Series Information:
Opening Out: Feminism for Today

Ecopolitics is a study of environmental awareness - or non-awareness - in contemporary French theory. Arguing that it is now impossible not to think in an ecological way, the author traces the roots of today's concern for the environment back to the intellectual climate of the late 50s and 60s. Major thinkers of 1968, the author argues, changed the way we think the world; this owes much to an ecological awareness that remains at the heart of issues concerning cultural theory in general. The book points to critiques of ecology in the work of Luc Ferry and Jean Baudrillard before turning to more complicated ecological awareness primarily in French thought. The author considers key texts by influential figures such as Michael Serres, Paul Virilio, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, Michel de Certeau, Helene Cixous and Luce Irigaray. The volume rehabilitates some ecological components of French intellectual thought since the 1960s, and reassesses French poststructural thinkers who explicitly deal with ecology in their work.

A Critical Sense brings together in a single volume the leading figures of contemporary radical theory. Moving freely between philosophy, politics and cultural studies, it offers a fascinating overview of the lines of thought of today's intellectual left.
Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis and critical theory, literary studies, deconstruction, pragmatism, postcolonial and queer theory are discussed in a series of interviews from the journal Radical Philosophy. Those interviewed are:
Judith Butler
Cornelius Castoriadis
Drucilla Cornell
Axel Honneth
Istvan Meszaros
Edward Said
Renata Salecl
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Cornel West
Slavoj Zizek
For those unfamiliar with the often daunting work of some of today's most important thinkers, ACritical Sense will offer an ideal introduction; for those already acquainted with the writings of the theorists interviewed here, the collection will throw new - and often surprising - light on familiar ground.

A Critical Sense brings together in a single volume the leading figures of contemporary radical theory. Moving freely between philosophy, politics and cultural studies, it offers a fascinating overview of the lines of thought of today's intellectual left.
Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis and critical theory, literary studies, deconstruction, pragmatism, postcolonial and queer theory are discussed in a series of interviews from the journal Radical Philosophy. Those interviewed are:
Judith Butler
Cornelius Castoriadis
Drucilla Cornell
Axel Honneth
Istvan Meszaros
Edward Said
Renata Salecl
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Cornel West
Slavoj Zizek
For those unfamiliar with the often daunting work of some of today's most important thinkers, ACritical Sense will offer an ideal introduction; for those already acquainted with the writings of the theorists interviewed here, the collection will throw new - and often surprising - light on familiar ground.

This 11-volume set reissues a host of classic titles on Continental Philosophy. Written by leading scholars in the field, they form an essential reference resource that tackles philosophers and subjects such as Deleuze, Derrida, hermeneutics and phenomenology.

This reasessment of the political implications of deconstruction also provides a reading of Derrida's philosophy through political philosophy. Such a reading is apposite, not simply because it is in line with current trends to reconsider the political application of philosophy, but because it responds to Derrida's own recent shift towards political theory, particularly in his evaluation of the new world order in his Spectres of Marx. This study opens the political implications of Derrida's thought in terms of a philosophy of time. Focusing on the political dimension of the Derridean themes of aporia, invention and the lesser violence, it considers these motifs in the context of untying time from logic. It argues that in order to articulate the and between Derrida's philosophy and the political, this untying calls for a reinvention of the relation between political organisation and temporality.

This reasessment of the political implications of deconstruction also provides a reading of Derrida's philosophy through political philosophy. Such a reading is apposite, not simply because it is in line with current trends to reconsider the political application of philosophy, but because it responds to Derrida's own recent shift towards political theory, particularly in his evaluation of the "new world order" in his "Spectres of Marx". This study opens the political implications of Derrida's thought in terms of a philosophy of time. Focusing on the political dimension of the Derridean themes of aporia, invention and the lesser violence, it considers these motifs in the context of untying time from logic. It argues that in order to articulate the "and" between Derrida's philosophy and the political, this untying calls for a reinvention of the relation between political organisation and temporality.

This text offers a controversial treatment of Popper's political ideas informed by the author's personal knowledge of Popper together with research on unpublished material in the Popper archive at the Hoover Institute. While sympathetic to Popper's overall approach, he offers criticism of some of his ideas and suggests that political conclusions should be drawn from Popper's ideas which differ from Popper's own views. In the text Popper's political ideas are introduced by way of a discussion of their development, which draws upon archive material. It also includes a critical survey of some of the themes from his "Open Society" and "Poverty of Historicism", and discusses the political significance of some of his later philosophical ideas. Wider themes within Popper's philosophy are drawn on to offer critical re-interpretations of his ethical ideas and social theory. The book concludes with a discussion which suggests that Popper's views should have been closer to classical liberalism than they in fact were.

Those who knew the famous philosopher Bertrand Russell at the turn of the century referred to him as 'the Day of Judgement'. This acclaimed selection of his early letters, available in paperback for the first time, reveals the full scope of Russell's life and innermost thoughts up to the First World War. It includes letters to his first wife, Alys Pearsall Smith, reveals the background to his now famous work in philosophy and the foundations of mathematics and how his mind was stirred by socialism, free trade and votes for women. It also contains letters on his famous affair with Ottoline Morrell, providing yet another insight into one of the great intellectual figures of the twentieth century.

In this book of interviews, conducted in 2002 by Elie During, Bernard Stiegler discusses the reasons that motivated him to develop his philosophy of technics. Divided into four parts, Philosophising by Accident introduces some of the key points in Stiegler's argument about the technical constitution of the human, and its relation to politics, aesthetics and economics. Stiegler presents his original analysis of Plato and the beginning of philosophy in relation to the tragic culture, the method of dialectics and metaphysics. He also reads philosophical texts from the perspective of his controversial thesis about the three types of memory, and refers to concepts central to his later works such as synchrony/diachrony, grammatisation and the industrial temporal object. While contemporary times call us to examine and analyse technical tools and new technologies, Stiegler argues that philosophy has, from its very origins, repressed technics, and examining rigorously the evolution of technics and its effects on the human, will provide us with greater insights into what it means to be human.

First published in 1996. Bertrand Russell wrote after the dawning of the Russian Revolution, at the time when Europe seemed on the verge of political dissolution. In this powerful work of political and social analysis Russell examines the main roads to freedom that we have constructed for ourselves since the nineteenth century. He discusses the great Utopian and egalitarian movements, ranging from the most moderate and democratic guise of Socialism to the most fanatical embodiment of Anarchism.

From 1931 to 1935 Bertrand Russell was one of the regular contributors to the literary pages of the New York American, together with other distinguished authors such as Aldous Huxley and Vita Sackville-West. Mortals and Others presents a selection of his essays, ranging from the politically correct to the perfectly obscure: from Is the World Going Mad? to Should Socialists Smoke Good Cigars? Even though written in the politically heated climate of the 1930s, these essays are surprisingly topical and engaging for the present-day reader. Mortals and Others serves as a splendid, fresh introduction to the compassionate eclecticism of Bertrand Russell's mind.

First published in 1923, The Prospects of Industrial Civilization is considered the most ambitious of Bertrand Russell's works on modern society. It offers a rare glimpse into often-ignored subtleties of his political thought and in it he argues that industrialism is a threat to human freedom, since it is fundamentally linked with nationalism. His proposal for one government for the whole world as the ultimate solution, along with his argument that the global village and prevailing political democracy should be its eventual results, is both provocative and thoroughly engaging.

Hoe kunnen we nog geloven en regels hebben in dit postmoderne tijdperk waarin naar verluidt niets is om in te geloven en geen regels zijn. De beroemde filosoof en onstuitbaar cultuurcriticus Slavoj Zizek daagt iedereen uit in dit overtuigende en adembenemende nieuwe boek.In Geloof, dat van 'cyberspace-denken' tot de paradox van het 'westerse boeddhisme' gaat, legt Zizek de vooronderstellingen bloot achter de manier waarop we gewoonlijk over geloof denken, met name in juda e en christendom. Door de zogenaamde authenticiteit van het religieuze geloof tegen een kritisch licht te houden en te putten uit psychoanalyse, film en filosofie, laat hij op schokkende wijze zien dat de basis van onze fundamenteelste overtuigingen minder rotsvast is dan wij denken.

Social philosophy can be considered the study of what unifies mankind and the study of values and ideals and what their meaning and worth is to human existence. Originally published in 1918, Mackenzie's study provides a basic outline of what he believes is the origin of social philosophy whilst placing a focus on social order; dividing his work into the foundations of social order, national order and world order. This title will be of interest to students of Philosophy, Sociology and Anthropology

There has been renewed interest in the concept of friendship in contemporary philosophy. Many of the existing treatments of the topic have been limited to Western notions of friendship, yet there is a far wider perspective available to us through an examination of a more extended cultural examination of the topic. Cultures other than those in Christian Europe have had important and interesting observations to make on the nature of friendship, and in this collection there is treatment not only of Greek and Christian ideas of friendship, but also of Islamic, Jewish, Chinese, Japanese and Indian perspectives. A rich and extended view of the concept of friendship results from these various examinations.

Many still consider Ludwig Wittgenstein's 1953 Philosophical Investigations to be one of the breakthrough works of twentieth-century philosophy. The book sets out a radically new conception of philosophy itself, and demonstrates all the attributes of a fine analytical mind. Taking an argument from Plato and subjecting it to detailed (and very clear) analysis, Wittgenstein shows his understanding of how the sequence and function of differing parts of a highly-complex argument can be broken down and assessed. In so doing, he reaches a logical position of simultaneous agreement and disagreement with Plato's philosophical position. Philosophical Investigations is also a powerful example of the skill of interpretation. Philosophical problems often arise from confusions in the use of language - and the way to solve these problems, Wittgenstein posits, is by clarifying language use. He argues that philosophers must study ordinary uses of language and examine how people use it as a tool in their everyday lives. In this highly-interpretative way, the meaning of a word or sentence becomes relative to the context (people, culture, community) in which it is used. Rather than debate abstract problems, Wittgenstein urges philosophers to concern themselves with ordinary life and the concrete situations in which humans find themselves.

The central aim of this collection is to trace the presence of Jewish tradition in contemporary philosophy. This presence is, on the one hand, undeniable, manifesting itself in manifold allusions and influences - on the other hand, difficult to define, rarely referring to openly revealed Judaic sources. Following the recent tradition of Levinas and Derrida, this book tentatively refers to this mode of presence in terms of "traces of Judaism" and the contributors grapple with the following questions: What are these traces and how can we track them down? Is there such a thing as "Jewish difference" that truly makes a difference in philosophy? And if so, how can we define it? The additional working hypothesis, accepted by some and challenged by other contributors, is that Jewish thought draws, explicitly or implicitly, on three main concepts of Jewish theology, creation, revelation and redemption. If this is the case, then the specificity of the Jewish contribution to modern philosophy and the theoretical humanities should be found in - sometimes open, sometimes hidden - fidelity to these three categories. Offering a new understanding of the relationship between philosophy and theology, this book is an important contribution to the fields of Theology, Philosophy and Jewish Studies.

Originally delivered as a series of lectures for the Halley Stewart trust in 1926, Lodge's work was collected and first published in 1927. Lodge uses his scientific training to inquire into such general issues as religion, human progress, and societal advances with an aim to better understand the physical order of the universe. This title will be of interest to students of philosophy, particularly those interested in the development of early twentieth century thought.

The theme of property is directly relevant to some of the most divisive social and political issues today, such as wealth inequality and the question of whether governments should limit it by introducing measures that restrict the right to property. Yet what is property? And when seeking to answer this question, do we tend to identify the concept with just one dominant historical form of property? In this book, David James reconstructs the theories of property developed by four key figures in classical German philosophy - Kant, Fichte, Hegel and Marx. He argues that although their theories of property are different, the concept of social recognition plays a crucial role in all of them, and assesses these philosophers' arguments for the specific forms of property they claim should exist in a society that is genuinely committed to the idea of freedom.

Emmanuel Levinas is considered a key philosopher in the post-Heideggerian field and a presence in contemporary debates about identity and responsibility. His works spans the major philosophical and ethical concers of the 20th century, combining the insights of a basic phenomenological training with the demands of a Jewish culture and its basis in the exegesis of Talmudic reading. His concerns and subjects include: the Other body, infinity, women, Jewish-Christian relations, Zionism and the impulses and limits of philosophical language itself. This collection explicates Levinas's contribution to these debates, namely the idea of the primacy of ethics over ontology or epistemology. It investigates how, in the wake of the post-structuralist orthodoxy, scholars and practitioners in such fields as literary theory, cultural studies, feminism and psychoanalysis are turning to Levinas's work to articulate a rediscovered concern with the ethical dimension of their discipline. It also stresses the Jewish dimension of Levinas's work.

It is widely apparent in our hyper-globalized world that the epistemologies, institutions, and practices underwriting it have reached a state of profound crisis. In the globalized world, everything is inevitably brought into proximity and correlation. Wars, natural disasters, climatic upheaval, nor political and economic turmoil, none of these can be effectively isolated, insulated, instituted, even immunized, as something apart, something that might be considered proper only to itself. This collected edition considers this crisis of the proper with a focus on Italian political theorist Roberto Esposito's work on community, immunity, and biopolitics. This collection introduces Esposito's work to a wider English-speaking audience and provides many important contributions to the burgeoning scholarship on his political theory. Important international scholars working in this area examine and analyze his theory from a variety of perspectives, including those of biopolitics, feminism, political theory, the history of philosophy (Spinoza, Hegel, Heidegger, and Jean-Luc Nancy), property, community, and gift economies. The collection also includes previously untranslated essays by Esposito and Jean-Luc Nancy. This collection will be of interest to those just discovering Esposito and for those who are already familiar with his work. This book was originally published as a Special Issue of Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities.

Originally published in 1930, Sir Oliver Lodge proposes a connection between physics and philosophy, or as he describes it, a key to unlock the intricate connection between mind and matter. A response to early twentieth century mathematically-led philosophy, Lodge looks at physics from a physical direction rather than from a theoretical model. This title will be of interest to students of philosophy as well physics.

This book was first published in 2003: Developing a reading of some of Beauvoir's and Sartre's most influential writings in philosophy, Max Deutscher explores contemporary philosophy in the light of the phenomenological tradition within which Being and Nothingness and The Second Sex occurred as striking events operating on the border of the modern and the post-modern. Deutscher traces the shifts of genre that produce their gendered philosophies, and responds in terms of contemporary experience to the mood and the arguments of their works. Drawing upon the writings of two contemporary critics in particular - Michele Le DA"uff and Luce Irigaray - Deutscher reworks this part of philosophy's history in order to advance thinking in contemporary philosophy, generate renewed philosophical reflection on consciousness, freedom and one's relation to others, and to return a look still cast in our direction from an earlier time.