The Hermeneutics of Jean-Luc Marion’s Banal Saturation

null, Assoc Prof. Shane Mackinlay (Catholic Theological College, University of Divinity, Melbourne)

When Jean-Luc Marion first introduced saturated phenomena, they were presented as exceptional.  However, he became increasingly clear that saturated phenomena are of interest not only in themselves, but also because they are paradigms for phenomenality in general.  He also gave increasing attention to ways in which the appearing of saturated phenomena might be obstructed or prevented.  Both of these developments suggest that saturated phenomena should be regarded as much more common than was indicated earlier.  Marion himself confirms this interpretation in his essay “The Banality of Saturation.”
This paper will trace the development outlined above and then examine two issues that arise from it.  First, in instances when saturated phenomena are distorted, it is questionable whether they actually appear as saturated, and therefore whether they should still be described as saturated phenomena.  Second, and more importantly, if the appearance of a saturated phenomenon depends at least in part on the way in which they are received by the one to whom they appear, hermeneutics needs to be incorporated into the account of saturated phenomena, so as to embed interpretative receiving in the very structure of their appearing.  This requires a refining of Marion’s phenomenology of givenness and of his account of the adonné.