The works of Gilles Deleuze -- on cinema, literature, painting, and philosophy -- have made him one of the most widely read thinkers of his generation. This compact critical volume is not only a powerful reappraisal of Deleuze's thought, but also the first major work by Alain Badiou available in English. Badiou compellingly redefines "Deleuzian, " throwing down the gauntlet in the battle over the very meaning of Deleuze's legacy. For those who view Deleuze as the apostle of desire, (...) flu, and multiplicity, Badiou's book is a deliberate provocation. Through a deep philosophical engagement with his writings, Badiou contends that Deleuze is not the Dionysian thinker of becoming he took himself to be; on the contrary, he is an ascetic philosopher of Being and Oneness. Deleuze's self-declared anti-Platonism fails -- and that, in Badiou's view, may ultimately be to his credit. "Perhaps it is not Platonism that has to be overturned, " Badiou writes, "but the anti-Platonism taken as evident throughout this entire century." This volume draws on a five-year correspondence undertaken by Badiou and Deleuze near the end of Deleuze's life, when the two put aside long-standing political and philosophical differences to exchange ideas about similar problems in their work. Badiou's incomparably attentive readings of key Deleuzian concepts radically revise reigning interpretations, offering new insights to even the veteran Deleuze reader and serving as an entree to the controversial notion of a "restoration" of Plato advocated by Badiou -- in his own right one of the most original figures in postwar French philosophy. The result is a critical tour de force that repositions Deleuze, one of the mostimportant thinkers of our time, and introduces Badiou to English-speaking readers. (shrink)

Infinite Thought brings together a representative selection of the range of Alain Badiou's work, illustrating the power and diversity of his thought.

Twenty years ago, Alain Badiou's first Manifesto for Philosophy rose up against the all-pervasive proclamation of the "end" of philosophy. In lieu of this problematic of the end, he put forward the watchword: "one more step". The situation has considerably changed since then. Philosophy was threatened with obliteration at the time, whereas today it finds itself under threat for the diametrically opposed reason: it is endowed with an excessive, artificial existence. "Philosophy" is everywhere. It serves as a trademark for (...) various media pundits. It livens up cafés and health clubs. It has its magazines and its gurus. It is universally called upon, by everything from banks to major state commissions, to pronounce on ethics, law and duty. In essence, "philosophy" has now come to stand for nothing other than its most ancient enemy: conservative ethics. Badiou's second manifesto therefore seeks to demoralize philosophy and to separate it from all those "philosophies" that are as servile as they are ubiquitous. It demonstrates the power of certain eternal truths to illuminate action and, as such, to transport philosophy far beyond the figure of "the human" and its "rights". There, well beyond all moralism, in the clear expanse of the idea, life becomes something radically other than survival. (shrink)

DOMINIC WILLSDON. — Nous accueillons Alain Badiou, un des philosophes importants en France depuis plusieurs décennies, de plus en plus connu maintenant que ses œuvres sont traduites en anglais, et que la littérature secondaire sur sa philosophie se développe aussi en anglais. Parmi ses livres traduits ces dernières années, on trouve Deleuze. La..

In this dialogue, Alain Badiou shares the clearest, most detailed account to date of his profound indebtedness to Lacanian psychoanalysis. He explains in depth the tools Lacan gave him to navigate the extremes of his other two philosophical "masters," Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Althusser. Élisabeth Roudinesco supplements Badiou's experience with her own perspective on the troubled landscape of the French analytic world since Lacan's death--critiquing, for example, the link (or lack thereof) between politics and psychoanalysis in Lacan's work. Their (...) exchange reinvigorates how the the work of a pivotal twentieth-century thinker is perceived. (shrink)

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. (shrink)

Published in 1973, "L'Etourdit" was one of the French philosopher Jacques Lacan's most important works. The book posed questions that traversed the entire body of Lacan's psychoanalytical explorations, including his famous idea that "there is no such thing as a sexual relationship," which seeks to undermine our certainties about intimacy and reality. In There's No Such Thing as a Sexual Relationship, Alain Badiou and Barbara Cassin take possession of Lacan's short text, thinking "with" Lacan about his propositions and what (...) kinds of questions they raise in relation to knowledge. Cassin considers the relationship of the real to language through a Sophist lens, while the Platonist Badiou unpacks philosophical claims about truth. Each of their contributions echoes back to one another, offering new ways of thinking about Lacan, his seminal ideas, and his role in advancing philosophical thought. (shrink)

Martin Heidegger was an ordinary Nazi and a loyal member of the provincial petty bourgeoisie. He was also a seminal thinker of the Continental tradition and one of the twentieth century's most important philosophers. How are we to make sense of this dual life? Should we factor Heidegger's domestic and political associations into our understanding of his thought, or should we treat his intellectual work independently of his abhorrent politics? How does any thinker reconcile the mundane with the ideal or (...) the pursuit of philosophical inquiry with the demands of civic engagement? In Heidegger, Alain Badiou and Barbara Cassin immerse themselves in the philosopher's correspondence with his wife Elfride to answer these questions as they relate to Heidegger and all thinkers vulnerable to the politics of their times. They focus on Heidegger's tormented relationship with his wife, with Hannah Arendt, and with numerous other women, bringing an unusual level of intimacy to his personal and intellectual worlds. (shrink)

"French philosopher Alain Badiou (b. 1937) introduces the concept of democratic materialism to refer to the belief that there are only bodies and languages, then employs a fair amount of science in what he calls a somewhat fastidious examine of it. He covers formal theory on the subject (meta-physics); the greater logics: the transcendental, the object, and relation; the four forms of change; the theory of points; what a body is; and what it is to live."--Provided by publisher.

Two eminent French philosophers discuss German philosophy—including the legacy of Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Adorno, Fichte, Marx, and Heidegger—from a French perspective. In this book, Alain Badiou and Jean-Luc Nancy, the two most important living philosophers in France, discuss German philosophy from a French perspective. Written in the form of a dialogue, and revised and expanded from a 2016 conversation between the two philosophers at the Universität der Künste Berlin, the book offers not only Badiou's and Nancy's reinterpretations of German (...) philosophers and philosophical concepts, but also an accessible introduction to the greatest thinkers of German philosophy. Badiou and Nancy discuss and debate such topics as the legacies of Kant, Hegel, and Marx, as well as Nietzsche, Adorno, Fichte, Schelling, and the unavoidable problem of Heidegger and Nazism. The dialogue is contentious, friendly, and often quotable, with strong—at times passionate—positions taken by both Badiou and Nancy, who find themselves disagreeing over Kant, for example, and in unexpected agreement on Marx, for another. What does it mean, then, to conduct a dialogue on German philosophy from a French perspective? As volume editor Jan Völker observes, “German philosophy” and “French philosophy” describe complex constellations that, despite the reference to nation-states and languages, above all encompass shared concepts and problems—although these take a range of forms. Perhaps they can reveal their essential import only in translation. (shrink)

Decision making is an area of profound importance to a wide range of specialities - for psychologists, economists, lawyers, clinicians, managers, and of course philosophers. Only relatively recently, though, have we begun to really understand how decision making processes are implemented in the brain, and how they might interact with our emotions. 'Emotion and Reason' presents a groundbreaking new approach to understanding decision making processes and their neural bases. The book presents a sweeping survey of the science of decision making. (...) It examines the brain mechanisms involved in making decisions, and controversially proposes that many of our perceptual actions are essentially decision making processes. Whether looking, listening, hearing, or moving, we choose to attend to certain stimuli, at the expense of others. In some psychiatric disorders the inability to respond selectively to certain stimuli can be harmful - such pathologies of decision making are additionally considered. Berthoz also considers how many decision making processes involve an internal dialogue with our other self, and how this dialogue with our "doppelganger" might be represented in the brain. He considers the important implications that a neuroscience of decision making can have for the judiciary - how we apportion blame and responsibility; for economics - with discussion of the growing field of neuroeconomics; and for theories of management. Lastly he examines decision making and creativity - if perception relies in part on decision making processes, how might this alter our view of the artistic process. Written by a neuroscientist of international fame and accessible for both scientists and non-scientists, this book is the most exhaustive examination of the science of decision making yet. (shrink)

Alain Deligne est philosophe et Professeur émérite de littérature française à l'Université de Münster (Allemagne). Ses travaux portent sur l'idéalisme allemand (Schopenhauer, Schleiermacher), sur la traduction, la littérature ainsi que sur l'image. Il est coéditeur de catalogues sur la caricature ainsi que de la revue Ridiculosa et l'auteur de la première monographie française sur C. G. Carus (La Terre qui vit - Peinture et savoirs, 2003), et de la première monographie allemande sur Weil (Ein zeitgenôssischer Philosoph, 1998). Du jeune (...) Éric Weil, recommandé par Albert Einstein à Ernst Cassirer, on connaissait son doctorat sur Pomponazzi (1932), son essai sur Plotin et Ficin (1933) et son grand article sur l'intérêt pris à l'histoire (1935). Mais nous ignorions tout d'autres écrits précédents ou contemporains. Grâce au travail d'édition bilingue d'Alain Deligne, nous avons maintenant accès à ses exposés d'étudiant, conférences, articles, interventions radiophoniques ou ses travaux en vue de futures études (1922-1936). Nous pouvons ainsi mieux saisir ce qu'Éric Weil allait devenir : le fondateur d'un système ouvert de compréhension (Logique de la philosophie, 1950) et rester : un philosophe curieux de toutes les formes de savoir. À cette fin, il fallait, sur la base d'archives, restituer ses multiples intérêts en philosophie, sciences, histoire de l'art, germanistique, Renaissance italienne et occultisme. Sa pensée plonge ses racines dans les débats politiques de la République de Weimar pré-hitlérienne. Depuis l'exil parisien de 1933, Éric Weil en affrontera toute la violence."--Page 4 of cover. (shrink)

ABSTRACT This article offers an analysis of the concept of intimacy, arguing that it concerns moments of mutual imaginings generative of desire. As a peculiar mode of shared conduct, it is difficult to categorize the value of such actions insofar as they fall outside our ordinary conception of the public and private spheres. Nonetheless, when achieved, intimacy is not only an expansion of the private and a realization of a good-in-itself, but also has a bearing on our orientation to the (...) broader world. (shrink)

In _Can Politics Be Thought?_—published in French in 1985 and appearing here in English for the first time—Alain Badiou offers his most forceful and systematic analysis of the crisis of Marxism. Distinguishing politics as an active mode of thinking from the political as a domain of the State, Badiou argues for the continuation of Marxist politics. In so doing, he shows why we need to recapture the emancipatory hypothesis of Marx's original gesture in order to actualize its radical potential. (...) This volume also includes Badiou's “Of an Obscure Disaster: On the End of the Truth of the State,” in which he rebuts claims of Communism's death after the fall of the Soviet Union. (shrink)

The fall of the Berlin wall was seen by many as the final triumph of liberal democracy over communism. But now, in the wake of the great financial crisis of 2008 and its aftermath, things look a little different. New questions are arising about capitalism and democracy, new social movements are challenging established institutions and new political possibilities are emerging. Is democracy an inevitable hostage of capitalism, or can it reinvent itself to meet the challenge of globalization? In an exclusive, (...) previously unpublished dialogue, Alain Badiou, a key figure of the radical left and a leading advocate of the communist idea, and Marcel Gauchet, a major exponent of anti-totalitarianism and a champion of liberal democracy, confront one another. Together, they take stock of history, interrogate one another s views and defend their respective projects: on the one side, the revival of the communist hypothesis, and on the other, the radical reform of a contested democratic model. (shrink)

From 2001 to 2004, Alain Badiou's lectures focused on the relationship between philosophy and the present moment. The "end of metaphysics," the "death of God," the meaning of life, the goals of society, and other perennial topics raise the question as to whether philosophy can ultimately be contemporary with individual human experience as its object. How can the present moment be legitimately addressed? In response to the classical philosophical issue of existence, Alain Badiou reflects on time not in (...) the sense of its constant unfolding but of its urgency in the present, of being fully engaged with what is taking place in our own lives. The seminar addresses the most fundamental role of philosophy: for Badiou, it cannot confine itself to narrow academic issues but must always return to its eternal question--what does it mean to be fully human, a subject, rather than merely an individual, a speaking animal? This book contains some of Badiou's most inspiring and original work, involving ideas very much at odds with the emphasis one finds in much postmodern philosophy on limitation, repetition, and death. At the same time, Badiou's ideas here are quite different from the modes of "vitalism" that we find in such modern thinkers as Henri Bergson and Gilles Deleuze. For Badiou, the distinctively human characteristic is the possibility of living one's life oriented by one or more truths--that is, intrinsically egalitarian and universalist ideas that are developed collectively in a variety of human practices. This seminar will serve as an ideal introduction to the practical as well as conceptual possibilities that Badiou's thought implies for human life. (shrink)

Everything in their respective positions divides them: Alain Badiou is the thinker of a revitalized communism and Alain Finkielkraut the mournful observer of the loss of values. The two opponents, gathered here for their first-ever debate, have irreconcilable visions. Yet neither is a stranger to controversy, and in this debate they make explicit the grounds of their personal dispute as well as addressing, in a frank and open exchange, their ideas and theories. Guided by Aude Lancelin, the two (...) philosophers discuss subjects as diverse as national identity, Israel and Judaism, May 1968, and renewed popularity of the idea of communism. Their passionate debate is more than just the sum total of their disagreements, however, for neither of them is satisfied with the state of our society or the direction in which its political representatives persist in taking it. They agree that there needs to be change and their confrontation in this volume shows the importance of asking difficult questions, not only of each other, but also of our political systems. (shrink)

In this collection of essays, Alain Badiou revisits the age-old problem of the relation between literature and philosophy, arguing against both Plato and Heidegger's famous arguments. Philosophy neither has to ban the poets from the republic nor abdicate its own powers to the sole benefit of poetry or art. Instead, it must declare the end of what Badiou names the "age of the poets," from Holderlin to Celan. Drawing on ideas from his first publication on the subject, "The Autonomy (...) of the Aesthetic Process," Badiou also offers an illuminating set of readings of contemporary French prose writers, giving us fascinating insights into the theory of the novel while also accounting for the specific position of literature between science and ideology. (shrink)

Philosophy and history (with Jean Hyppolite) -- Philosophy and science (with Georges Canguilhem) -- Philosophy and sociology (with Raymond Aron) -- Philosophy and psychology (with Michel Foucault) -- Philosophy and language (with Paul Ricœur) -- Philosophy and truth (with Jean Hyppolite, Georges Canguilhem, Raymond Aron, Michel Foucault, Paul Ricœur, Alain Badiou and Dina Dreyfus) -- Philosophy and ethics (with Michel Henry) -- Model and structure (with Michel Serres) -- Teaching philosophy through television (with excerpts from Jean Hyppolite, Georges Canguilhem, (...) Raymond Aron, Michel Foucault and Paul Ricœur. Alain Badiou by telephone and Dina Dreyfus in the studio). (shrink)

La tradition sociologique a habituellement considéré la mobilité, qu’elle soit sociale ou spatiale, comme le déplacement entre des positions établies, l’essentiel étant d’analyser le système formé par ces positions. On trouve cependant, dans la sociologie même, les moyens pour élargir cette perspective. Des travaux sur la mobilité sociale, on tire une interrogation sur l’accès aux ressources qui prend en compte diverses formes de mobilité. Simmel développe l’analyse du rôle de la proximité et de la distance dans la construction du social. (...) Des travaux contemporains qui portent sur les déplacements ou sur la télématique s’inscrivent dans la même perspective. Tocqueville introduit la notion d’une mobilité individuelle, notamment spatiale, consommatoire, et qui n’a d’autre objectif qu’elle-même. Ces trois orientations permettent à la sociologie de contribuer à une théorie de la mobilité généralisée, qui croise l’interrogation sur la modernité.Sociological tradition used to consider mobility – whether social or spatial – as a movement from an established position to another, but it put more emphasis on the positions system than on the movement itself. Yet sociology itself provides the means to widen the scope. Studies on social mobility have eventually resulted in the larger problématique of resource acquisition involving various forms of mobility. Simmel developed an in-depth analysis of the influence of presence vs absence in the set up of social relationships, interrelated with current studies dealing with movements and telematics. Earlier Tocqueville had introduced the concept of individual mobility, notably spatial, consumption-focussed, and with a life of its own ; which eventually resulted in the philosophy of self-reference. These three orientations enable sociology to contribute to a theory of generalized mobility intersecting with the questioning on modernity. (shrink)

La République de Platon est peut-être le texte le plus connu, le plus traduit et le plus commenté de toute l’histoire de la philosophie. Mais comment restituer la vérité de cette œuvre aujourd’hui, 2500 ans après sa rédaction? Alain Badiou a choisi d’inventer un genre nouveau pour rendre au texte de Platon son universalité et sa vivacité sans passer par un commentaire critique. Il a traduit l’œuvre à partir de l’original grec et a procédé à quelques changements afin de (...) l’adapter à notre temps. Tout d’abord, il a supprimé toute référence aux particularités de la société grecque antique, des interminables développements sur la valeur morale des poètes aux considérations politiques destinées par Platon à la seule élite aristocratique (les mesures révolutionnaires que Platon réserve aux seuls « gardiens » de la cité valent, sous la plume de Badiou, pour tous les habitants du pays). Il a élargi les références culturelles : la philosophie fait feu de tout bois, ainsi Socrate et ses compagnons connaissent-ils Beckett, Pessoa, Freud et Hegel. Ils réalisent l’actualité intemporelle de toute philosophie véritable, propre à s’ajuster à son époque. Enfin, Badiou, par ailleurs dramaturge, a fait du dialogue socratique une véritable joute oratoire : dans cette version de la République, les interlocuteurs de Socrate ne se contentent pas d’approuver ce qu’énonce le Maître. Ils lui tiennent tête, le mettent en difficulté et livrent ainsi une pensée en mouvement. Grâce à ce travail d’écriture, d’érudition et, avant tout, de philosophie, Alain Badiou donne à lire pour la première fois une version absolument contemporaine, vivante et stimulante du texte de Platon. (shrink)

Probing semantic relations Exploration and identification in specialized texts Alain Auger and Caroline Barrière In recent years, several scientific ...

Faut-il accepter comme une loi de la raison que le réel exige en toutes circonstances une soumission plutôt qu une invention? Le réel est toujours ce qui se découvre au prix que le semblant qui nous subjugue soit arraché. Aujourd hui, nous devons être convaincus qu'en dépit des deuils que la pensée nous impose, chercher ce qu'il y a de réel dans le réel peut être, est, une passion joyeuse. Professeur émérite à l École normale supérieure, Alain Badiou est (...) philosophe, dramaturge et romancier. 4e de couverture. (shrink)

English-speaking readers might be surprised to learn that Alain Badiou writes fiction and plays along with his philosophical works and that they are just as important to understanding his larger intellectual project. In _Ahmed the Philosopher_, Badiou's most entertaining and accessible play, translated into English here for the first time, readers are introduced to Badiou's philosophy through a theatrical tour de force that has met with much success in France. _Ahmed the Philosoph_er presents its comic hero, the "treacherous servant" (...) Ahmed, as a seductively trenchant philosopher even as it casts philosophy itself as a comic performance. The comedy unfolds as a series of lessons, with each "short play" or sketch illuminating a different Badiousian concept. Yet Ahmed does more than illustrate philosophical abstractions; he embodies and vivifies the theatrical and performative aspects of philosophy, mobilizing a comic energy that exposes the emptiness and pomp of the world. Through his example, the audience is moved to a living engagement with philosophy, discovering in it the power to break through the limits of everyday life. (shrink)

An accessible introduction to Badiou's key ideas In this brief conversational book, the French philosopher Alain Badiou provides readers with a unique introduction to his system of thought, summed up in the trilogy of Being and Event, Logics of Worlds, and The Immanence of Truths. Taking the form of an interview and two talks and keeping in mind a broad audience without any prior knowledge of his work, the book touches upon all the major concepts of Badiou's philosophy and (...) illustrates them with fitting examples. A veritable tour de force of pedagogical clarity, this is perhaps the single best general introduction to the work of this prolific and committed thinker. If, for Badiou, the task of philosophy consists in thinking through the truths of our time, the texts collected in this small volume could not be timelier. (shrink)

Ils sont issus de la même génération. Ils ont tous les deux traversés les années rouges à la fin des années 1960. Alain Badiou est né en 1937 à Rabat, Jean-Claude Milner en 1941 à Paris. Mais s'ils furent l’un et l’autre maoïstes, le premier fixait toute son attention vers la Chine quand l’autre s’en détournait déjà. Cette polémique originaire sur le destin du gauchisme s’est nourrie de nouvelles et profondes divergences à propos du rôle de la philosophie et (...) de la politique au fil des années. La controverse oppose deux grands penseurs que tout rapproche et que tout éloigne. Qu’ils évoquent l’ère des révolutions, et en particulier la Commune et la Révolution culturelle chinoise ; qu’ils se penchent sur les grands massacres de l’Histoire ; qu’ils discutent de l’infini, de l’universel, du nom Juif, de l’antisémitisme, de la violence, du rôle des intellectuels, du progrès, du capitalisme, de la gauche, de l’Europe. Le scepticisme bon teint de Jean-Claude Milner se heurte constamment à la passion doctrinale d’Alain Badiou. L’amoureux de Lucrèce se frotte à la cuirasse de l’héritier de Platon. Les arguments minimalistes de Jean-Claude Milner croisent les propositions maximalistes d’Alain Badiou. Et ce débat hors normes débouche finalement sur de nouvelles interrogations. Car il n’est de meilleur remède à la puissance écrasante de la raison médiatique que la reviviscence des grandes disputes de l’esprit. (shrink)

Depuis la fin des années 1990, la réflexion philosophique d'Alain Badiou s'oriente vers le thème de l'Idée, associée à la dialectique absolue de l'universalité créatrice. Quel est le rapport entre le rôle de la philosophie et les fameuses quatre procédures de vérité? Pourquoi choisir de revenir sur la thématique de l'Idée dans le cadre d'une nouvelle dialectique " matérialiste "? Ce livre essaie de répondre, sous forme d'entretien, à toutes ces questions en apportant un éclairage sur les débuts de (...) l'activité philosophique d'Alain Badiou, marqués par les débats qui animaient le groupe des Cahiers pour l'analyse dans les années 1960. L'analyse des concepts d'idéologie et de dialectique permettra de reconstruire la généalogie de l'oeuvre badiousienne. (shrink)

Dans ce livre, la philosophie n'est pas présentée essentiellement comme doctrine ou comme système, mais comme transmission, mouvement, école. Le philosophe n'est pas un solitaire, il est inséparable de ses élèves, de ses disciples, de ses adversaires. Il ne parvient qu'en fin de course aux formes écrites et stables de son œuvre. On a donc finalement affaire plus à un théâtre qu'à un traité, plus à des dialogues qu'à des monologues, plus à un cours qu'à un livre. Le modèle évident (...) est le Socrate de Platon, qui a su assurer, en fondant la philosophie comme discipline, qu'elle devait s'établir n'importe où dans le multiple du monde. Éloge, oui, de la philosophie comme création publique d'une pensée qui, s'inventant et se transportant n'importe où, parlant à n'importe qui d'un n'importe quoi retravaillé, invente la théâtralisation de l'être, en tant qu'être." A.B. Quelle philosophie pour le siècle qui vient? Faux dialogue platonicien, qui met en scène le 'parleur' Tocéras aux prises avec des interlocuteurs issus de pays et de cultures philosophiques différents - le Britannique John After, la Grecque Amantha, le Sénégalais B'adj Akil, le Chinois Xi La Pong, et d'autres encore -, cet éloge déroule les fils d'une histoire de la pensée revisitée dans un jeu de formes inventif et libérateur, à la lumière des cinq grandes questions qu'explore Alain Badiou : démocratie, liberté, universalité, langage et incarnation."--Page 4 of cover. (shrink)

Maria Kakogianni : On dit toujours que Platon est un anti-démocrate, eh bien, je pense qu'il est avant tout un antilibéral. On fait de lui un métaphysicien idéaliste, alors que c'est un très fin stratège. Et qui dit stratège, dit bataille. Il recherche sans arrêt les coordonnées d'un nouveau type de conflit. Comment changer un régime qui fonctionne au "changement" et à la "critique" ; qui fabrique des rebels without a cause pour annuler toute possibilité de révolte logique? Alain (...) Badiou : C'est en effet une question importante et difficile. Il y a deux voies, depuis toujours. Celle des principes d'abord, qui permet de "lire" la société au rebours de sa prétention normative. Les sociétés contemporaines ne sont nullement libres, car la "liberté" individuelle qu'elles promeuvent est en réalité la "liberté" de consommer les produits, le plus souvent laids et inutiles, voire nuisibles, dont la production et la circulation enrichissent sans mesure une oligarchie très restreinte. Et cette prétendue "liberté" se paie d'inégalités monstrueuses aggravées par des crises dévastatrices. L'autre voie est la construction d'une force politique apte à tenir pour réel ce que le capitalo-parlementarisme dominant déclare impossible. Il s'agit dans ce cas d'une effectuation des principes, toujours locale, et qui demande une invention toujours renouvelée, pour que les mots d'ordre dont les masses populaires sont saisies soient en quelque sorte dictés par les gens eux-mêmes, dès lors qu'ils sont positivement touchés par les principes communistes. (shrink)

_In Praise of Theatre_ is Alain Badiou’s latest work on the ‘most complete of the arts,’ the theatrical stage. This book, certain to be of great interest to scholars and theatre practitioners alike, elaborates the theory of the theatre developed by Badiou in works such as Rhapsody for the Theatre and the ‘Theses on Theatre’ and enquires into the status of a theatre that would be adequate to our ‘contemporary, market-oriented chaos.’ In a departure from his usual emphasis upon (...) canonical figures of the stage such as Bertolt Brecht and Samuel Beckett, Badiou devotes In Praise of Theatre largely to a consideration of contemporary practitioners, including Jan Fabre, Brigitte Jacques and Romeo Castellucci. In addition, the book features an incisive analysis of the precarious status of the theatre today, in which Badiou describes not only the current threats to the theatre from the right, but the far more insidious threat from the left. (shrink)

Against the backdrop of an alarming rise in authoritarianism and the crisis of liberal democracy, few would consider extoling the virtues of politics today. Yet in this lively dialogue with journalist Aude Lancelin, leading French thinker Alain Badiou argues that it is precisely through politics that humanity can still achieve its most ambitious aims. As power becomes ever more concentrated in the hands of the state and global corporations, the role of the citizen is reduced to little more than (...) ritual. But Badiou emphasizes that politics is concerned not just with power and the state, but also with justice. So the central question of politics is “What is a just power?”, and the debate over politics is fundamentally about the norms to which power is subject and its relationship to a community – a community that is able to take control of its own destiny and provide its own direction, based on a shared standard of justice. This engaging dialogue, in which Badiou articulates his view of politics with exceptional clarity, will be of great value to anyone interested in radical politics today. (shrink)

Why bother to praise mathematics when you claim, as Alain Badiou does, that philosophy is first and foremost a metaphysics of happiness, or else it’s not worth an hour of trouble? What possible relationship can there be between mathematics and happiness? That is precisely the issue at stake in this dialogue, which serves as a very accessible introduction to what mathematics is and an exploration of the crucial influence it has always exerted on the greatest philosophers. Far from the (...) thankless, pointless exercises they are often thought to be, mathematics and logic are indispensable guides to ridding ourselves of dominant opinions and making possible an access to truths, or to a human experience of the utmost value. That is why mathematics may well be the shortest path to the true life, which, when it exists, is characterized by an incomparable happiness. (shrink)

Lacan a été, depuis la fin des années cinquante du dernier siècle, un compagnon essentiel autant que malaisé de mon itinéraire intellectuel. Aussi dans ce Séminaire la controverse est-elle constamment mêlée à la surprise étonnée devant les inventions du maître. On chemine comme on peut, dans la broussaille parfois. Mais on rencontre tant de formules décisives! Celle que je retiendrai parmi tous ces trésors verbaux consiste à dire que l'objectif de la cure est "d'élever l'impuissance à l'impossible". Ce pourrait bien (...) être la définition, par moi cherchée depuis longtemps, et que Lacan avait trouvée de longue date pour un usage tout différent, de la philosophie. Alain Badiou. (shrink)

- Ce seminaire de l annee 1984-1985, portant sur l Infini, est le frere de celui portant sur l Un, tenu en 1983-1984, et deja publie. Il s agit de passer au filtre de la grande histoire de la philosophie quelques concepts majeurs de L etre et l evenement, publie en 1988. L examen historique des concepts n a pas pour objectif direct leur incorporation dans ma propre entreprise metaphysique. Je cherche plutot a saisir la multiplicite des definitions et des (...) constructions, un peu comme qui regarde un objet sous differents angles et expose a differentes lumieres. Au fond, quand on cherche une idee dans l histoire, ce sont souvent les details qui importent et parfois unifient des pensees qu on aurait pu croire opposees. Cela donne a ce seminaire un tour exegetique et raffine. Mais que le lecteur ne soit pas effraye: la gymnastique intellectuelle est a la fin plus merveilleuse et plus feconde que l autre. Et puis, j ose le dire, je lui ai pas mal mache le travail! - A.B. Depuis 1966, une part importante de l enseignement du philosophe Alain Badiou, a pris la forme d un seminaire, lieu de libre parole et laboratoire de pensee. Les editions Fayard publient l ensemble de ces Seminaires de 1983 a aujourd hui, periode ou la documentation est abondante et continue. Ce volume est le huitieme de la serie. Alain Badiou est philosophe, dramaturge et romancier.". (shrink)

" Le séminaire "L'essence de la politique" appartient au cycle qui étudie les quatre procédures de vérité (science, art, amour, politique) dans leur être de condition de la philosophie. Le coeur de l'entreprise a cette fois été de démontrer un théorème spéculatif difficile, dont je donne, près de trente ans plus tard, une version synthétique : La politique est la pensée, ou la théorie, de ce qu'elle est, y compris si on l'entend comme "pratique", comme action transformatrice de l'humanité par (...) elle-même. Mais une définition de la politique, qui en expose l'Idée éternelle, est toujours de nature philosophique. Il en résulte que toute confusion entre la pensée politique comme telle, agissant en situation, et sa définition philosophique, tournée vers l'éternité, prépare un désastre. Ces pages confrontent en moi-même, et dans leur tension toujours portée à l'irrésolution, le militant et le philosophe. Que le lecteur injecte dans ce support ses propres impasses... " A. B. Depuis 1966, une part importante de l'enseignement du philosophe Alain Badiou a pris la forme d'un séminaire, lieu de libre parole et laboratoire de pensée. Les éditions Fayard publient l'ensemble de ces Séminaires de 1983 à aujourd'hui, période où la documentation est abondante et continue. Ce volume est le douzième de la série. (shrink)

Tenu en 1983-1984, le séminaire intitulé L'Un, qui porte sur Descartes, Platon et Kant, est le premier du point de vue chronologique. Il inaugure le cycle de cinq années où Alain Badiou revisite toute l'histoire de la philosophie, de Parménide à Heidegger. Cette excursion passionnante aboutira à la rédaction de L'être et l'événement, dont l'Un est le concept majeur, avec la thèse radicale que, d'une certaine façon, le Sujet a toujours été l'objet de la philosophie.

Le socle philosophique de l'oeuvre multiforme d'Alain Badiou (théâtre, romans, essais esthétiques ou politiques, éloges, polémiques...) est déposé dans trois grands livres, qui constituent une sorte de saga métaphysique : L'être et l'événement (1988), Logiques des mondes (2006) et enfin L'Immanence des vérités, auquel il travaille depuis une quinzaine d'années. Apres avoir étudié vérités et sujets du point de vue de la théorie de l'être, après avoir rendu raison de ce que cette universalité des vérités et de leurs sujets (...) peut se plier aux règles de l'apparaître dans un monde particulier, ce troisième volume aborde une question redoutable : d'où peut se soutenir que les vérités sont absolues, c'est-à-dire non seulement opposées à toute interprétation empiriste, mais encore garanties contre toute construction transcendantale? Qu'en est-il des vérités et des sujets, saisis, au-delà des formes structurales de leur être et des formes historico-existentielles de leur apparaître, dans l'irréversible absoluité de leur action et dans l'infini destin de leur oeuvre finie? Et que faut-il entendre par l'absoluité du vrai, puisque les dieux sont morts? Il s'est agi, au fond, d'un bout à l'autre, de construire pour notre temps une pensée complète, tirée, comme le firent Platon, Descartes ou Hegel, de matériaux rationnels contemporains, mathématiques, poétiques, amoureux et politiques. Il s'est agi de la vraie vie : nous sommes capables, dans la forme d'une oeuvre, individuelle ou collective, dans les quatre registres que fréquente l'animal humain survolté, de processus créateurs où se conjuguent dialectiquement la singularité, l'universalité et l'absoluité. Depuis sa naissance, la tâche de la philosophie ne tient qu'à ceci : créer, dans les conditions de son temps, le savoir de la possibilité existentielle du vrai. (shrink)

"Malebranche est un penseur étonnant, et d'autant plus qu'en un sens, pour qui n'est pas chrétien, et chrétien convaincu, il semble inutilisable. Mais quant à la sincérité, à la lumière qui baigne toute l'entreprise, au style souple et charmeur, à la conviction audacieuse et toujours sur la brèche de ses stupéfiantes démonstrations, Malebranche est incomparable. On va de merveille en merveille, comme si on visitait une admirable église remplie de petites peintures toutes plus surprenantes les unes que les autres. Lorsque (...) je suis revenu au Traité de la nature et de la grâce, quelque chose comme une grâce m'a en effet touché. J'espère qu'à votre tour, lecteurs, vous en serez touchés", Alain Badiou. (shrink)

The following text is the transcription of Alain Badiou's remarks on Simon Critchley's book, Infinitely Demanding.2 The occasion was the invitation from the Slought Foundation in Philadelphia for a debate between Badiou and Critchley that took place on November 15th, 2007. Badiou organized his remarks around six passages from Critchley's text and then raised a series of critical questions. The event began with Critchley explaining the ethical and political argument of Infinitely Demanding. A DVD version of the entire event (...) was released as "Democracy and Disappointment: On the Politics of Resistance".3 Thanks are due to Jean-Michel Rabaté and especially Aaron Levy, Senior Curator at the Slought Foundation. (shrink)

"J'ai, dès 1983, commencé humblement le trajet qui devait aboutir, cinq ans plus tard, à la publication de L'être et l'événement par un examen renouvelé de la grande histoire de la philosophie. La médiocrité intellectuelle du démocratisme ambiant était telle que j'étais sûr de trouver, dans cette grande histoire, de quoi démonter cette moderne machination. La méthode de ce Séminaire consiste à tenter de démontrer qu'il y a de sérieuses raisons de tenir Parménide pour le fondateur d'une discipline nouvelle, non (...) parce qu'il a vaticiné sur l'être et le non-être, comme le firent de nombreuses mythologies, mais parce qu'il a convoqué dans cette vaticination poétique son contraire, à savoir la rigueur universelle absolue des procédures mathématico-logiques qui, au même moment, trouvaient en Grèce leur forme définitive. Il y a dans ce Séminaire un côté réjouissant de suspense, d'enquête policière, de contestation raisonnée des dires de quelques témoins importants, comme Platon ou Heidegger. Sa densité ne doit pas dissimuler l'espèce de science joyeuse qui l'anime." A. B. Depuis 1966, une part importante de l'enseignement du philosophe Alain Badiou, aujourd'hui professeur émérite à l'Ecole normale supérieure, a pris la forme d'un séminaire, lieu de libre parole et laboratoire de pensée. Les éditions Fayard publient l'ensemble de ces Séminaires de 1983 à aujourd'hui, période où la documentation est abondante et continue. Ce volume est le quatrième de la série. (shrink)

Dans cet entretien qu’il a accordé à un journaliste allemand, Alain Badiou revient sur son parcours, sur l’influence du contexte politique sur sa pensée, sur ses relations avec Sartre, Derrida ou Lacan, sur sa philosophie du sujet notamment, dans laquelle ce n’est pas l’infini mais la finitude qui pose problème. C’est par l’échange autour de sa lecture de Marx qu’il en vient à discuter de l’idée du communisme, et de son actualité possible. Toute la question du rapport entre théorie (...) et pratique se pose alors. Les années de dictature invalident-elles de fait cette idée? Dans un langage très accessible, Alain Badiou revient ainsi sur l’un des plus grands malentendus intellectuels du XXème siècle et sur la force de cette idée, qui porte en elle la conviction qu’un autre type d’organisation de la société est possible. (shrink)

Since the beginning of the War on Terror, Israel has become increasingly salient to imperial strategy and ever more aggressive in its policies toward the Palestinians. In this context, a key ideological weapon is the cynical accusation of "anti-Semitism." For historical reasons, this has been deployed most forcefully in France, and Alain Badiou and Eric Hazan caustically demolish the "anti-Semitism is everywhere" allegation, used to bludgeon opponents of the Israeli state and those who stand in solidarity with the banlieue (...) youth. Ivan Segre undertakes a meticulous deconstruction of a rampant "reactionary philo-Semitism" that identifies Jewish interests with the "democratic West.". (shrink)

" Le présent séminaire est une véritable transition entre L'être et l'événement, publié en 1988, et sa suite, Logiques des mondes, publiée en 2006. De façon simple et centrale, on pourrait dire que le premier livre s'occupe de l'être, cependant que le second s'occupe de l'existence. Mais en quel sens un séminaire dont le titre est Théorie axiomatique du sujet peut-il porter sur le lien entre être et existence? En précisant autant que faire se peut la catégorie centrale de sujet. (...) Ce séminaire, plutôt qu'un produit fini, est une sorte de mine, dont je suis persuadé qu'on peut extraire des propositions encore inconnues. " A. B. Depuis 1966, une part importante de l'enseignement du philosophe Alain Badiou a pris la forme d'un séminaire, lieu de libre parole et laboratoire de pensée. Les éditions Fayard publient l'ensemble de ces Séminaires de 1983 à aujourd'hui, période où la documentation est abondante et continue. Ce volume est le treizième de la série. (shrink)

In The Concept of Model Alain Badiou establishes a new logical ’concept of model’. Translated for the first time into English, the work is accompanied by an exclusive interview with Badiou in which he elaborates on the connections between his early and most recent work-for which the concept of model remains seminal.

The notion of the ‘end’ has long occupied philosophical thought. In light of the horrors of the 20th century, some writers have gone so far as to declare the end of philosophy itself, emphasising the impossibility of thinking after Auschwitz. In this book the distinguished philosopher Alain Badiou, in dialogue with Giovanbattista Tusa, argues that we must renounce the ‘pathos of completion’ and continue to think philosophically. To accept the atrocities of the 20th century as marking the end of (...) philosophy is intolerable precisely because it buys into the totalising doctrines of the perpetrators. Badiou contends that philosophical thinking is needed now more than ever to counter the totalizing effects of globalised capitalism, which prescribes no objective for human life other than integration into its system, giving rise to a widespread sense of hopelessness and nihilism. To resist this degradation of human life, Badiou calls for a renewal of the idea of communism: the creation of new forms of collective organisation capable of challenging the logic of capitalism and enabling individuals to become self-determining subjects. This volume consolidates much of Badiou’s thinking over the years and will appeal to the many followers of his philosophical project, as well as all those interested in contemporary philosophy and radical political theory. (shrink)

_The Incident at Antioch_ is a key play marking Alain Badiou's transition from classical Marxism to a "politics of subtraction" far removed from party and state. Written with striking eloquence and extraordinary poetic richness, and shifting from highly serious emotional and intellectual drama to surreal comic interlude, the work features statesmen, workers, and revolutionaries struggling to reconcile the nature and practice of politics. This bilingual edition presents _L'Incident d'Antioche_ in its original French and, on facing pages, an expertly executed (...) English translation. Badiou adds a special preface, and an introduction by the scholar Kenneth Reinhard connects the play to Paul Claudel's _The City_, Saint Paul and the early history of the Church, and the innovative mathematical thinking of Paul Cohen. The translation includes Susan Spitzer's extensive notes clarifying allusions and quotations and hinting at Badiou's intentions. An interview with Badiou encompasses the play's settings, themes, and events, as well as his ongoing literary and conceptual experimentation on stage and off. (shrink)

The intelligibility of a performance of improvised dance does not reside in the rehearsed execution of a pre-existing script, nor does it result from a sustained verbal interaction between the dancers. Many aspects of the speechless performance obviously play an important role in the achieved intelligibility of the dance: a dancer is seen moving on and from a ground, on a stage, in a space delimited by walls, illuminated by spotlights, sounded by music, in front of an audience. And of (...) course with other dancers, whose joint gestures and moves give shape to a choreography by providing pace, rhythm and sequences, thereby constituting a narrative or fragments thereof. This paper addresses the manufacture of this witnessable order, by presenting some results of an ethnographic inquiry. The investigation will be focused on how, in an improvised duet, each dancer interacts with the other, and more specifically how she or he positions her- or himself in relation to the other, from distance to proximity and touch. This work of distance management is the dance, whose choreographic accountability is produced and structured by dancers staying at a distance, getting closer and touching each other. The analysis shows that distance management is oriented to as relevant by the dancers and that it has consequences on their improvised duet. It is also what makes their performance analyzable by distant observers. (shrink)