plato are fascinating, but there is a dearth of footnotes linking them to contemporary Plato scholarship. Instead, he focuses on interpretative puzzles raised by Heidegger and Derrida and on close readings of primary texts rather than secondary sources. His use of the jargon and rhetorical style favored in continental philosophy is not, in this reviewer’s opinion, excessive. Some Greek terms are left untranslated, but no specialized knowledge of Plato—or Heidegger or Derrida—is required to follow his arguments. Nonetheless, readers who are immediately put off by talk of “questioning slipping into its proper questionableness” or “concealment as such undoing the as such as such” will find The Verge of Philosophy a frustrating read.

These criticisms, however, sort of miss the point. First, the intended reader of The Verge of Philosophy is most likely someone interested in those puzzles in Plato which Sallis discusses, and she will likely find his prose illuminating rather than alienating. More importantly, they overlook what makes reading Sallis a gratifying experience. Reviewers have likened his books to going on a journey and to curling up with a good novel. Sallis’ prose in The Verge of Philosophy conveys similar feelings of warmth and enthusiasm—a sense of intimacy that is enhanced by the recollections of conversations with Sallis’ longtime friend, Jacques Derrida, that pepper the book. Sallis has elsewhere characterized his method as one of “simply reading . . . thoughtfully and carefully.” This is a good description of his approach in The Verge of Philosophy, and one of the chief rewards of reading his book consists in simply allowing oneself to amble over Plato’s dialogues (and Derrida’s commentaries) under the guidance of such a thoughtful and careful reader, one whose admiration and enthusiasm for these works is infectious.

The Verge of Philosophy is also valuable insofar as it provides a succinct introduction to Sallis’ thought. The Verge of Philosophy is a short book; it totals some 155 pages. By contrast, Sallis’ chapter on the Republic in Being and Logos alone numbers around 150 pages. Yet he manages in The Verge of Philosophy to canvas many of the themes and insights he has explored in longer works, such as the central place of Plato’s cave in the Republic, concealment and the limits of manifestation, and the challenge of specifying the beginnings of philosophy.

The Verge of Philosophy offers readers, then, a helpful introduction to Sallis and his place in continental philosophy. Sallis is steeped in continental discussions about...