Description
Book SynopsisSuitable for all those for whom the politics of subjectivity pose real problems of authority, identity, and belief, this book discusses its roles within the fields of legal theory, social science, fiction, philosophy, and ethics.
Trade Review“An exciting work, phenomenally erudite, informative, shrewdly and scrupulously argued, and very attractively written in vivid, non-jargony prose spiked with wry wit.
Situatedness makes a striking contribution to current debates in humanities and social science scholarship, and it will be a touchstone for theoretical commentary in a range of different fields for a good while to come.”—Christopher Herbert, Northwestern University
“The philosophical nature of the concept of the situation has too often been neglected or overlooked altogether. Simpson has shown remarkable astuteness in identifying ‘situatedness’ in our current discourse, in naming it and revealing its functions. This is a splendid and unique contribution to our awakening from the Zeitgeist and its unconscious presuppostions.”—Fredric Jameson, author of
Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late CapitalismTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Self-Affiliation and the Management of Confusion
2. Mitigating Circumstances: Secular Situatedness and the Law
3. With God on Our Side? The Science of Character
4. Literary Situations, Novel Solutions
5. Reasonable Situations: Philosophy, Biography, and Private Life
6. Lost for Words: Can We Stop Situating Ourselves?
Notes
Bibliography
Index
