SOURCE: A review of The Differend: Phrases in Dispute, in The Journal of Religion, Vol. 71, No. 2, April, 1991, pp. 282-83.

In the following review of Le différend, Manning places the work in the context of Lyotard's previous philosophical investigations and praises Lyotard for centering his inquiries inside the historical fact of the Holocaust.

The Differend: Phrases in Dispute clearly illustrates two essential reasons why Lyotard should be considered one of the most important philosophers writing today. First, it shows (again) that Lyotard is one of those very rare philosophers whose work bridges the gulf between analytic and Continental philosophy. Second, although The Differend continues the discussion of language games and of justice begun in his two earlier works—The Postmodern Condition (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984) and Just Gaming (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1985)—it also shows that Lyotard is not one who merely rehashes old themes but...