What Is Philosophy?

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Phenomenology
Cover of the book What Is Philosophy? by Giorgio Agamben, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Giorgio Agamben ISBN: 9781503604056
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: September 26, 2017
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Giorgio Agamben
ISBN: 9781503604056
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: September 26, 2017
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

In attempting to answer the question posed by this book's title, Giorgio Agamben does not address the idea of philosophy itself. Rather, he turns to the apparently most insignificant of its components: the phonemes, letters, syllables, and words that come together to make up the phrases and ideas of philosophical discourse. A summa, of sorts, of Agamben's thought, the book consists of five essays on five emblematic topics: the Voice, the Sayable, the Demand, the Proem, and the Muse. In keeping with the author's trademark methodology, each essay weaves together archaeological and theoretical investigations: to a patient reconstruction of how the concept of language was invented there corresponds an attempt to restore thought to its place within the voice; to an unusual interpretation of the Platonic Idea corresponds a lucid analysis of the relationship between philosophy and science, and of the crisis that both are undergoing today. In the end, there is no universal answer to what is an impossible or inexhaustible question, and philosophical writing—a problem Agamben has never ceased to grapple with—assumes the form of a prelude to a work that must remain unwritten.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In attempting to answer the question posed by this book's title, Giorgio Agamben does not address the idea of philosophy itself. Rather, he turns to the apparently most insignificant of its components: the phonemes, letters, syllables, and words that come together to make up the phrases and ideas of philosophical discourse. A summa, of sorts, of Agamben's thought, the book consists of five essays on five emblematic topics: the Voice, the Sayable, the Demand, the Proem, and the Muse. In keeping with the author's trademark methodology, each essay weaves together archaeological and theoretical investigations: to a patient reconstruction of how the concept of language was invented there corresponds an attempt to restore thought to its place within the voice; to an unusual interpretation of the Platonic Idea corresponds a lucid analysis of the relationship between philosophy and science, and of the crisis that both are undergoing today. In the end, there is no universal answer to what is an impossible or inexhaustible question, and philosophical writing—a problem Agamben has never ceased to grapple with—assumes the form of a prelude to a work that must remain unwritten.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Confessions of the Shtetl by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Failed Democratization in Prewar Japan by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Between Movement and Establishment by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Restoring the Innovative Edge by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Our Bodies, Ourselves and the Work of Writing by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Transcendence by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Concerning the Spiritual—and the Concrete—in Kandinsky’s Art by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Memos from the Besieged City by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book PLA Influence on China's National Security Policymaking by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book The Migration Apparatus by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Figuring Korean Futures by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Social Class and Changing Families in an Unequal America by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Beyond Great Powers and Hegemons by Giorgio Agamben
Cover of the book Cuba’s Academic Advantage by Giorgio Agamben
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy