Description
Book SynopsisIlluminates the under-appreciated role of aesthetic concepts and devices - such as metaphor, mimesis, and the sublime - in structuring the thought of political figures from Thomas Hobbes to Jacques Ranciere. This work sheds light on how modes of poetic thinking delimit the questions of unity and diversity.
Trade Review“A first book that reads like the work of a mature scholar, Davide Panagia’s beautifully written and tightly argued
The Poetics of Political Thinking makes a significant contribution to political theorists who believe the problems with which they struggle can be further illuminated by approaches that draw together politics, ethics, and aesthetics. Theorists who have yet to appreciate the aesthetic dimension of political thought will be persuaded by Panagia’s efforts.”—Morton Schoolman, author of
Reason and Horror: Critical Theory, Democracy, and Aesthetic Individuality“A theory of politics always entails a poetics, a commitment to the powers of language and image. By testing this principle on thinkers as different as Hobbes, Rawls, and Habermas, Davide Panagia offers strikingly new insights into the history of political thinking.”—Jacques Rancière, author of
The Philosopher and His Poor“Panagia has written an insightful and provocative book. Though not uncharted territory, he provides a relevant and fruitful analysis of the aesthetic dimensions of political judgment. His reinterpretations of key political figures can only improve the quality of future scholarship and bridge existing ideological divisions.” -- Edvard Lorkovic * Philosophy in Review *
