Images of the Present Time

ALAIN BADIOU

Columbia University Press

lacanian ink 40

Jacques-Alain Miller

Josefina Ayerza

SLAVOJ ŽIŽEK

The Wooster Press

Philosophy in the Present

Two controversial thinkers discuss a timeless but nonetheless urgent question: should philosophy interfere in the world? Nothing less than philosophy is at stake because, according to Badiou, philosophy is nothing but interference and commitment and will not be restrained by academic discipline. Philosophy is strange and new, and yet speaks in the name of all - as Badiou shows with his theory of universality. 
 Similarly, Zizek believes that the philosopher must intervene, contrary to all expectations, in the key issues of the time. He can offer no direction, but this only shows that the question has been posed incorrectly: it is valid to change the terms of the debate and settle on philosophy as abnormality and excess. At once an invitation to philosophy and an introduction to the thinking of two of the most topical and controversial philosophers writing today, this concise volume will be of great interest to students and general readers alike.

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Polity

At once an invitation to philosophy and an introduction to the thinking of two of the most topical and controversial philosophers writing today, this concise volume will be of great interest to students and general readers alike.

Plato's Republic is one of the most well-known and widely discussed texts in the history of philosophy, but how might we get to the heart of this work today, 2500 years after it was originally composed Alain Badiou invents a new genre in order to breathe fresh life into Plato's text and restore its universality. Rather than producing yet another critical commentary, he has retranslated the work from the original Greek and, by making various changes, adapted it for our times. In this innovative reimagining of a classic text, Badiou has removed all references specific to ancient Greek society, from the endless exchanges about the moral courage of poets to those political considerations that were only of interest to the aristocratic elite. On the other hand, Badiou has expanded the range of cultural references: here philosophy is firing on all cylinders, and Socrates and his companions are joined by Beckett, Pessoa, Freud and Hegel. They demonstrate the enduring nature of true philosophy, always ready to move with the times. Moreover, Badiou the dramatist has made the Socratic dialogue a true oratorial contest: in his version of the Republic, the interlocutors have more in mind than merely agreeing with the Master. They stand up to him, put him on the spot and thereby show thought in motion. Through this work of writing, scholarship and philosophy, we are able, for the first time, to read a version of Plato's text which is alive, stimulating and directly relevant to our world today.

Plato's Republic

Social Sciences

John Wiley&Sons

Plato's Republic is one of the best-known and most widely-discussed texts in the history of philosophy. But how might we get to the heart of this work today, 2,500 years after its original composition? Alain Badiou breathes life into Plato's landmark text and revives its universality. Rather than producing yet another critical commentary, he has instead worked closely on the original Greek and, through spectacular changes, adapted it to our times. In this innovative reimagining of Plato's work, Badiou has removed all references specific to ancient Greek society―from lengthy exchanges about moral courage in archaic poetry to political considerations mainly of interest to the aristocratic elite―and has expanded the range of cultural references. Here, philosophy is firing on all cylinders: Socrates and his companions are joined by Beckett, Pessoa, Freud, and Hegel, among others. Together these thinkers demonstrate that true philosophy endures, ready to absorb new horizons without changing its essence.Moreover, Badiou―who is also a dramatist―has transformed the Socratic dialogue into a genuine oratorial contest. In his version of the Republic, the interlocutors do much more than simply agree with Socrates. They argue, stand up to him, put him on the spot, and show thought in motion. In this work of dramatic scholarship and philosophy, we encounter a modern version of Plato's text that is alive, stimulating, and directly relevant to our own world.

Plato's Republic: A Dialogue in Sixteen Chapters, with a Prologue and an Epilogue

Polity Press

An excellent introduction to the work of one of the most important philosophers writing today, Manifesto for Philosophy will undoubtedly quicken the discourse that has become too comfortable with its own death" - Joan Copjec, author of Read My Desire: Lacan against the Historicists

Manifesto for Philosophy (Intersections Phil Crit Theory)

State University of New York Press

Briefings on Existence: A Short Treatise on Transitory Ontology (Intersections Phil Crit Theory)

Explores the link between mathematics and ontology.

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Explores the link between mathematics and ontology.This book continues Alain Badiou’s project to posit an integral link between mathematics and ontology. Originally published as part of a trilogy in 1998, Briefings on Existence engages the ideas of Deleuze, Spinoza, Plato, Aristotle, and Kant and outlines how the philosophical inquiry into Being and existence converges with the possible world topology of category theory. Set against the background of a multiplication of gods that can be declared dead (the gods of religions, metaphysics, and poetry), Badiou argues that the extension of these events has fallen short of accomplishing its collective promise, but can be achieved through the mathematical understanding of ontology. After several remarkable decades of theoretical invention, French philosophy stands at a crossroads, and Badiou’s egalitarian materialism is one of its strongest calls forward.

Alain Badiou is arguable the most important and original philosopher working in France today. Swimming against the tide of postmodern orthodoxy, Badiou's work revitalizes philosophy's perennial attempt to provide a systematic theory of truth. This volume presents for the first time in English a comprehensive overview of Badiou's ambitious system. Beginning with Badiou's controversial assertion that ontology is mathematics, this volume sets out his theory of the emergence of truths from the singular relationship between a subject and an event. Also included is a substantial extract from Badiou's forthcoming work on the logics of appearance and the concept of world, presented here in advance of its French publication. Ranging from startling re-readings of canonical figures (Spinoza, Kant and Hegel) to decisive engagements with poetry, psychoanalysis and radical politics, Theoretical Writings is an indispensable introduction to one of the great thinkers of our time.

Theoretical Writings (Continuum Impacts, 63)

History

Europe

Continuum

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Books by ALAIN BADIOU

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by ALAIN BADIOU. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Images of the Present Time

lacanian ink 40

Philosophy in the Present

Philosophy in the Present

Plato's Republic

Plato's Republic: A Dialogue in Sixteen Chapters, with a Prologue and an Epilogue

Manifesto for Philosophy (Intersections Phil Crit Theory)

Briefings on Existence: A Short Treatise on Transitory Ontology (Intersections Phil Crit Theory)

Briefings on Existence: A Short Treatise on Transitory Ontology (Intersections Phil Crit Theory)

Theoretical Writings (Continuum Impacts, 63)