Social and political philosophy Books

Book SynopsisSarah Tyson makes a powerful case for how redressing women’s exclusion can make philosophy better. She argues that engagements with historical thinkers typically afforded little authority can transform the field.Trade ReviewIn Where Are the Women?, Sarah Tyson engages with the question of how we can bring historical women philosophers and their work to our philosophical attention, arguing that we need to revise our philosophical methodology and transform philosophical history in order to do so. Her use of Irigaray and Le Doeuff is thought-provoking, and the discussion of Diotima also makes for fascinating reading. -- Catherine Villanueva Gardner, author of Rediscovering Women Philosophers: Philosophical Genre and the Boundaries of PhilosophyIn this bold book, Sarah Tyson revamps the feminist reclamation project to redress not merely exclusion, but all manners of exclusive inclusion. Whether you have never thought of, are inclined not to think of, or are enthusiastic about the thought of Sojourner Truth in the same philosophical frame as Diotima or Socrates, you should read this book. You will learn an entirely new framework for what philosophy could be: rigorous, speculative reflection on how historical texts open up new possibilities for anti-racist and decolonial practice. A philosophical text that completely reimagines the phrase 'reclaiming Truth' is one to be reckoned with. Where Are the Women? is just such a text. -- David Kazanjian, author of The Brink of Freedom: Improvising Life in the Nineteenth-Century Atlantic WorldDrawing on Lloyd, Irigaray, and Le Doeuff, and following the refracted voices of Diotima and Sojourner Truth, this brilliant and provocative book grapples philosophically with the meaning of the exclusion of women from philosophy—and both calls for and performs philosophy’s transformation by reclaiming them. With clarity, insight, urgency, and fierce care, Tyson has given us an exciting and original feminist and anti-racist reclamation of philosophy itself. -- Sina Kramer, author of Excluded Within: The (Un)Intelligibility of Radical Political ActorsOnce you start thinking about how to change a field of knowledge (or anything else) so it no longer justifies excluding, devaluing, exploiting 'kinds' of people as unfit to be equal, you discover that just opening doors cannot and ought not work. Here is a problem so revelatory of deep-rooted injustices that it invites philosophizing anew. Sarah Tyson thinks with others—including Sojourner Truth—on her way to a 'transformative reclamation' not only of women, but of philosophy. -- Elizabeth Minnich, author of The Evil of Banality: On the Life and Death Importance of ThinkingThis book should stimulate both classroom discussion and significant research. . . . Recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Reclamation Strategies2. Conceptual Exclusion3. Reclamation from Absence4. Insults and Their Possibilities5. From Exclusion to Reclamation6. Injuries and UsurpationsConclusionAppendix A: The Declaration of Sentiments and ResolutionsAppendix B: Printed Versions of Sojourner Truth’s Speech at the Women’s Rights Convention in 1851 in Akron, OhioNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisSarah Tyson makes a powerful case for how redressing women’s exclusion can make philosophy better. She argues that engagements with historical thinkers typically afforded little authority can transform the field.Trade ReviewIn Where Are the Women?, Sarah Tyson engages with the question of how we can bring historical women philosophers and their work to our philosophical attention, arguing that we need to revise our philosophical methodology and transform philosophical history in order to do so. Her use of Irigaray and Le Doeuff is thought-provoking, and the discussion of Diotima also makes for fascinating reading. -- Catherine Villanueva Gardner, author of Rediscovering Women Philosophers: Philosophical Genre and the Boundaries of PhilosophyIn this bold book, Sarah Tyson revamps the feminist reclamation project to redress not merely exclusion, but all manners of exclusive inclusion. Whether you have never thought of, are inclined not to think of, or are enthusiastic about the thought of Sojourner Truth in the same philosophical frame as Diotima or Socrates, you should read this book. You will learn an entirely new framework for what philosophy could be: rigorous, speculative reflection on how historical texts open up new possibilities for anti-racist and decolonial practice. A philosophical text that completely reimagines the phrase 'reclaiming Truth' is one to be reckoned with. Where Are the Women? is just such a text. -- David Kazanjian, author of The Brink of Freedom: Improvising Life in the Nineteenth-Century Atlantic WorldDrawing on Lloyd, Irigaray, and Le Doeuff, and following the refracted voices of Diotima and Sojourner Truth, this brilliant and provocative book grapples philosophically with the meaning of the exclusion of women from philosophy—and both calls for and performs philosophy’s transformation by reclaiming them. With clarity, insight, urgency, and fierce care, Tyson has given us an exciting and original feminist and anti-racist reclamation of philosophy itself. -- Sina Kramer, author of Excluded Within: The (Un)Intelligibility of Radical Political ActorsOnce you start thinking about how to change a field of knowledge (or anything else) so it no longer justifies excluding, devaluing, exploiting 'kinds' of people as unfit to be equal, you discover that just opening doors cannot and ought not work. Here is a problem so revelatory of deep-rooted injustices that it invites philosophizing anew. Sarah Tyson thinks with others—including Sojourner Truth—on her way to a 'transformative reclamation' not only of women, but of philosophy. -- Elizabeth Minnich, author of The Evil of Banality: On the Life and Death Importance of ThinkingThis book should stimulate both classroom discussion and significant research. . . . Recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Reclamation Strategies2. Conceptual Exclusion3. Reclamation from Absence4. Insults and Their Possibilities5. From Exclusion to Reclamation6. Injuries and UsurpationsConclusionAppendix A: The Declaration of Sentiments and ResolutionsAppendix B: Printed Versions of Sojourner Truth’s Speech at the Women’s Rights Convention in 1851 in Akron, OhioNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisJeff Love reinterprets Alexandre Kojève’s works, showing him to be a provocative thinker who challenged modernity's valuation of self-interest. Joining intellectual history, close textual analysis, and philosophy, The Black Circle reveals Kojève’s thought as a profound critique of capitalist individualism and a timely meditation on human freedom.Trade ReviewThe Black Circle is an extraordinary study in which hardcore philosophical issues are approached at a cosmic level but lyrically, almost as part of an intimate conversation. Alexandre Kojève was so thoroughly at home in German and French culture that his origins in yet a third culture have been neglected. In this book, Jeff Love restores Russian contexts to Kojève’s thought on Hegel and the ‘end of history.’ -- Caryl Emerson, Princeton UniversityKojève is best known as arguably the best twentieth-century commentator on Hegel. But Love’s incisive book shows that he is much more. This is by far the best, most comprehensive overview of Kojève’s thinking in any language and the only one to draw in detail on Kojève’s Russian background. Clearly, elegantly written and argued, it is indispensable reading for anyone interested in the complexity and range of twentieth-century thought. -- William Todd Mills, Harry Tuchman Levin Professor of Literature, Harvard UniversityKnown only in Anglophone letters for a drastically truncated translation of his idiosyncratic and influential Parisian “Lectures on Hegel,” Alexandre Kojève bequeathed to posterity a multitude of tantalizing manuscripts and has finally received the intellectual contextualization and philosophical interpretation he deserves. In his magisterial study Jeff Love uncovers the profound presence of nineteenth-century Russian thought within Kojève’s literary style and his philosophy of negation, finality, perfection, repetition, political community, and radical freedom, such that Kojève emerges from Dostoevsky's underground as a distinctly Russian Hegelian existentialist thinker worthy of serious consideration today. -- Henry W. Pickford, Duke UniversityIn this excellent intellectual biography, Jeff Love explicates the thought and speculates on the intentions of expatriate Russian Hegelian philosopher Alexandre Kojève. Love’s readings of neglected Russian influences on Kojève (Dostoevsky and philosophers Vladimir Soloviev and Nikolai Fedorov) and of Kojève himself are satisfyingly complex, clear, and accessible. His Kojève is deep, controversial, and a 'philosophical propagandist' still relevant today. -- Donna Orwin, University of TorontoA sophisticated contribution to the study of one of the most enigmatic modern thinkers, this book is simultaneously scholarly and bold. It not only retraces Kojève’s roots in more than a century of Russian literature and thought but also–attuned to the paradoxes and ironies embedded in his kaleidoscopic corpus–orchestrates a spirited exchange among canonical figures of the 'Western tradition,' from Plato and Aristotle to Beckett and Leo Strauss. -- Ilya Kliger, New York UniversityLove’s thoughtful account and probing interrogation of Kojève’s texts shed light on both the powerful arguments and interpretations that Kojève presents and the bewildering paradoxes and problems that the outcomes of these arguments leave us with. -- James H. Nichols * H-Net *This lucid book goes far in clarifying the origins of and the problems with Kojeve's 'end of history' thesis. * Choice *Meticulously researched and boasting an extensive bibliography in multiple languages . . . of interest to philosophers [and] intellectual historians. * Slavic Review *Kojève’s thought is complex, puzzling, and intense—and so is this book about writings and ideas he puts forward. It is no easy reading, but the reader who takes the challenge will be rewarded with a (not the) profound grasp of the philosophical thought of this important Russian-European thinker. * Studies in East European Thought *Table of ContentsContentsAcknowledgments ixList of Abbreviations xiIntroduction: A Russian in Paris 1I. Russian Contexts1. Madmen 172. The Possessed 443. Godmen 70II. The Hegel Lectures4. The Last Revolution 1035. Time No More 1326. The Book of the Dead 161III. The Later Writings7. Nobodies 1938. Roads Or Ruins? 2139. Why Finality? 257Epilogue: The Grand Inquisitor 279Notes 291Bibliography 335Index 347

Read more less

Book SynopsisCritical Theory at a Crossroads presents conversations with prominent theorists about the crises that have marked the past years and the use of the term crisis in political discourse. They offer their views on contemporary challenges and how we might address them, candidly discussing the alternatives that new social movements have offered.Trade ReviewThe benefits of this collection of interviews are many: an introduction to the thought of some leading critical intellectuals, a compendium of the terms and questions most pressing in contemporary theory, a confrontation with the political challenges of the present moment, and more. If you want an answer to 'what is to be done?' you won’t find it here. But you will encounter the work of thought necessary for ideas capable of turning current crises into emancipatory possibilities. -- Jodi Dean, author of The Communist HorizonIn this book the concept of 'crisis' is examined in all of its multiple expressions—historical, social, and philosophical. The result is extraordinarily rich and penetrating. Against the idea that 'there is no alternative,' a form of resistance emerges that is capable of overcoming national confines and of opening a new space for action and thought. -- Roberto Esposito, author of Bios: Biopolitics and PhilosophyCritical Theory at a Crossroads consists of eleven conversations with distinguished interviewees about various crises in the contemporary world, as well as a letter exchange in its concluding twelfth chapter. All of its contributions reflect and engage the work of the interviewees included in the book but also add new insights to it. This timely collection both develops a theoretical/philosophical reflection about crisis and a practical investigation of actually developing political or economic phenomena that have been characterized as 'crises.' -- Arne De Boever, California Institute of the ArtsGood reading for graduate seminars in the humanities and social sciences. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Resistance in a Time of Crisis, by Stijn De Cauwer1. A Critical Europe Can Do It! Interview with Rosi Braidotti. Interview conducted by Joost de Bloois2. We Should be Modest, When It Comes to the Designation of the Possible Subjects of a New Politics: Interview with Jacques Rancière. Interview conducted and translated by Stijn De Cauwer and Gert-Jan Meyntjens3. The History of the Notion of Crisis: Interview with Joseph Vogl. Interview conducted and translated by Sven Fabré and Arne Vanraes4. Neoliberalism Against the Promise of Modernity: Interview with Wendy Brown. Interview conducted by Joost de Bloois5. The European Union Is a Cage: Interview with Antonio Negri. Interview conducted and translated by Stijn De Cauwer and Gert-Jan Meyntjens6. We Need to Have a Clear Alternative: Interview with Tariq Ali. Interview conducted by Stijn De Cauwer7. Finance Is an Extractive Sector: Interview with Saskia Sassen. Interview conducted by Tim Christiaens and Massimiliano Simons8. How to Think a War Machine?: Interview with Maurizio Lazzarato. Interview conducted by Tim Christiaens and Stijn De Cauwer. Translated by Tim Christiaens9. The Creativity Dispositive: Labor Reform by Stealth: Interview with Angela McRobbie. Interview conducted by Stijn De Cauwer, Gert-Jan Meyntjens, and Heidi Peeters10. The Idea of Crisis: Interview with Jean-Luc Nancy. Interview conducted and translated by Erik Meganck and Evelien Van Beeck11. Terror and the Rejection of Sense: Interview with Jean-Luc Nancy. Interview conducted and translated by Erik Meganck and Evelien Van Beeck12. Community in Crisis: A Letter Exchange Between Zygmunt Bauman and Roberto Esposito. Translated by Jolien PaelemanList of Contributors Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisDenis Lacorne traces the emergence of the modern notion of religious tolerance in order to rethink how we should respond to its contemporary tensions. He defends the Enlightenment concept against recent attempts to circumscribe it, arguing that without it a pluralistic society cannot survive.Trade Review[Lacorne] gives no pat answers, but an implicit lesson runs throughout. Defending toleration is not like protecting a jewel. It takes fixity of aim but also a feel for the changing context, persistence with a task that never ends, and readiness to start again. Toleration does gradually spread. It can also suddenly vanish. * The Economist *I simply don’t know a book on toleration that compares to this one. Denis Lacorne has managed to weave together both an intellectual history of ideas about toleration and a wide-ranging international survey of policies related to it. Theory and practice come together in a very illuminating way and will expand the American reader’s horizon beyond our borders. -- Mark Lilla, author of The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity PoliticsLiving in a religiously tolerant society, Americans no longer understand what the challenge of achieving religious toleration originally meant: learning to coexist with beliefs and practices that one detested. Denis Lacorne begins this critical survey by recalling the great Enlightenment voices for toleration: Locke, Voltaire, and the American founders. But he then examines modern European and American disputes to demonstrate why the struggle for toleration and free exercise remains so problematic—a fight that never quite ends but that we grasp much better after reading Lacorne's crisp and incisive chapters. -- Jack N. Rakove, author of Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the ConstitutionA timely, erudite, and insightful book that sheds light on issues concerning whether and when contemporary democracies should restrict the practices and beliefs of nonmainstream religious and political groups. It is the best book written on this subject to date. -- Bruce Cain, author of Democracy More or Less: America’s Political Reform QuandaryThis insightful study will be useful to all who are interested in clarifying their own views of this critical subject. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsNew Introduction for the American Edition1. Tolerance According to John Locke2. Voltaire and Modern Tolerance3. Tolerance in America4. Tolerance in the Ottoman Empire5. Tolerance in Venice6. On Blasphemy7. Multicultural Tolerance8. Of Veils and Unveiling9. New Restrictions, New Forms of Tolerance10. Should We Tolerate the Enemies of Tolerance?Epilogue for the American Edition: Tolerance in the Age of TerrorismNotesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisVincent Bruyere offers an invitation to look at the present we live in through a fresh lens: the difference between storage and burial in the age of sustainability science. He reflects on the nature and significance of perishability in a culture of preparedness and survival.Trade ReviewPerishability Fatigue is a wondrous and perceptive exploration of the preserved, the frozen, and the suspended. The book is a still life composed of ideas and objects staged to create an image not of what life is but where and in what time we find its concepts––a beautiful image with which to think life as it withers, as it is held. -- Todd Meyers, New York University-ShanghaiPerishability Fatigue is unquestionably one of the most original works I have encountered in the broader field of environmental humanities: a hallucinatory journey through a cabinet of (grotesque) curiosities, a hoarding of images and ideas with jolting leaps between centuries within a single paragraph. Bruyere also touches on issues central to medical humanities and disability studies, and offers a uniquely erudite perspective—historical, multidisciplinary, and generous. -- Karen Pinkus, Cornell UniversityPerishability Fatigue is erudite, playful, brave, and accessible: a remarkable contribution to science studies, the health humanities, and literary and cultural studies. Tacking back and forth between contemporary scientific and biomedical sites and touchstone works of literature, Vincent Bruyere illuminates the exhaustion of the present. He plumbs its origin in our constant awareness of our vulnerability—our perishability—which forces us to manage risk, guard against loss, and shore up security. Read this for the audacious readings of works of literature ranging from Ovid and Rabelais to Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Read this for acute analyses of hedges against loss like the Svalbard Seed Storage Vault, the Flavr Savr Tomato, and the Nuclear Waste Storage Vaults. Read this, indeed, to cheer yourself up with the zest of his intellect and his ability to make sense of our moment. But read this! -- Susan M. Squier, author of Epigenetic Landscapes: Drawings as Metaphor'Don’t not open this book! You will never tire of it'—In the spirit of those fairy tale warnings, whose vagaries of reception Vincent Bruyère teaches us to remember, I am tempted to proclaim this of a book that will change how we understand the contemporary status of the perishable and exhausted in a world that blurs the difference between burial for all time and storage for some future date. Perishability Fatigue opens a slender path from the Ovidian story of Myrrha—transformed into a tree at the point of giving birth—to contemporary cases of stopped time, immobilized fertility, destructive preservation, and disturbed, bracketed or negated futurity, from seed banks to frozen embryos, from survivors of stroke to biomedical remnants, from the interminable time of nuclear waste to the short meantime of palliative care. In the elegance with which he weaves together contemporary examples with classical and early modern sources, Bruyère goes against the grain of his own argument, according to which terminal capitalism interrupts and suspends possibilities of ordinary transience and transmission. Modeling a beautiful form of continuity in time all its own, his reading practice is evidence that by some miracle literature’s paroles en l’air have not been preserved in vain. -- Anne-Lise François, UC BerkeleyBruyere’s exploration is a groundbreaking examination of the intersections of the social, scientific, and philosophical practices associated with being human. It is well written and argued. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface: Myrrha’s PrayerAcknowledgments1. Being Fabulous as the Climate Changes2. Still Life with Genetically Modified Tomato3. Store and Tell4. The Mortal Life of HeLa5. Oncoscripts6. Dispatch from the Palliative PresentEpilogueNotesWork CitedIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisMichael Marder proposes a new methodology for political science and philosophy, one which he terms “categorial thinking.” Under this lens, the political appears not as a singular concept but as a family of categories, allowing room for new, plural, and often antagonistic ideas about the state, the people, sovereignty, and power.Trade ReviewMichael Marder's patient and lucid work reminds us how categories and concepts are different, and that a phenomenological approach, allied with Kantian reflection, can help us think about political matters through an expanded and refined understanding of political categories. In a political world where simplistic reductions tend to reign, Marder offers a thoughtful reconsideration of categories as offering greater descriptive power and critical complexity than concepts that suppress the specificity of political phenomena. This is an important book that gives us both the example and the ideal of a political philosophy tasked with understanding the field of conflict in the service of an expansive pluralism. -- Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot Professor of Comparative Literature and Critical Theory, University of California, BerkeleyMichael Marder's Political Categories is much more than a book about politics. It takes a step back and looks at the conceptual apparatus we rely on when we talk about politics and engage in it. As such, it is indispensable for everyone who is not only politically active but also wants to know what they are doing when they are politically active. -- Slavoj Žižek, author of Disparities and The Incontinence of the VoidPolitical Categories proposes nothing less than a new way of thinking about politics and such political ideas and institutions as the state, sovereignty, power, and revolution. The question is how to define what is proper or singular to politics without isolating it from other spheres of human activity and thought. What makes politics politics? In this book, Marder finds a novel way of viewing the meaning of politics and its relation to nonpolitical realities. -- Daniel Innerarity, author of Governance in the New Global DisorderPolitical Categories is undoubtedly one of the most interesting books today for a new phenomenological approach to political theory...it sparks the curiosity of the reader. -- Mees van Hulzen, Leipzig University * Phenomenological Reviews *This is a remarkable book -- one of the most challenging and thought-provoking I have encountered in a very long time and, for this reason alone, richly deserving of attention. -- Nathan J. Jun, Midwestern State University * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *This is perhaps the most original and thought-provoking book of political theory this reviewer has read in years. Scholars in both political philosophy and political science will benefit from it . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface1. Political Categories2. The Initial Approach: Aristotle3. The Second Look: Kant4. The Categories “At Work”Appendix 1. Aristotle’s Categories—a Political InterpretationAppendix 2. Kant’s “Transcendental Analytic” (Critique of Pure Reason)—a Political InterpretationNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this philosophical study, Dmitri Nikulin explores the concept’s genealogy to argue that boredom is the mark of modernity. Considering such thinkers as Descartes, Pascal, Kant, Kierkegaard, Kracauer, Heidegger, and Benjamin, Critique of Bored Reason places boredom on center stage in the philosophical critique of modernity.Trade ReviewThis profound and powerful book is not only a definitive philosophical treatment of boredom as a modern phenomenon but also a courageous and visionary defense of the dialogical, comic and radically democratic ways of being in our dark times! The scholarship is magisterial, the writing lucid and subtle, and the tone so tender and humble! How rare it is to read such an instant classic with heartfelt joy and hard-earned hope! -- Cornel West, Union Theological SeminaryAs demonstrated by numerous modern novels, be it by Flaubert, Gontscharov, or Sartre, the spread of boredom as the negative experience of being not practically engaged in the world has become one of the social pathologies of our age. Many social-philosophical studies over the last two-hundred years have been dedicated to this topic, trying to figure out the roots, the physiognomy and the effects of modern boredom, but none has to my knowledge so far succeeded in presenting a conclusive inquiry of its inner architectonic and philosophical substance. Exactly this is what Dmitri Nikulin fantastically manages in his new book to achieve: By combining conceptual history and systematic analysis, he lays out the deficiencies of the modern understanding of subjectivity that explain why we are permanently haunted by the anxiety of becoming bored and over-reflexive. Everyone who has an interest in this predicament of our existential situation should certainly read this tremendous book! -- Axel Honneth, author of Freedom's Right: The Social Foundations of Democratic LifeCritique of Bored Reason is an original and ambitious account of modern subjectivity and autonomy. Nikulin proves the surprising thesis that the experience of boredom was unknown to the ancient world. What some moderns present as a universal attribute of the human condition is thus a form of historical experience, linked to the limits of how modernity has thought about the subject and its relationships with others. -- Barbara Carnevali, author of Social Appearances: A Philosophy of Display and PrestigeNikulin's book is an exciting reading, based on impressive scholarship, rigorous analysis, and breadth of vision. It has fascinating pages on boredom in Kracauer and Benjamin, on scandal and radicality. Reason is bored because it is the pure reason of a modern monological subject, intrinsically tragic in its solitary autonomous legislation. By contrast Nikulin appeals to the virtues of a comic reason, decentered and in dialogue with others, to rethink politics and democracy. -- Alfredo Ferrarin, author of Thinking and the I: Hegel and the Critique of KantIn this powerful historical and systematic philosophical demontage, Dmitri Nikulin analyses the modern condition in a fascinating new way. No book could be more exciting than this learned treatise on boredom, full of wit and novel insights. -- Rainer Forst, author of The Right to Justification: Elements of a Constructivist Theory of JusticeAmbitious, well-written, and marked by welcome touches of humor, Critique of Bored Reason is distinguished by extraordinary erudition, impressive expository and interpretative powers, and a genuinely constructive impulse that is grounded in a very deep knowledge of the tradition of philosophy. -- William Desmond, author of The Intimate Universal: The Hidden Porosity Among Religion, Art, Philosophy, and PoliticsTable of ContentsForewordAbbreviationsAcknowledgments1. A Conceptual History of Boredom2. Boredom and the Flâneur3. Critique of Bored Reason4. Being and Boredom5. The Nonboring Well-Being6. ScandalIn Place of a Conclusion: On MethodNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this philosophical study, Dmitri Nikulin explores the concept’s genealogy to argue that boredom is the mark of modernity. Considering such thinkers as Descartes, Pascal, Kant, Kierkegaard, Kracauer, Heidegger, and Benjamin, Critique of Bored Reason places boredom on center stage in the philosophical critique of modernity.Trade ReviewThis profound and powerful book is not only a definitive philosophical treatment of boredom as a modern phenomenon but also a courageous and visionary defense of the dialogical, comic and radically democratic ways of being in our dark times! The scholarship is magisterial, the writing lucid and subtle, and the tone so tender and humble! How rare it is to read such an instant classic with heartfelt joy and hard-earned hope! -- Cornel West, Union Theological SeminaryAs demonstrated by numerous modern novels, be it by Flaubert, Gontscharov, or Sartre, the spread of boredom as the negative experience of being not practically engaged in the world has become one of the social pathologies of our age. Many social-philosophical studies over the last two-hundred years have been dedicated to this topic, trying to figure out the roots, the physiognomy and the effects of modern boredom, but none has to my knowledge so far succeeded in presenting a conclusive inquiry of its inner architectonic and philosophical substance. Exactly this is what Dmitri Nikulin fantastically manages in his new book to achieve: By combining conceptual history and systematic analysis, he lays out the deficiencies of the modern understanding of subjectivity that explain why we are permanently haunted by the anxiety of becoming bored and over-reflexive. Everyone who has an interest in this predicament of our existential situation should certainly read this tremendous book! -- Axel Honneth, author of Freedom's Right: The Social Foundations of Democratic LifeCritique of Bored Reason is an original and ambitious account of modern subjectivity and autonomy. Nikulin proves the surprising thesis that the experience of boredom was unknown to the ancient world. What some moderns present as a universal attribute of the human condition is thus a form of historical experience, linked to the limits of how modernity has thought about the subject and its relationships with others. -- Barbara Carnevali, author of Social Appearances: A Philosophy of Display and PrestigeNikulin's book is an exciting reading, based on impressive scholarship, rigorous analysis, and breadth of vision. It has fascinating pages on boredom in Kracauer and Benjamin, on scandal and radicality. Reason is bored because it is the pure reason of a modern monological subject, intrinsically tragic in its solitary autonomous legislation. By contrast Nikulin appeals to the virtues of a comic reason, decentered and in dialogue with others, to rethink politics and democracy. -- Alfredo Ferrarin, author of Thinking and the I: Hegel and the Critique of KantIn this powerful historical and systematic philosophical demontage, Dmitri Nikulin analyses the modern condition in a fascinating new way. No book could be more exciting than this learned treatise on boredom, full of wit and novel insights. -- Rainer Forst, author of The Right to Justification: Elements of a Constructivist Theory of JusticeAmbitious, well-written, and marked by welcome touches of humor, Critique of Bored Reason is distinguished by extraordinary erudition, impressive expository and interpretative powers, and a genuinely constructive impulse that is grounded in a very deep knowledge of the tradition of philosophy. -- William Desmond, author of The Intimate Universal: The Hidden Porosity Among Religion, Art, Philosophy, and PoliticsTable of ContentsForewordAbbreviationsAcknowledgments1. A Conceptual History of Boredom2. Boredom and the Flâneur3. Critique of Bored Reason4. Being and Boredom5. The Nonboring Well-Being6. ScandalIn Place of a Conclusion: On MethodNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisCapitalism on Edge offers a novel diagnosis of the current moment to reveal that the potential for sweeping transformation must come from an unexpected direction. Albena Azmanova demonstrates that capitalism is not on its deathbed, revolution is not in the cards, and utopianism cannot steer us toward a brighter future.Trade ReviewOnce in a long while a new book comes along that challenges prevailing patterns of progressive social and economic thought in a way that is both deep and far-reaching, yet still evidently originating from within the critical left, so as—potentially—to prove persuasive to thoughtful and open-minded progressives. Capitalism on Edge is such a book. -- James K. Galbraith * Democracy: A Journal of Ideas *Albena Azmanova’s book Capitalism on Edge provides a stark wake-up call for Critical Theory to not only take the critique of political economy seriously again, but also face up to new social realities: ‘Twentieth-century civilization has collapsed’. -- Jonathan Klein * Journal of Classical Sociology *This is a thought-provoking, absorbing and original book, in tune with changes in precarity capitalism and its politics. -- Luke Martell, University of Sussex, UK * European Journal of Social Theory *Indeed, a significant strength of the book is that, while conceptually highly sophisticated, Azmanova suggests that the reader can skip over the theoretical chapter and refer to the useful glossary of terms as the need arises. This will undoubtedly help broaden the accessibility of this intervention and ensure that the book influences public as well as scholarly debates. -- James Chamberlain * Philosophy & Social Criticism *This provocative book will be useful to those in critical studies programs. * Choice *Ambitious . . . potentially subversive. -- NADIA URBINATI * Domani *Azmanova’s book represents critical theory at its best, seamlessly integrating philosophical, sociological, and political perspectives and debates to produce a compelling account of the (non)crisis of capitalism and the current conditions of social change. -- Steven Klein * Constellations *As soon as I started reading the Introduction, I was gripped by the lucidity of ideas and clarity of the prose. For an academic text written from the perspective of Critical Theory, this is a wonderfully direct, incisive and insightful book. One does not need to agree with all the details of the analysis to find reading it a rewarding experience. -- Ali Minai * 3 Quarks Daily *This is the big-think book of our time. It is a rare successful effort to define the next iteration of capitalism – precarity capitalism – as the successor to neoliberalism. -- James K. Galbraith * Project Syndicate *With great insight, Albena Azmanova gives us a new way of understanding modern capitalism: through profit-driven corporations generating endless insecurity. But rather than despair, Azmanova finds reason for hope in a potential political coalition of unlikely partners. Thoroughly researched, powerfully argued. -- Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, and former U.S. Secretary of LaborIn her revolutionary book, Albena Azmanova offers a new conceptual toolbox for the radical critique of capitalism and ultimately, radical change. Forget who owns what. Everyone, rich or poor, capitalist, managers or worker, suffers from capitalism's relentless competition for profit, more than ever as precarity capitalism now reigns supreme. This is thus where radical policies by public authorities and radical actions by the rest of us must strike. Let us forge new alliances, she suggests, to subvert capitalism from within. Let us multiply new practices inspired by our daily experiences of injustice—from job sharing to citizenship-based social insurance, to reinventing the social meaning of education, health care and the arts. Let us usher in a new politics of trust. Do not despair, dear reader. Azmanova offers us nothing less than a new realist prophecy for our collective emancipation from all forms of social domination and thus from capitalism itself. Profoundly innovative and inspiring. -- Kalypso Nicolaïdis, author of Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice: Three Meanings of BrexitCapitalism on Edge is mature, insightful, and elegant in its focus on the fragility and structural crises of today's capitalism and its legitimacy, as well as the possibilities of finding a way out for us as a polity and society. It is not a nostalgic look back but a very critical and somber insight into systemic decay, and this angle is very original. To many readers, Azmanova's argument may be unsettling. Traditionally, in academic and intellectual debates, discussions of the crises of and in the system are framed around two very different narratives. On the one hand, the advocates of the current system tend to discuss prospects of where capitalism may take us next (prioritizing economic, technological and ideational forces of 'universal' capitalism in overcoming the failures of the model). On the other hand, critics have spent decades writing about the need to abandon capitalism altogether and build an alternative system, usually represented by socialism. Azmanova appears to be in neither of those camps, which is why the book may rattle some readers and provoke debates and even fierce criticism. -- Anastasia Nesvetailova, author of The End of the Great Illusion: Financial Alchemy in Crisis and Sabotage: The Hidden Nature of FinanceTypically, critics of capitalism identify its ills primarily with greater inequality, and propose redistributive reforms to alleviate it, but in Capitalism on Edge, Albena Azmanova takes a refreshingly different view. She takes aim at the way today's capitalism, subject to automation and globalization, has created greater insecurity and uncertainty. What she calls 'precarious capitalism' threatens the white-collar office worker as well as blue-collar factory operative. Azmanova, who grew up during the death throes of Eastern European socialism, doesn't see socialism as an alternative, but instead a set of radical measures that would create what she calls a 'political economy of trust.' These reforms would subvert rather than destroy capitalism. With Europe's major parties in disarray and the two American parties at loggerheads, hers is a welcome commentary on how the left and the 99 percent can address the growing concern that many feel about their futures under global, postindustrial capitalism. -- John B. Judis, author of The Nationalist Revival: Trade, Immigration, and the Revolt Against GlobalizationIn her ambitious yet transparent and accessible treatise on the nature of present-day capitalism and its demise, Azmanova highlights the dark side of the competitive production of profit. This consists of the lived experience of uncertainty, insecurity, injustice, risk, and fear that affects the vast majority of people in Western societies. For them, capitalism is a game that consists of the blaming of victims, losers, and the structurally disempowered. Rather than invoking the revolutionary action of some strategically privileged class, a terminal crisis of capitalism, or a utopia of 'socialism,' the author explores and advocates for the potential of a radical subversive pragmatism. People simply want to do other things than give in to the pressure to enhance their employability in a treadmill of jobless non-growth. And policies, she demonstrates, can help to achieve such post-capitalist desires. A daring yet encouraging message. -- Claus Offe, author of Europe EntrappedTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: “How Come?” Asked the Befuddled Left1. The Crisis of Capitalism, Almost2. Capitalism Under Scrutiny: From Concept to Critique3. Ideologies for the New Century4. The Life and Times of Democratic Capitalism5. Precarity Capitalism6. What Is Ailing the 99 Percent?7. Getting Unstuck: Overcoming Capitalism Without Crisis, Revolution, or UtopiaConclusion: The Radical Pragmatism of Bidding Capitalism FarewellAppendix: Summary of Theoretical FrameworkNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisB. R. Ambedkar spent his life battling Untouchability and instigating the end of the caste system. In his 1948 book The Untouchables, he sought to trace the origin of Untouchability. Beef, Brahmins, and Broken Men is an annotated selection from this work, produced in a time when the oppression of and discrimination against Dalits remains pervasive.Trade ReviewBeef, Brahmins, and Broken Men is that rare achievement, a work that combines meticulous historical scholarship (taking account of books like D. N. Jha’s The Myth of the Holy Cow, but sharply challenging many of their conclusions) with a passionate, persuasive call to action. It argues how the onus is now on non-Dalits to take a historical view of the consumption of beef and express solidarity with Dalits and other beef eaters in India today. The editors’ selections from B. R. Ambedkar’s 1948 work The Untouchables, along with the painstaking annotations, show to us the pressing relevance of this work to contemporary India. The brilliant introduction by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd reveals, among many eye-opening points, how Ambedkar already understood the forces that led to incidents like the suicide of Rohith Vermula in 2016. The essay by Alex George and S. Anand on Ambedkar’s theory of “The Broken Men” persuasively supports his ideas about the origins of the Untouchable caste. This is an important book that will give valuable ammunition to the forces that oppose the most glaring abuses of human rights in India today. -- Wendy Doniger, author of The Hindus: An Alternative HistoryB. R. Ambedkar rewrote the history of untouchability as the practice of social outcasting and historical violence that followed the defeat of Buddhism in ancient India, and by so doing he prioritized the social suffering and ongoing stigmatization of the Dalits, the Broken Men. This extensively annotated critical selection is a potent reminder of the audaciousness of Ambedkar's method and the insurrectionary power of his writings for our political present. -- Anupama Rao, author of The Caste Question: Dalits and Politics in Modern IndiaAmong the numerous sins of the Hindutva forces, the beef ban, which includes not only slaughtering of cattle but also possession of its meat, is the most calamitous. It is not the question of Muslims and Dalits alone, who are directly affected; it affects India’s very future. This selection from Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 1948 work, with a focus on beef eating and its implications, exposes the duplicity and falsehood of the civilizational argument on which the entire Hindutva superstructure stands. -- Anand Teltumbde, author of The Persistence of Caste: The Khairlanji Murders and India’s Hidden ApartheidA huge intellectual endeavor. A labor of love! The editors’ essay on Broken Men Theory makes for a powerful and compelling argument (through Meillassoux) about Ambedkar’s fundamental critique of the sacredness of historical discourses as such, about Ambedkar’s speculative material method and his academically ‘untouchable’ hypothesis on the emergence of untouchability, about the absolutely contingent eruption of untouchability, the sheer unreason/madness of the untouchability as against the universalizable principle/truth of equality and every occurrence in history is equal and comparable to any other across time and space. -- Vaibhav Abnave, Prabuddha CollectiveI marvel at the sheer labor put into Beef, Brahmins, and Broken Men. There are two kinds of annotations here: one that places Ambedkar's remarks in context, pointing to where he departs from the source material, how he works with it, the slippages in his argument, and so on. And the other, which adds and expands on information in his text. -- V. Geetha, historianAmbedkar makes a moving and completely original argument in this work to try and understand how untouchability came to be and what it became. This is enriched by the depth of the scholarship involved in setting up the critical notes. -- Uma Chakravarti, historianI applaud the spirit of this project. It unlocks a new contemporaneity that signifies a particular relationship of desire to read Ambedkar’s original text in a new, writerly way. The urgency of the annotations is derived from questions, problems and passions that belong to our times. -- Soumyabrata Choudhury, scholarTable of ContentsIntroduction: No Democracy Without Beef: Ambedkar, Identity, and Nationhood, by Kancha Ilaiah ShepherdFool’s Errand: A Note on the Notes to and Selection from Ambedkar’s The Untouchables, by S. Anand and Alex GeorgeSelections from B.R Ambedkar’s The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables?PrefacePart IV: New theories of the origin of Untouchability.9: Contempt for Buddhists as the root of Untouchability10: Beef-eating as the root of UntouchabilityPart V: The new theories and some hard questions11: Did the Hindus never eat beef?12: Why did non-Brahmins give up beef-eating?13: What made the Brahmins become vegetarians?14: Why should beef-eating make Broken Men Untouchable?Part VI: Untouchability and the date of its birth15: The Impure and the Untouchables16: When did Broken Men become Untouchables?The Broken Men theory: Beginnings of a Reading, by Alex George and S. AnandReferencesAcknowledgmentsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisB. R. Ambedkar spent his life battling Untouchability and instigating the end of the caste system. In his 1948 book The Untouchables, he sought to trace the origin of Untouchability. Beef, Brahmins, and Broken Men is an annotated selection from this work, produced in a time when the oppression of and discrimination against Dalits remains pervasive.Trade ReviewBeef, Brahmins, and Broken Men is that rare achievement, a work that combines meticulous historical scholarship (taking account of books like D. N. Jha’s The Myth of the Holy Cow, but sharply challenging many of their conclusions) with a passionate, persuasive call to action. It argues how the onus is now on non-Dalits to take a historical view of the consumption of beef and express solidarity with Dalits and other beef eaters in India today. The editors’ selections from B. R. Ambedkar’s 1948 work The Untouchables, along with the painstaking annotations, show to us the pressing relevance of this work to contemporary India. The brilliant introduction by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd reveals, among many eye-opening points, how Ambedkar already understood the forces that led to incidents like the suicide of Rohith Vermula in 2016. The essay by Alex George and S. Anand on Ambedkar’s theory of “The Broken Men” persuasively supports his ideas about the origins of the Untouchable caste. This is an important book that will give valuable ammunition to the forces that oppose the most glaring abuses of human rights in India today. -- Wendy Doniger, author of The Hindus: An Alternative HistoryB. R. Ambedkar rewrote the history of untouchability as the practice of social outcasting and historical violence that followed the defeat of Buddhism in ancient India, and by so doing he prioritized the social suffering and ongoing stigmatization of the Dalits, the Broken Men. This extensively annotated critical selection is a potent reminder of the audaciousness of Ambedkar's method and the insurrectionary power of his writings for our political present. -- Anupama Rao, author of The Caste Question: Dalits and Politics in Modern IndiaAmong the numerous sins of the Hindutva forces, the beef ban, which includes not only slaughtering of cattle but also possession of its meat, is the most calamitous. It is not the question of Muslims and Dalits alone, who are directly affected; it affects India’s very future. This selection from Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 1948 work, with a focus on beef eating and its implications, exposes the duplicity and falsehood of the civilizational argument on which the entire Hindutva superstructure stands. -- Anand Teltumbde, author of The Persistence of Caste: The Khairlanji Murders and India’s Hidden ApartheidA huge intellectual endeavor. A labor of love! The editors’ essay on Broken Men Theory makes for a powerful and compelling argument (through Meillassoux) about Ambedkar’s fundamental critique of the sacredness of historical discourses as such, about Ambedkar’s speculative material method and his academically ‘untouchable’ hypothesis on the emergence of untouchability, about the absolutely contingent eruption of untouchability, the sheer unreason/madness of the untouchability as against the universalizable principle/truth of equality and every occurrence in history is equal and comparable to any other across time and space. -- Vaibhav Abnave, Prabuddha CollectiveI marvel at the sheer labor put into Beef, Brahmins, and Broken Men. There are two kinds of annotations here: one that places Ambedkar's remarks in context, pointing to where he departs from the source material, how he works with it, the slippages in his argument, and so on. And the other, which adds and expands on information in his text. -- V. Geetha, historianAmbedkar makes a moving and completely original argument in this work to try and understand how untouchability came to be and what it became. This is enriched by the depth of the scholarship involved in setting up the critical notes. -- Uma Chakravarti, historianI applaud the spirit of this project. It unlocks a new contemporaneity that signifies a particular relationship of desire to read Ambedkar’s original text in a new, writerly way. The urgency of the annotations is derived from questions, problems and passions that belong to our times. -- Soumyabrata Choudhury, scholarTable of ContentsIntroduction: No Democracy Without Beef: Ambedkar, Identity, and Nationhood, by Kancha Ilaiah ShepherdFool’s Errand: A Note on the Notes to and Selection from Ambedkar’s The Untouchables, by S. Anand and Alex GeorgeSelections from B.R Ambedkar’s The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables?PrefacePart IV: New theories of the origin of Untouchability.9: Contempt for Buddhists as the root of Untouchability10: Beef-eating as the root of UntouchabilityPart V: The new theories and some hard questions11: Did the Hindus never eat beef?12: Why did non-Brahmins give up beef-eating?13: What made the Brahmins become vegetarians?14: Why should beef-eating make Broken Men Untouchable?Part VI: Untouchability and the date of its birth15: The Impure and the Untouchables16: When did Broken Men become Untouchables?The Broken Men theory: Beginnings of a Reading, by Alex George and S. AnandReferencesAcknowledgmentsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book brings together leading scholars to consider the philosophical implications of Luce Irigaray’s writing on sexual difference, particularly for issues of gender and race.Trade ReviewWhat is Sexual Difference? thinks with and against Luce Irigaray in a new and invigorating way. Posing the fundamental question as to what sexual difference is opens up a range of possibilities for reading Irigaray beyond the oppositional attitudes of the essentialism question. Essays from a diversity of perspectives consider Irigaray in relation to colonialism, race, ecological questions, and gender identity. The inclusion of essays that read Irigaray in the context of trans philosophy and the critique of cissexism are an especially welcome contribution. -- Elaine P. Miller, author of Head Cases: Julia Kristeva on Philosophy and Art in Depressed TimesThis is a timely and impressive re-examination of Luce Irigaray's influential ontological philosophy. By explicitly placing Irigaray's thinking within our pressing contemporary concerns with new, and returning, political, social, and environmental crises, the volume examines how 'sexual difference' constructs lived experience for/by/with diverse communities in affirmative, transversal, and specific ways. Its four sections address the capacity of writing about colonial, racial, sexual, or migrational issues through sexual difference, in order to suggest affirmative and ethical relations or subjectivities. As such, Irigaray's thinking may help enable us to re-think what it means to live together, at times and in places, so deeply constituted by societal, political, and environmental inequity and uncertainty. -- Peg Rawes, author of Relational Architectural Ecologies: Architecture, Nature and SubjectivityThis rich collection shows that Irigaray's philosophy of sexual difference remains fruitful and important. Engaging with ontology, essentialism, the sex/gender distinction, trans identities, colonialism, critical race theory, nature and ecology, and new materialisms, the authors interpret and take forward the idea of sexual difference creatively. They bring out many generative resonances between Irigaray's work and contemporary critical thought. -- Alison Stone, author of Luce Irigaray and the Philosophy of Sexual DifferenceThe text that you hold, What is Sexual Difference?, beautifully captures the constitutive dynamism, dialectical and conceptual generativity, and deep openness that is reflective of the ongoing work of Luce Irigaray. The engaging and critically fecund voices and discursive framings within the text precisely reflect the phenomenon of wonder as postponement vis-à-vis the meaning of sexual difference. The text embodies a conceptual excess that resists closure regarding the work of Irigaray but does not sacrifice the necessity to think with her. Indeed, it is this process of thinking with Irigaray that disrupts autarchic myths of univocal meaning, and interpretive hegemony regarding her work. It is clear to me that the spirit and passion of Irigarayan wonder (as a mode of mourning) imbues this text. In this way, Rawlinson and Sares have fashioned a polyvocal philosophical site that refuses (as it should) to suit us totally and functions as a critically engaging textual advent. -- George Yancy, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Philosophy, Emory UniversityTable of ContentsForeword, by Elizabeth GroszList of Abbreviations (Works by Irigaray)Introduction: Irigaray and the Question of Sexual Difference, by James Sares and Mary C. RawlinsonPart I: The Ontology of Sexual Difference1. The Ontological Negativity of Sexual Difference, by James Sares2. Opening Hegel’s Autological Circle: Irigaray and the Metaphysics of Sexual Difference, by Mary C. Rawlinson3. One, Two, Many? Sexual Difference and the Problem of Universals, by Stephen D. Seely4. Returning to Irigaray’s Radical Materialism: Sexuate Difference, Ontology, and Bodies of Water, by Laura RobertsPart II: Sexual Difference Beyond Sex/Gender5. Life Itself and Sexual Difference: Nature and Culture, by Ruthanne Crapo Kim6. Sexuation as a Frame for Human Becoming: Reading a “Plastic” Essence in Irigaray’s Philosophy, by Belinda Eslick7. Looking Back at “This Sex Which Is Not One”: Post-deconstructive New Materialisms and Their (Sexual) Difference, by Penelope DeutscherPart III: Sexuate Nature and Subjectivity8. An Uncontainable Subject: Thinking Feminine Sexuate Subjectivity with Irigaray, by Jennifer Carter9. Male Re-imaginings: From the Ontology of the Anal Toward a Phenomenology of Fluidity, by Ovidiu Anemțoaicei10. Sexual Difference as Qualitative Becoming: Irigaray Beyond Cissexism?, by Oli Stephano11. An Onto-ethics of Transsexual Difference, by Mitchell Damian MurtaghPart IV: Placing Sexual Difference12. Sexuate Difference in the Black Atlantic: Reading Irigaray with Hartman, by Rachel Jones13. Bloodshed: Kinship as a Site of Violence in Irigaray and Spillers, by Sabrina L. Hom14. Toward a Sexuate Jurisprudence and on the “Second Rape” of Law, by Yvette Russell15. Place Thinking with Irigaray and Neidjie, by Rebecca HillPart V: Back to the Future of Sexual Difference16. Reading Speculum Again: Narrative, Optics, Time, by Emanuela Bianchi17. Indebtedness: A Sexuate Malaise, by Iván Hofman18. Mysterics: Extinction and Emptiness, by Lynne HufferList of ContributorsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisGabriele Pedullà—a leading Italian expert and acclaimed writer—provides a vivid and engaging introduction to Machiavelli’s life and works that sheds new light on his originality and relevance.Trade ReviewAmong the many books one could read on Machiavelli over the last decades, this one strongly stands out. Eloquently written, incisively argued, and with a view on the past and the present, Pedullà succeeds in elaborating both the many merits and multiple flaws, the attractiveness and the perilousness of the theoretical work this Italian thinker and statesman bequeathed to us. Everyone interested in the energy room of politics should definitely read this brilliant book. -- Axel Honneth, Jack B. Weinstein Professor of the Humanities, Columbia UniversityPedullà's On Niccolo Machiavelli will stand as the single most important introductory study of Machiavelli in any language. Covering biographical details and historical context as well as offering concise and astute analyses of Machiavelli's major writings, it is a work of great insight, depth, and originality. -- John P. McCormick, author of Reading Machiavelli: Scandalous Books, Suspect Engagements, and the Virtue of Populist PoliticsAn immensely rich analysis of Machiavelli’s achievement that integrates his political and literary writings with his life and view of religion. More than that, it goes on to explain his contested legacy from the time of his death to his present relevance today, making it quite unrivaled in its scope and appeal to a global and multifocused readership. -- Alison Brown, author of Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance ItalyPedulla’s book serves as an excellent primer for Machiavelli’s work, offering the key through which to interpret his most controversial ideas. * ZME Science *But even grizzled veterans will find interest in Pedullà’s portrait of the Secretary as a political animal who was also a non-conformist and a critic of conventional wisdom. * Claremont Review of Books *Table of ContentsPreface: The Thinker of a Thousand Faces1. From Humanism to Politics2. The People’s Prince3. In the Garden with the Romans4. Comeback Kid5. BeyondChronologyFurther ReadingsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisClayton Crockett offers an innovative philosophy of energy that cuts across a number of leading-edge disciplines. Drawing from contemporary philosophies of New Materialism, non-Western traditions, and the sciences, he develops a comprehensive vision of energy as a material process spanning physics, biology, politics, ecology, and religion.Trade ReviewAn exciting new title from one of the most original theologians of his generation. Clayton Crockett unfolds with unrelenting inventiveness the implications of the simple but revolutionary premise that everything changes. To be is to be transformed, in physics as in life, in theology as in biology. From the transformation of energy to the energy of transformation, from 'being' to 'God,' if you like. Don’t miss it! -- John D. Caputo, author of In Search of Radical Theology: Expositions, Explorations, ExhortationsSomehow Clayton Crockett breaks open a perspective as spacious as the cosmos and as timely as our globally warming moment. This magnificent volume energizes the matter—the physical and biological material—of the new materialism, conducting it with utterly legible brilliance through current politics and economics, through decolonial and plural worlds of spirit, through radical theology. At every twist, Energy and Change intensifies the possibility, the precarious chance, of the change all sane earthlings now require. -- Catherine Keller, author of Facing Apocalypse: Climate, Democracy and Other Last ChancesEnergy is constant and yet it changes. It is constant because it changes and changes because it is constant. This paradox has been inscribed at the heart of physics and philosophy since the pre-Socratics and up to Einstein. Through an erudite and thoughtful exploration, Crockett offers a radical theological approach to this cosmological enigma. -- Catherine Malabou, author of Morphing Intelligence: From IQ Measurement to Artificial BrainsIn characteristically exuberant prose and across nearly every discipline, Energy and Change interprets and contests the convulsive neoliberal ideologies accelerating our ecological disaster. Amplifying the work of 'new materialism' with a full-fledged philosophy of energy, this is the book that fans of Clayton Crockett have been waiting for. -- Mary-Jane Rubenstein, author of Pantheologies: Gods, Worlds, MonstersTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: New Materialism and Energy Transformation1. The Dynamics of Nature2. Vital Matters: Bioenergetics and Life3. Political Economy and Political Ecology: Energy, General Economy, and Exchange4. Of Spirit in Amerindian, Vodou, and Chinese Traditions5. Radical Theology and the Nature of GodNotesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book brings together an ensemble of leading theorists and younger voices to explore new dimensions of Seyla Benhabib's thought across critical theory, feminism, and democratic theory, foregrounding the intricate relationship between critique and universality.Trade ReviewThese rich and compelling essays testify not only to the breadth and brilliance of Seyla Benhabib's thought but also to her dialogism, mentorship, and influence. A marvelous collection! -- Nancy Fraser, author of Cannibal Capitalism: How Our System Is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet—and What We Can Do About ItIf there had not been sufficient proof so far of the enormous importance of Seyla Benhabib's political philosophy for understanding our present predicaments, this collection of articles offers it in abundance. Its contributions, ranging from moral psychology over political theory to postcolonial studies and written by eminent scholars within the different fields, discuss from very different perspectives Benhabib's idea that universalism can be situated and decentered by understanding it as a design for the never ending process of including ever more groups in the circle of those whose voices must be heard and respected. This is indispensable reading for everyone interested in contemporary political philosophy. -- Axel Honneth, author of Freedom’s Right: The Social Foundations of Democratic LifeThis volume pays persuasive tribute to the power of Seyla Benhabib's compelling rethinking of the legacies of critical political theory. Concepts such as dialogical universalism, cosmopolitanism of codependence from below, democratic iterations, jurisgenerative politics and postnational sovereignty characterize her attempt to explore new normative grounds for political theory by thinking with and against Kant and Hegel, Arendt and Habermas in an age of migrations and the threat of new forms of neo-fascism across the world. -- Andreas Huyssen, author of Miniature Metropolis: Literature in an Age of Photography and FilmThe accelerating impact of the Frankfurt School around the world owes much to gifted thinkers who demonstrate how a tradition can remain alive and open to the future through creative elaboration. No one exemplifies this process as powerfully as Seyla Benhabib, who has enriched critical theory with insights from feminism, postcolonial studies, democratic and human rights theory, and the writings of Hannah Arendt. As this stimulating collection of essays attests, she is more than a link in a single chain, but rather at the center of an expanding global network of critical thinkers who are grappling with the most urgent issues of our day. -- Martin Jay, author of Splinters in Your Eye: Frankfurt School ProvocationsThis wide-ranging and penetrating collection on the work of Seyla Benhabib, one of the most influential figures in the 'third generation' of critical theorists, is not only an important testimony to Benhabib's influence but also a significant contribution in its own right. With its wide range of topics, the volume should be of interest to scholars even beyond those primarily interested in Benhabib's own unique contributions. -- Kenneth Baynes, author of HabermasTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: In Search of Another Universalism, by Anna JurkevicsPart I: Critique, Norm, and Utopia1. Benhabib and Habermas on Discourse and Development, by Thomas McCarthy2. Normativity and Reality: Toward a Critical and Realistic Theory of Politics, by Rainer Forst3. Loss of World, Not Certainty: “Amor Mundi” and the Moral Psychology of Seyla Benhabib, by Carmen Lea Dege4. Nature as a Concrete Other: An Alternative Voice in Kant’s Conception of Beauty and Dignity, by Umur Basdas5. “To Burst Open the Possibilities of the Present”: Seyla Benhabib and Utopia, by Bernard E. HarcourtPart II: Thinking With and Against Arendt6. “Thinking With and Against” as Feminist Political Theory, by Patchen Markell7. Arendt and Truth, by Gaye İlhan Demiryol8. Understanding Eichmann and Anwar: Reenactment and the Psychic Lives of Perpetrators, by Sonali ChakravartiPart III: Democratic Iterations and Cosmopolitanism9. Democracy Without Shortcuts: An Institutional Approach to Democratic Legitimacy, by Cristina Lafont10. Another Republicanism: Dissent, Institutions, and Renewal, by Christian Volk11. Three Models of Communicative Cosmopolitanism, by Peter J. Verovšek12. At the Borders of the Self: Democratic Iterations as a Theory of Postnational Sovereignty, by Paul Linden-RetekPart IV: Jurisgenerativity13. Back to the Future? Critical Theory and the Law, by William E. Scheuerman14. The Unfinished Revolution: The Right to Have Rights and Birthright Citizenship, by Eduardo Mendieta15. Genocide and Jurisgenesis, by Max Pensky16. Jurisgenerativity in the Age of Big Data, by Matthew LongoPart V: Deprovincializing Critical Theory17. Pachamama’s Rights, Climate Crisis, and the Decolonial Cosmos, by Angélica María Bernal18. What Is the Other in Seyla Benhabib’s Another Cosmopolitanism?, by Drucilla Cornell19. Border Deaths as Forced Disappearances: Frantz Fanon and the Outlines of a Critical Phenomenology, by Ayten Gündoğdu20. Gender Trouble: Manhood, Inclusion, and Justice in the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Shatema Threadcraft and Brandon M. TerryPart VI: Philosophy and Friendship21. Fragments of an Intellectual Autobiography, by Seyla Benhabib22. Swimming, by Carolin EmckeContributorsIndex

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn urgent argument for political responsibility, rooted in responsive actionTrade Review"A very good job of demonstrating the unavoidability of the question of responsibility and its particular philosophical difficulties. It is often the case that philosophically sophisticated political theorists avoid the hot-button issues of current topics such as globalization, police brutality, and abortion; or, when contemporary issues are addressed, sophisticated analysis gives way to the standard slogans. One of the strengths of Lavin's work is that contemporary debates animate his philosophical discussion."--Jason Read, author of The Micro-Politics of Capital: Marx and the Prehistory of the Present"[A] fascinating political discussion of a stalwart ethical concept. . . . Recommended."--Choice"In a timely and provocative theoretical intervention, Lavin deftly critiques liberal notions of responsibility that have consistently forced us to assume political concepts such as limited causality and sovereign individuality. He argues that ontopolitical assumptions hinder our ability to develop truly relevant political responses to a variety of perplexing conditions that we confront in the twenty-first century."--Bradley J. Macdonald, author of Performing Marx: Contemporary Negotiations of a Living Tradition

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Brien Hallett has fashioned an original, incisive, and powerful argument for the proper standards for going to war. Tightly reasoned throughout and well timed to address the conceptual confusion that now reigns." -- Louis Fisher, author of Presidential War Power

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fresh, interdisciplinary approach to Addams's thought on democracy, citizenship, and international peaceTrade Review"Profound and comprehensive."--Peace and Change"This excellent volume illuminates the template Nobel Prize winner Jane Addams forged by conceptualizing citizenship to include welfare rights, appreciation for diversity, and peace-oriented global connections. This book belongs in the hands of activists, scholars, policy makers, and concerned citizens alike."--Eileen McDonagh, author of The Motherless State: Women's Political Leadership and American Democracy"A coherent, thoughtful volume that promises to introduce a new generation of students to the thought of Jane Addams. Theorists of all sorts will have to grapple with her ideas about citizenship, participation, peace, care, diversity and difference, and building a better community."--Eileen Boris, coeditor of The Practice of U.S. Women's History: Narratives, Intersections, and Dialogues"A treasure trove of new Jane Addams scholarship that confirms her continuing relevance to our new century. As these essays clearly demonstrate, on the crucial areas of immigration, democratization, globalization, and gender issues, Addams was light years ahead of her time."--Larry Hickman, author of Pragmatism as Post-Postmodernism: Lessons from John Dewey

Read more less

Book SynopsisA major contribution to scholarship on PlatoTrade ReviewThis volume fills a major gap in studies on Plato's dialogues by addressing the cultural and historical context of the Laws and highlighting their importance to contemporary scholarship. * PhilPapers *The collection as a whole is characterized by a significant degree of cohesion . . . The contributors engage with one another's arguments, and there are frequent cross-references that help the reader follow the nuances of relevant scholarly debates.2/28/14 * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *[T]he collection [is] interesting and thought provoking. In particular, it draws attention to sections of the dialogue that are easily overlooked and usefully highlights the role of contingent factors in Plato's political thought. * International Journal of the Platonic Tradition *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. On Reading the Laws as a Whole: Horizon, Vision, and Structure Mitchell Miller2. 'E and the Laws in Historical Context Mark Munn3. The Long and Winding Road: Impediments to Inquiry in Book One of the Laws Eric Salem 4. Education in Plato's Laws John Russon5. On Beginning after the Beginning John Sallis6. It is Difficult for a City with Good Laws to Come into Existence: On Book 4 Michael Zuckert 7. "He Saw the Cities and He Knew the Minds of Many Men": Landscape and Character in the Odyssey and the Laws Patricia Fagan8. On the Human and the Divine: Reading the Prelude in Plato's Laws 5 Robert Metcalf 9. Being True to Equality: Human Allotment and the Judgment of Zeus Greg Recco10. The 'Serious Play' of Book 7 of Plato's Laws David Roochnik11. No Country for Young Men: Eros as Outlaw in Plato's Laws Francisco Gonzalez 12. On the Implications of Human Mortality: Legislation, Education, and Philosophy in Book 9 of Plato's Laws Catherine Zuckert13. 'A Soul Superlatively Natural': Psychic Excess in Laws 10 Sara Brill14. Property and Impiety in Plato's Laws: Books 11 & 12 Eric SandayBibliography List of ContributorsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisShows how Plato thought of the soul as remarkably flexible, complex, and indicative of the inner workings of political life and institutionsTrade Review[This is] a book that is an ambitious, well-researched and provocative scholarly reflection on soul in the Platonic corpus. * Polis *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I. Phaedo1 Socratic Prothumia2 The Body-like Soul 3 Psychic GeographyPart II. Republic4 City and Soul5 Psychic Fragmentation6 Philosophy in the City7 Politics and ImmortalityPart III. Laws8 Psychology for Legislators9 Psychology for the Legislated10 Psychic ExcessNotesWorks CitedIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisImagines a different future for disability and disabled bodiesTrade ReviewFeminist Queer Crip is a unique addition to the feminist, disability literature that could easily serve as a supplemental text in a disability studies or queer studies undergraduate or graduate course. . . . it is certainly relevant to academicians, researchers and clinicians interested in the future of disability studies and provides an intriguing list of diverse examples with which to further explore this too often invisible topic. * Sex Roles *Feminist, Queer, Crip makes significant contributions to our understanding of how disability works in the world, contributions that no other academic book in the recently emergent field of interdisciplinary disability studies has done so thoroughly. * Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies *Feminist, Queer, Crip is ambitious, doggedly interdisciplinary, and accessibly written. It retains political sharpness while remaining determinedly optimistic about queer/crip futures. * QED *As it is written in accessible and clear language, Feminist, Queer, Crip has the potential to reach a wide range of audiences including undergraduate students. It will expand the thinking of minority studies scholars, including feminist theorists, philosophers, bioethicists, queer studies, critical race theorists, disability studies, environmental studies, and American studies scholars. The book will likely provoke transformative thinking for those who work to build coalitions among identity-based political movements as well as policymakers and medical, legal, and disability service professionals.Summer 2014 * PhiloSOPHIA *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Imagined Futures1. Time for Disability Studies and a Future for Crips2. At the Same Time, Out of Time: Ashley X3. Debating Feminist Futures: Slippery Slopes, Cultural Anxiety, and the Case of the Deaf Lesbians4. A Future for Whom? Passing on Billboard Liberation5. The Cyborg and the Crip: Critical Encounters6. Bodies of Nature: The Environmental Politics of Disability7. Accessible Futures, Future CoalitionsAppendicesNotes BibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisFocuses his discussion of Derrida's final seminars on questions such as death, language, and animalityTrade ReviewDerrida and Our Animal Others . . . appeals to a broad audience of both scholars and students of Derrida's and Heidegger's work, as well as more casual readers interested in a clearer understanding of Derrida's thinking on animality. Krell's style is, as always, fluid and eminently readable, sacrificing none of the complexity of Derrida's or Heidegger's thinking, while remaining clear and engaging throughout. His analysis is also quite provocative, raising challenges to Derrida's reading of Heidegger, as well as contributing significant insights into the 1929–1930 lectures and the role of apophantic discourse in Heidegger's thinking. . . . Derrida and Our Animal Others is an excellent and provocative commentary, leading the reader through the central issues of Derrida's work on the question of the animal and inspiring the desire for further exploration. I have no doubt that this text will prove an indispensable resource for readers of The Beast and the Sovereign lectures and for students of Heidegger's and Derrida's work generally.7.2 2014 * Derrida Today *[One of] the first books to be published on the two volumes of Jacques Derrida's last seminar series, La Bête et le souverain (published in French in 2008–10 and in English in 2009–11); [The author] also includes a chapter on Derrida's L'Animal que donc je suis (published fully in book form in French in 2006 and in English in 2008) — all posthumous works based on lectures or seminars on the intertwined questions of animality and sovereignty.69.3 July 2015 * French Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. The Beast and the Sovereign I2. The Beast and the Sovereign II3. How Follow the Animal . . . That I Am?4. Is There a Touchstone for All Philosophy?5. Is Apophantic Discourse the Touchstone?6. Conclusions and Directions for Future ResearchIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe two lecture courses collected in the volume entitled Being and Truth were delivered during Heidegger's tenure as the first Nazi rector of the University of Freiburg and thus in his darkest hour as a philosopher. . . When reading Heidegger's political statements, which frame and punctuate his otherwise thought-provoking philosophical analyses . . . what is most striking, ultimately, is Heidegger's utter blindness with respect to the true nature of an odious and destructive worldview and his systematic yet delusional projection of a profound transformation of Europe's destiny and a new dawn into the darkest episode of German history.6/3/11 * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsTranslators' ForewordTHE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION OF PHILOSOPHYSummer Semester 1933Introduction: The Fundamental Question of Philosophy and the Fundamental Happening of Our HistoryMain Part: The Fundamental Question and Metaphysics: Preparation for a Confrontation with HegelChapter One. The Development, Transformation, and Christianization of Traditional MetaphysicsChapter Two. The System of Modern Metaphysics and the First of Its Primary Determining Grounds: The MathematicalChapter Three. Determination by Christianity and the Concept of Mathematical-Methodological Grounding in the Metaphysical Systems of ModernityChapter Four. Hegel: The Completion of Metaphysics as Theo-logicConclusionON THE ESSENCE OF TRUTHWinter Semester 1933-1934Introduction: The Question of Essence as Insidious and UnavoidablePart One. Truth and Freedom: An Interpretation of the Allegory of the Cave in Plato's RepublicChapter One. The Four Stages of the Happening of TruthChapter Two. The Idea of the Good and UnconcealmentChapter Three. The Question of the Essence of UntruthPart Two. An Interpretation of Plato's Theaetetus With Regard to the Question of the Essence of UntruthChapter One. Preliminary Considerations on the Greek Concept of KnowledgeChapter Two. Theaetetus's Answers to the Question of the Essence of Knowledge and their RejectionChapter Three. The Question of the Possibility of Appendix INotes and drafts for the lecture course of Summer Semester 1933Appendix IINotes and drafts for the lecture course of Winter Semester 1933-1934Editor's AfterwordGerman-English Glossary

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review Arts of Being Yoruba is timely and strategic. It is a commendable output, which makes pronouncements that further rekindles hope and sustained interest in African cultural studies generally. * African Studies Quarterly *In uniting various themes and topics, the book creates a tool and methodology to rethink interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, hybridity, and modernity. Recommended. * Choice *Arts of Being Yorùbá is a needed contribution to Yorùbá studies and a welcome rejoinder to a more culturally essentialist understanding of what it means to be – or not be – Yorùbá. * Journal of Modern African Studies *This book will remain an unparalleled prestigious excavation of the very best in Yorùbá artistic, literary, cultural, and philosophical studies for many years to come. It belongs in every Yorùbá household as well as in the archives of Yorùbá social and cultural history. * Research in African Literature *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. "Writing" and "Reference" in Ifaì Divination Chants2. Culture, Meaning, Proverbs 3. Reading, Writing, and Epistemic Instability in Faìguìnwa's Novels4. Sex, Gender, and Plot in FaìguìnwaÌ's Adventures5. Lost in Translation: IÌsòoÌòlaì's Eòfuìnsòetaìn AniìwuìraÌ and YoruÌbaì Woman-Being6. From Orality to Visuality: Photography and the Panegyric in Contemporary YoruÌbaì CultureConclusion: Book Launching as Cultural AffirmationsBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review Arts of Being Yoruba is timely and strategic. It is a commendable output, which makes pronouncements that further rekindles hope and sustained interest in African cultural studies generally. * African Studies Quarterly *In uniting various themes and topics, the book creates a tool and methodology to rethink interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, hybridity, and modernity. Recommended. * Choice *Arts of Being Yorùbá is a needed contribution to Yorùbá studies and a welcome rejoinder to a more culturally essentialist understanding of what it means to be – or not be – Yorùbá. * Journal of Modern African Studies *This book will remain an unparalleled prestigious excavation of the very best in Yorùbá artistic, literary, cultural, and philosophical studies for many years to come. It belongs in every Yorùbá household as well as in the archives of Yorùbá social and cultural history. * Research in African Literature *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. "Writing" and "Reference" in Ifaì Divination Chants2. Culture, Meaning, Proverbs 3. Reading, Writing, and Epistemic Instability in Faìguìnwa's Novels4. Sex, Gender, and Plot in FaìguìnwaÌ's Adventures5. Lost in Translation: IÌsòoÌòlaì's Eòfuìnsòetaìn AniìwuìraÌ and YoruÌbaì Woman-Being6. From Orality to Visuality: Photography and the Panegyric in Contemporary YoruÌbaì CultureConclusion: Book Launching as Cultural AffirmationsBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisUbuntu is premised on the ethical belief that an individual's humanity is fostered in a network of human relationships: I am because you are; we are because you are. The essays in this lively volume elevate the debate about ubuntu beyond the buzzword it has become, especially within South African religious and political contexts. The seasoned scholars and younger voices gathered here grapple with a range of challenges that ubuntu puts forward. They break down its history and analyze its intellectual surroundings in African philosophical traditions, European modernism, religious contexts, and human rights discourses. The discussion embraces questions about what it means to be human and to be a part of a community, giving attention to moments of loss and fragmentation in postcolonial modernity, to come to a more meaningful definition of belonging in a globalizing world. Taken together, these essays offer a rich understanding of ubuntu in all of its complexity and reflect on a value systeTrade ReviewOverall, the volume provides provocative insights into Africa's arguably most significant contemporary philosophical trend. . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction / James Ogude1. The African Bantu Concept of Ubuntu in the Christian Theology and Praxis of Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and its Implications for Global Justice and Human Rights / Aloo Osotsi Mojola2. Crafting Ideal Conditions: "Ubuntu" and the Challenges of Modern Society / D. A. Masolo3. The Art of Personhood: Kinship and Its Social Challenges / Bhekizizwe Peterson4. The Philosophy of Ubuntu and the Notion of Vital Force / Niels Weidtmann5. Rethinking Ubuntu / Dirk J. Louw6. Ubuntu and Oruka's Humanitarian View of Punishment / Oriare Nyarwath7. Ubuntu and Buen Vivir: A Comparative Approach / Anke Graness8. Ubuntu and Christianity / Augustine Shutte9. Ubuntu, Reconciliation in Rwanda and Returning to Personhood through Collective Narrative / Anna-Marie de Beer 10. Utu/Ubuntu and Community Restoration: Narratives of Survivors in Kenya's 2007 Post-election Violence / James Ogude and Unifier DyerIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisReading Wiredu is the first comprehensive overview of the philosophical thought of Kwasi WireduTrade Review"Wiredu is the master of the short, tightly argued, razor sharp essay, and in this sense it is appropriate for Hallen to provide five relatively short and similarly concise essays that attempt to bring Wiredu's essays into a more comprehensive view and, in so doing, introduce Wiredu to a contemporary audience."—Jason M. Wirth, Seattle University"We all owe a debt of gratitude to Barry Hallen for bringing to us a Kwasi Wiredu who has an abundant lot to teach us about some of the perennial questions of philosophy. This is an invaluable primer on one of the major philosophers of our time with a body of work ranging from logic to ontology, from philosophy of language to ethics and social and political philosophy that deserves to be better known than it is. Operating from a solid base in his cultural heritage, as all philosophers do, Wiredu illuminates our understanding of some of the most significant debates in contemporary philosophy. Our discipline needs this book."—Olufemi Taiwo, Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University"Reading Wiredu is an important contribution to African philosophy in particular, and to African studies generally. It aids the reader to make sense of Kwasi Wiredu's voluminous corpus by supplying useful background information, explicating key concepts, and showing the relationships among various aspects of Wiredu's thought. Prof. Hallen has also supplied a rich bibliography, which gives the reader very useful guidance on the part of the story of Wiredu's numerous publications not covered in this little but highly informative book. It is an invaluable resource not only to scholars of philosophy, but also those of linguistics, political science, sociology, anthropology, and history, as well as to general readers."—Reginald M.J. Oduor, University of Nairobi, KenyaTable of ContentsIntroduction1. On Quine, Logic, and Ontology2. On Quine and Language3. On Translation4. On Truth5. On Sympathetic Impartiality6. On ConsensusAfterwordReading Wiredu BibliographySupplementary Wiredu BibliographyCommentaries and Relevant TextsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisReading Wiredu is the first comprehensive overview of the philosophical thought of Kwasi WireduTrade Review"Wiredu is the master of the short, tightly argued, razor sharp essay, and in this sense it is appropriate for Hallen to provide five relatively short and similarly concise essays that attempt to bring Wiredu's essays into a more comprehensive view and, in so doing, introduce Wiredu to a contemporary audience."—Jason M. Wirth, Seattle University"We all owe a debt of gratitude to Barry Hallen for bringing to us a Kwasi Wiredu who has an abundant lot to teach us about some of the perennial questions of philosophy. This is an invaluable primer on one of the major philosophers of our time with a body of work ranging from logic to ontology, from philosophy of language to ethics and social and political philosophy that deserves to be better known than it is. Operating from a solid base in his cultural heritage, as all philosophers do, Wiredu illuminates our understanding of some of the most significant debates in contemporary philosophy. Our discipline needs this book."—Olufemi Taiwo, Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University"Reading Wiredu is an important contribution to African philosophy in particular, and to African studies generally. It aids the reader to make sense of Kwasi Wiredu's voluminous corpus by supplying useful background information, explicating key concepts, and showing the relationships among various aspects of Wiredu's thought. Prof. Hallen has also supplied a rich bibliography, which gives the reader very useful guidance on the part of the story of Wiredu's numerous publications not covered in this little but highly informative book. It is an invaluable resource not only to scholars of philosophy, but also those of linguistics, political science, sociology, anthropology, and history, as well as to general readers."—Reginald M.J. Oduor, University of Nairobi, KenyaTable of ContentsIntroduction1. On Quine, Logic, and Ontology2. On Quine and Language3. On Translation4. On Truth5. On Sympathetic Impartiality6. On ConsensusAfterwordReading Wiredu BibliographySupplementary Wiredu BibliographyCommentaries and Relevant TextsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThroughout Deliberative Agency, Okeja excels at both rigorous description and analysis. The case for a uniquely African remedy to political problems, a remedy that involves articulating and hearing the voices of all members of society, makes this book both challenging and inspiring. -- M. W. Westmoreland, Ocean County College * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Defining African Political Condition2. African Political Thought3. Normative Deficit4. Palaver and Consensus5. Indigenous Political Concepts, Conceptual Loss and Political Failure6. Conceptual Creativity7. Conceptualizing Political Philosophy Through Conceptual Creativity8. Deliberative Agency and Meaning in PoliticsEpilogueBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThroughout Deliberative Agency, Okeja excels at both rigorous description and analysis. The case for a uniquely African remedy to political problems, a remedy that involves articulating and hearing the voices of all members of society, makes this book both challenging and inspiring. -- M. W. Westmoreland, Ocean County College * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Defining African Political Condition2. African Political Thought3. Normative Deficit4. Palaver and Consensus5. Indigenous Political Concepts, Conceptual Loss and Political Failure6. Conceptual Creativity7. Conceptualizing Political Philosophy Through Conceptual Creativity8. Deliberative Agency and Meaning in PoliticsEpilogueBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisA bold examination of questions about whiteness and raceTrade Review"A lucid discussion of race that does not sell out the black experience." --Tommy Lott, author of The Invention of RaceTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1. Unconscious Habit1. Ignorance and Habit2. Engaging the Isolated Unconscious3. Seductive Habits of White Privilege4. Global Habits, Collective HauntingsPart 2. Possessive Geographies5. Appropriate Habits of White Privilege6. Race, Space, and Place7. In Defense of Separatism ConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisComedy, from social ridicule to the laughter of the carnival, provides effective tools for reinforcing social patterns of domination and weapons for emancipation. This book states that comic trumps liberal accounts of freedom by drawing attention to bodies and intimate relationships, topics which are usually neglected by political philosophy.Trade ReviewWillett (Emory) explores how humor--in its multiple expressions of irony, satire, blackface, comedy of manners, wit, ridicule, carnival, camp, and farce--can be a strategy for the subversion of oppressive power and contribute to a more emancipatory democratic ethic. She offers the bold claim that "today no discourse expresses the stakes of freedom better than comedy... [which] provides one of the most important sources for a philosophical discussion of freedom" as an alternative to the prevailing concepts of negative and positive freedoms she associates with the mainstream liberal view as expressed primarily by Isaiah Berlin. She advocates a third freedom: securing social bonds. Her emphasis here is on the communitarian values of historical memory, friendship, recognition solidarity, and "the libidinal sources of selfhood." In this perspective comedians like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert take center stage to fill the vacuum left by a slack news media and anemic political debate. Willett analyzes in some detail comedies of remarriage like The Philadelphia Story and Spike Lee's Bamboozled, and draws on thinkers like Cornel West, Stanley Cavell, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Henri Bergson. She uses these sources adroitly, writes engagingly, and for the most part keeps her argument in focus. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. --ChoiceB. G. Murchland, Ohio Wesleyan University, April 2009 "While comedy has been historically dismissed as a lower form of art (perhaps only good for the masses), tragedy has been generally associated with a stoic and grandiose form of consciousness that discloses to us the gravitas of freedom. Cynthia Willett challenges this venerable and joyless tradition and claims that comedy and irony educate us about the corporeal and psychic dimension of freedom. This is an original and profound book that grapples with the political power of laughter, and this is no laughing matter, ever." -Eduardo Mendieta, SUNY Stony Brook "[E]xtremely witty, provocative, and timely... It should appeal to anyone interested in American studies or American philosophy. -Mary Magad" -Ward, Middle Tennessee State UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrologue: On Truthiness1. Laughter against Hubris: A Preemptive Strike2. Laughing to Keep from Crying: Cornel West, Pragmatism, and Progressive Comedy3. Authenticity in an Age of Satire: Ellison, Sartre, Bergson, and Spike Lee's Bamboozled4. Engage the Enemy: Cavell, Comedies of Remarriage, and the Politics of Friendship5. Three Concepts of FreedomNotesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisPresenting with moving insight the relations between man, as a person and as an individual, and the society of which he is a part, Maritain's treatment of a lasting topic speaks to this generation as well as those to come.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe contributors reflect on the concept of peace from a variety of viewpoints. This volume intends not only to celebrate peace but to contribute to an understanding of it through philosophical, theological and literary explorations.Trade Review"The twelve essayists (Gilligan, Yoder, Bok, Toulmin, Rendtorff, Moltmann, Minear, Larson, Smart, Parekh, Berrigan, and Levertov) present a thought-provoking and stimulating range of views on the issue of peace. The essays are grouped in four themes: just war, perpetual peace, and the nation-state; Christian conceptions of peace; Hindu and Buddhist views of peace; and peacemaking in terms of prophecy and poetry." —Journal of Ecumenical StudiesTable of ContentsJust war, perpetual peace and the nation-state, John J.Gilligan, et al; Christian conceptions of peace, Trutz Rendtorff, et al; Hindu and Buddhist views of peace, Gerald J.Larson, et al; making peace - prophecy, protest and poetry, Daniel Berrigan S.J. and Denise Levertov.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe three books presented in this volume, Integral Humanism, Freedom in the Modern World, and A Letter on Independence, were all written in the early 1930s, a time of dire trouble for France. France was then surrounded by enemies preparing for war and was itself so violently split between parties of Left and Right that it seemed on the verge of civil war. In this collection, Jacques Maritain accepts the responsibility of a Christian philosopher to actively address the agonizing practical problems of the time.Maritain discusses major political issues such as the relation of freedom and religion, the opposition of democracy to any form of totalitarianism, the relation of the spiritual and the temporal, the need for an integral and Christian humanism, and the prospects for a new Christian civilization, all in opposition to the materialism of both communism and capitalism.Against the fierce antagonism of the parties of the political Left and Right, Mar

Read more less

Book SynopsisBy exposing the church as polis and ""counter-story"" to the world's politics, this text intends to help Christians see that God has given them the means to escape the destructive practices of the world by placing them ""in good company"" with one another, Catholic and Protestant alike.Trade Review“[Hauerwas’s theme] informs and braces every selection in this lively collection, and gives the reader the sort of workover one doesn’t experience often enough when reading contemporary theology.” —Commonweal“Hauerwas writes with deep conviction. He seeks not only to explain the Christian faith but also to persuade and promote ways of thinking and acting that he believes Christians should embrace.” —Journal of Ecumenical Studies“The ecumenical dimension of the volume is engaging. Hauerwas is at home in both Protestant and Catholic institutions and he has a good understanding of the underlying theology of both. . . . In Good Company will introduce the reader to a contemporary voice that is worth listening to.” —Pro Ecclesia“Hauerwas . . . provocatively explores what it means to be a Christian. . . . [T]his book . . . will certainly provide stimulating and good company to all who read it.” —Journal of Contemporary Religion“Hauerwas enjoys being a provocative voice in the larger forum of contemporary ethical discourse. He cultivates an in-your-face style at times that can distort by oversimplifying the questions he claims to clarify. But part of his charm and technique is to encircle the reader and pull him or her further and further into his interpretation of the Kingdom of God.” —America

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisContending that Marxism achieved its unique position in part by adopting the content and functions of Christianity, MacIntyre details the religious attitudes and modes of belief that appear in Marxist doctrine as it developed historically from the philosophies of Hegel and Feuerbach, and as it has been carried on by latter-day interpreters from Rosa Luxemburg and Trotsky to Kautsky and Lukacs. The result is a lucid exposition of Marxism and an incisive account of its persistence and continuing importance.Trade Review"...a discerning, solid book...a significant contribution to both the emerging Marxist-Christian dialogue and the task of building the future that awaits us all." —The New Republic“. . . a very fine work on the intersection of Marxist and Christian teaching. . . . MacIntyre provides a very useful summary of Marx’s philosophical forebears, and his development from them. His summary of Marx’s teaching on history and the changes from his earlier to his later writing is quite fair, and a good introduction to the thought of Marx. . . . It really does bring together Marxism and Christianity in such a way that they may both contribute to and criticize each other.” —Catholic Library World

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Bergmann has written an eminently readable, wise, and provocative book. It is . . . scholarly without being narrowly 'academic'; it attacks a host of popular myths and penetrates the fog that surrounds many a learned discussion about human freedom; and it ventures to make practical suggestions about how society can increase the possibilities of freedom among its members. . . . It provokes much thought . . . and lets . . . fresh air into the musty chambers of perennial problems." —Modern Age"On Being Free . . . is an important and highly insightful book for philosophers and for philosophy teachers. . . . Bergmann has the capacity to present complex issues without simplification in a manner that creates interest and concern on the part of the student. He makes some of the traditional philosophic issues come to life through his original and perceptive slant on the problems. . . . Most importantly, Bergmann's style, approach, and content exhibit how to teach philosophy. This is a damn good book." —Teaching Philosophy"This is in many ways an admirable book, both a pleasure and stimulus to read. It is about important topics; it not only claims to display crucial relationship between philosophical and practical issues, but something much more rare—it actually enters into details of both philosophical and practical matters in a way which shows the essential and not merely the exemplificatory continuity of the two; and it does all this in a language wholly accessible to the proverbial layman. . . . This is without doubt both a very clear and very stimulating book. It leaves one eager to engage in its arguments and to take them further." —Nous"Bergmann's accomplishment is substantial. His is the most important philosophical examination of freedom since Isaiah Berlin's celebrated essay of a generation ago." —Social Science Quarterly

Read more less

Book SynopsisDespite the separation between classical and modern theories of government, contributors to Aristotle and Modern Politics find Aristotle a useful interlocutor for assessing both possibilities and limitations in contemporary politics. In this collection, noted political scientists, theologians, and philosophers discuss the magnitude of Aristotle's presence in contemporary debate and demonstrate some of the ways in which Aristotle sheds new light on contemporary problems. This engaging book also exhibits the persistence of political philosophy at a time when the pervasive influence of ideology and historicism lead many to deny its possibility. Although the authors of these essays differ on the nature of Aristotle's contribution, all are united by the conviction that he has something important to teach citizens of modern political societies.If the fundamental principles of modern politics were drawn from critical reflections of reason over and against the imposition of Trade Review"...this eclectic collection of essays serves to illustrate the ways in which the perceived shortcomings of modern liberal politics can be understood, if not corrected, with reference to several of Aristotle's writings. The success of this book is due, in large part, to its dialectical character. ...this is a very fine volume indeed. Its diverse elements come together to forma remarkable whole, one that makes its reading both pleasurable and informative. It also succeeds in sparking new and exciting debates...."—International Journal of the Classical Tradition“. . . highly researched, well grounded in contemporary literature as well as in Aristotle, and highly readable. The authors show a rare ability to bring out the best in those whom they study . . . highly recommended.” —Choice“The serious revival of Aristotelianism is exemplified by Aristotle and Modern Politics, edited by Aristide Tessitore. The twelve essays presented here—all but two for the first time—aim to show what Aristotle has to teach us about community, virtue, law, economics, and the foundations of modern politics. In each case, the subject is not merely some Aristotelian hobbyhorse, but a matter of lively, even heated debate in contemporary scholarship on the meaning and value of liberalism.” —Perspectives on Political Science“[T]his volume ... performs a signal service. In addition to exploring how Aristotelian insights can be drawn upon to advance contemporary intellectual and policy debates, it also begins what is probably an overdue effort to correct misrepresentations of the authentic Aristotle by some of his recent champions.” —Claremont Review of Books“The strength of this collection lies in the high quality of each contribution and of each contributor:.... These essays embody much of the best Aristotelian political theory in America today. These are important essays on important topics and there is somthing here for everyone.” —Perspectives on Politics“This is a distinguished volume.... [T]he scope and high quality of most of the essays demonstrate the strengths of the contemporary revival of Aristotelian political philosophy. [S]everal of the contributors are at the cutting edge of this revival. The general quality of the essays, the ways they explore an interesting variety of modern political themes from a classical perspective, and the implicit conversation among the essays make this volume uniquely useful for those interested in looking at contemporary life through the still powerful lens of classical political philosophy.” —Journal of Politics

Read more less

Book SynopsisDespite the separation between classical and modern theories of government, contributors to Aristotle and Modern Politics find Aristotle a useful interlocutor for assessing both possibilities and limitations in contemporary politics. In this collection, noted political scientists, theologians, and philosophers discuss the magnitude of Aristotle's presence in contemporary debate and demonstrate some of the ways in which Aristotle sheds new light on contemporary problems. This engaging book also exhibits the persistence of political philosophy at a time when the pervasive influence of ideology and historicism lead many to deny its possibility. Although the authors of these essays differ on the nature of Aristotle's contribution, all are united by the conviction that he has something important to teach citizens of modern political societies.If the fundamental principles of modern politics were drawn from critical reflections of reason over and against the imposition of Trade Review"...this eclectic collection of essays serves to illustrate the ways in which the perceived shortcomings of modern liberal politics can be understood, if not corrected, with reference to several of Aristotle's writings. The success of this book is due, in large part, to its dialectical character. ...this is a very fine volume indeed. Its diverse elements come together to forma remarkable whole, one that makes its reading both pleasurable and informative. It also succeeds in sparking new and exciting debates...."—International Journal of the Classical Tradition“. . . highly researched, well grounded in contemporary literature as well as in Aristotle, and highly readable. The authors show a rare ability to bring out the best in those whom they study . . . highly recommended.” —Choice“The serious revival of Aristotelianism is exemplified by Aristotle and Modern Politics, edited by Aristide Tessitore. The twelve essays presented here—all but two for the first time—aim to show what Aristotle has to teach us about community, virtue, law, economics, and the foundations of modern politics. In each case, the subject is not merely some Aristotelian hobbyhorse, but a matter of lively, even heated debate in contemporary scholarship on the meaning and value of liberalism.” —Perspectives on Political Science“[T]his volume ... performs a signal service. In addition to exploring how Aristotelian insights can be drawn upon to advance contemporary intellectual and policy debates, it also begins what is probably an overdue effort to correct misrepresentations of the authentic Aristotle by some of his recent champions.” —Claremont Review of Books“The strength of this collection lies in the high quality of each contribution and of each contributor:.... These essays embody much of the best Aristotelian political theory in America today. These are important essays on important topics and there is somthing here for everyone.” —Perspectives on Politics“This is a distinguished volume.... [T]he scope and high quality of most of the essays demonstrate the strengths of the contemporary revival of Aristotelian political philosophy. [S]everal of the contributors are at the cutting edge of this revival. The general quality of the essays, the ways they explore an interesting variety of modern political themes from a classical perspective, and the implicit conversation among the essays make this volume uniquely useful for those interested in looking at contemporary life through the still powerful lens of classical political philosophy.” —Journal of Politics

Read more less

Book SynopsisTracing the shifts within Nietzsche’s understanding of the human condition, Alejandro offers an original interpretation of his philosophy, arguing that it was a philosophy of reconciliation.Trade Review"I am confident that this book will be considered essential reading for any scholar doing serious research into Nietzsche's thought and its implications. . . . The author carefully traces the shifts and turns and occasionally the contradictions and dead-ends in the development of Nietzsche's major themes. I have never read an account of Nietzsche's thought as fully and convincingly supported by textual reference as this book. Others will disagree with the author's readings of Nietzsche, that is the nature of scholarship, but I cannot see how they could be ignored." —Edward Portis, Texas A & M University"This is a major work on Nietzsche. Roberto Alejandro offers us a reading of Nietzsche's herculean efforts that Nietzsche scholars and scholars who write about modernity and postmodernity will be unable to ignore. This wide ranging and deep book addresses major issues in cultural history, psychoanalysis, cultural anthropology, and the vast literature on modernity and secularization. I expect this to be a book that generates debate and discussion for years to come." —Robert Hollinger, Iowa State University"Roberto Alejandro delivers a rich, lively account of Nietzsche's quest for meaning. By focusing on the theme of historiobiography, Alejandro illuminates Nietzsche's bold attempt to place himself at the center of a comprehensive account of the rise and fall of Western civilization. A thoughtful, well-crafted book, written very much in the spirit of Nietzsche himself." —Daniel Conway, Texas A & M University“Alejandro may have put his finger on the secret to Nietzsche’s appeal by emphasizing the redemptive motif in Nietzsche’s writings. Nietzsche saw humans as ‘religious animals’—unique among living creatures in demanding meaning for their lives. And he presents himself as a redeemer (ecce homo) who offers meaning. . . . The three major metaphors of Nietzsche’s story are the will to power, the overman, and eternal recurrence. Taken together they enable Nietzsche ‘to relate the real story of Christianity’ and make him, as Erich Heller has pointed out, one of the most radical religious writers of the 19th century.” —Choice"In Nietzsche and the Drama of Historiobiography, Roberto Alejandro challenges this tradition and attempts to redefine the meaning of Nietzsche's entire corpus, offering an interpretation that integrates man and work, and highlights parallel tensions in both. His book offers a fresh and thoughtful reconsideration of Nietzsche's lifelong project. . . . Ultimately, this book records a unified vision of Nietzsche's work that is stimulating, fresh, and valuable." —Dialogue“Alejandro’s critical reflections cut to the core of Nietzsche’s arguments for constructing a healthy culture, and his prescriptions for becoming an authentic thinker.” —Foucault Studies

Read more less