This book argues that neoliberalism must be understood as a system of
political theology that claims to be founded on individual freedom but
demonizes anyone who falls short of its impossible standards.
Adam Kotsko makes the case for the continued relevance of Christian theology
for contemporary intellectual life, demonstrating its vibrancy as a creative
and constructive pursuit outside the church, rethinking its often rivalrous
relationship with philosophy, and tracing the theological roots of modern
models of governance and racial oppression.
Looking at figures including Michel Foucault, St Paul, Nietzsche, the Marquis
de Sade, Simone Weil and Hannah Arendt, this one-stop reference to Agamben s
influences covers 30 thinkers: his primary interlocutors, his secondary
references, and the figures who lurk in the background of his arguments
without being directly mentioned.
The book shows how Agamben's political concerns emerged and evolved as Agamben
responded to contemporary events and new intellectual influences while
striving to remain true to his deepest intuitions. Kotsko reveals the
trajectory of Agamben's work and shows us what it means to practice philosophy
as a living, responsive discipline.
The past decades have seen a growing “philosophical” interest in a number of authors, but strangely enough Saramago’s oeuvre has been left somewhat aside. This volume aims at filling this gap by providing a diverse range of philosophical perspectives and expositions on Saramago’s work. The chapters explore some possible issues arising from his works: from his use of Plato’s allegory of the cave to his re-readings of Biblical stories; from his critique and “reinvention” of philosophy of history to his allegorical exploration of alternative histories; from his humorous approach to our being-towards-death to the revolutionary political charge of his fiction. The essays here confront Saramago’s fiction with concepts, theories, and suggestions belonging to various philosophical traditions and philosophers including Plato, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Freud, Benjamin, Heidegger, Lacan, Foucault, Patočka, Derrida, Agamben, and Žižek.