Alain Badiou: Live Theory

by Oliver Feltham

Overview

Alain Badiou is undoubtedly the most exciting and influential voice in contemporary French philosophy and one of the most important theorists at work today. His impact on continental philosophy and the wider philosophy community, politics and the arts in the last twenty years has been immense.

Alain Badiou: Live Theory offers a concise and accessible introduction to his work and thought, laying out the central themes of his major works, including his magnum opus, Being and Event, and its long-awaited sequel, Logics of Worlds. Oliver Feltham explores the fundamental questions through which Badiou's philosophy constantly evolves, identifies the key turning points in his ideas, and makes a clear case for the coherence and powerful singularity of his thought when employed in the analysis of political and artistic situations. Feltham examines the thinkers and theorists with whom Badiou has engaged and who have engaged with him, arguing that Badiou's work is compelling precisely because it opens up new genealogies and new polemics in the intellectual landscape. The book includes a brand new interview with Badiou, in which he discusses his current concerns and future plans.

This is the ideal companion to study for students and readers encountering this fascinating thinker for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441148780
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	06/26/2008
Series:	Live Theory
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	168
File size:	617 KB

About the Author

Oliver Feltham is Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at the American University of Paris, France.

Table of Contents

1. The Althusserian Years:
Epistemology and the production of change                                                               
Introduction
I.  Structural Change in Society
II. Structural Change in Knowledge: science and ideology
III.The Mathematical Concept of Model and Scientific Change
2. Maoism and the dialectic              
Introduction
I.  The Maoist turn: the Primacy of Practice                       
II. The Structural Dialectic and its Periodization
III.Consistency and the Historical Dialectic              
3. Set theory ontology and the modeling of change
Introduction: the subtraction of Maoism
I.  Set theory ontology
II. The Event and the Intervention 
III Forcing and the Generic
IV. Method 
4. Interview with Alain Badiou
Further Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

'Any book about Alain Badiou by Oliver Feltham should be taken seriously ... Alain Badiou: Live Theory is a valuable book for those of us struggling to grasp the thematic trends in Badiou's thought ... given the originality of the work and Feltham's ability to keep the chronological trajectory of Badiou's thought before us, this book (which also contains a brief interview with Badiou at the end) is an important addition to the literature on this increasingly influential philosophical voice' Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

'One of a number of important works published in recent years which explore Badiou's thinking and interrogate its significance within the field of contemporary European philosophy ... There is much here for critical debate amongst experienced readers of Badiou ... a valuable and welcome contribution to the reception of this important contemporary philosopher.' - French Studies

"Feltham, the English translator of Being and Event, reads Badiou's work with an intimate eye and a practiced lucidity...A useful introduction to Badiou's work, this book is packed with fresh ideas sufficient to satisfy the most advanced readers." - Professor Joan Copjec, University at Buffalo, USA.

From the Publisher