Through Suffering, towards Joy. Digging into Happiness with Michel Henry

In this paper I want to focus my attention on Michel Henry’s concept of joy as it is explained in his work The Essence of Manifestation. In this work the French philosopher analyses the essence of manifestation trying to overcome the common idea of manifestation itself intended as exteriority. For Henry the essence of manifestation lies on an inner and invisible revelation that cannot be shown and which is related to the invisible and immanent dimension of feeling. Suffering and joy become then the invisible feelings, which reveal the innermost essence of being as the origin of every manifestation.