Between Heart and Reason. Eugen Fink's Notion of “Enthusiasm” and His Reception of Phenomenology

The present paper addresses Eugen Fink's short essay, which is entirely devoted to a philosophical-phenomenological notion of "enthusiasm." Fink values enthusiasm as a discrete "moment" in which the finite, limited human existence transcends itself. Fink's fundamental conception of a specific triad—philosophy, art, and religion—as a means of absolute relationships to trans-human and ultimately as the only complex that can lead to the true, beautiful, and sacred, according to the parameters of Classic Greek metaphysics, is a noteworthy contribution to the field. Accordingly, he posits an effective relationship between the finite and the infinite, demonstrating a clear progression from Romantic premises.