It is with sadness and a profound sense of loss that the news of Alphonso Lingis’ death on May 8, 2025, at the venerable age of 91, was received not only by the philosophical community but also by people from around the world. A long-time regular member of SPEP, Al was one of the most recognizable figures in continental philosophy. A specialist in phenomenology, existentialism, structuralism, and poststructuralism, Al distinguished himself by expanding these areas into cross-cultural hermeneutical analyses. An intrepid world traveler and avid photographer, he explored some of the most remote regions of the world conjoining diverse cultural perspectives with astute reflections on ethics, aesthetics, and ontology.
After finishing his doctoral studies at Catholic University of Louvain with a dissertation focused on Sartre and Merleau-Ponty, written under the direction of the phenomenologist Alphonse de Waelhens, in 1961 Al took a position at Duquesne University. He soon discovered the work of Levinas, whom he introduced to the English-speaking world through his translations of Existence and Existents, Totality and Infinity, and Otherwise Than Being. In the late 1960s, he accepted a post at the Pennsylvania State University, during which time he translated Merleau-Ponty’s The Visible and the Invisibleand the writings of other French philosophers.
Al was one of the most creative and original thinkers in contemporary continental philosophy. He was the author of over fifteen books and numerous essays. His early works focused on phenomenology but later his writings moved in their own direction defying any precise categorization. Influenced by Lévi-Strauss, Al brought together philosophy and anthropology in unique ways, augmented by his regular travels to diverse places such as Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Bali, the African continent, Central and South America, Mongolia, Thailand, and Bhutan, to name just several. His writings were a blend of philosophy, cultural analysis, history, and social critique. Yet Al was not only a writer; he was also a performance artist, often presenting his work at SPEP and other forums employing music, dance, chanting, costume, lighting, cultural artifacts, and projected images to express what words alone were unable to convey.
It would be remiss not to note that the dimensions of existence Al exposed us to included the nonhuman—the natural environment and the world of animality, especially the avian and aquatic creatures that were so deeply intertwined with his personal life. Through his treatment of the nonhuman, he was able to help us see and understand better what it means to be human through the interconnectedness of all beings and things.
Al will be remembered not only for his considerable scholarly contributions but also for his warm and giving personality. He was an engaged and stimulating teacher, inspiring his students and peers beyond the merely academic. Al frequently welcomed visitors and interacted freely and enthusiastically with anyone who was interested in thinking and exploration. He was truly a unique person and an original thinker. Our world is only more enriched by the traces of what Alphonso Lingis has left us.
—Brian Schroeder, Rochester Institute of Technology