Commentary on Gabriel Marcel's the Mystery of Being [Paperback]

In this thin but extremely valuable book, Thomas Anderson provides a close reading of Marcel's two-volume The Mystery of Being (MB), which he considers "the most orderly, comprehensive and unified presentation by Marcel of his philosophical endeavors" (p. 9). As such, the work operates on two levels, that of a textual commentary on MB, and as an overview of Marcel's broader philosophical accomplishment. Happily, it succeeds admirably on both levels.
As a textual commentary, Anderson's work is exemplary. He clearly identifies Marcel's philosophical positions and carefully reconstructs the arguments given for them, often providing arguments from other works by Marcel when they are partially (or entirely) lacking in MB. The analysis is closely grounded in Marcel's text, and wisely relies on the superior French edition of the Gifford Lectures that the English translations occasionally truncate (see p. 124 n.1 and p. 176 n. 3 for examples). When Marcel's other works cannot offer adequate support for his position, Anderson offers original arguments or suggestions (always clearly identified as such) that capture the spirit and style of his philosophy, even when he occasionally rejects a claim or conclusion by Marcel (e.g., Marcel's claim that existence and the existent form an "indissoluble unity" is critiqued and rejected on pp. 44-45). More important yet, Anderson has the integrity (not always found in commentators) to admit when he "do[es] not understand just what Marcel's argument is here" (p. 30), rather than to fabricate an argument in order to reject it. Throughout, the reading of MB offered by Anderson never seems forced or artificial, and frequently improves upon Marcel's original work by peeling away the frequent digressions and meandering style which can prove so frustrating to many readers.
The final result is much more than a "Cliff Notes" version of Marcel's Gifford Lectures. In the process of commenting on MB, Anderson has also produced a work that stands on its own as an intelligent, insightful and deeply informed overview of Marcel's philosophical project. For instance, the discussion of the ranges of meaning possessed by French words such as exigence (p. 17), sentir (p. 50) and espérance (p. 170) goes to the heart of Marcel's metaphysical views. These terms, which are essential for understanding Marcel's philosophy, are too often translated without explanation or nuance when they are not left untranslated by other writers. Likewise, Anderson's intimate familiarity with and constant reference to the full range of Marcel's works always illuminates not only the passage under consideration but the development of Marcel's views as well, since he is always conscious of the date of the other works and their chronological relationship to MB. Such concern for and sensitivity to the dynamic and living character of Marcel's thought, which is distilled but not embalmed in MB, makes this volume a sympathetic but critical synthesis of Marcel's entire philosophical oeuvre, and perhaps the single best point of entry for someone coming to Marcel's work for the first (or the fiftieth) time.
Anderson began his study by noting the renewed interest in Marcel's philosophy in the last decade. In his work as founding president of the Gabriel Marcel Society, he played a major role in fostering this movement. With this work -- the fruit of several decades of careful and sympathetic study of Marcel's writings -- he has also provided a study which should help ensure that this increased interest in Marcel's philosophy and its continuing relevance for Christian thought will continue. This book belongs on the shelf and in the hands of every student and teacher of Marcel.

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