The emergence of an explicit consideration of religion over the past few decades has deeply marked the landscape of Continental philosophy. Though these debates have engaged many philosophical traditions, by far the most prominent thread of Continental philosophy of religion was inspired by phenomenology. Those working in this area frequently draw on Levinas, Derrida, Marion, et al. Merleau-Ponty has been considered far less, and, with a few notable exceptions, his work has been largely overlooked by the field. This omission is perhaps not surprising, however, given Merleau-Ponty's philosophical priorities, which rarely directly engage the typical questions and topics of philosophy of religion. Berman (philosophy, Brock Univ.) attempts to re-situate Merleau-Ponty's authorship (as a developmental whole) by arguing that Merleau-Ponty offers important original contributions to the philosophy of religion. This well-written, well-researched book will be of use not only to Merleau-Ponty scholars but also to philosophers of religion interested in phenomenological approaches to traditional ideas such as faith, love, miracles, and the problem of evil.

Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.