Turn left and follow the path of least resistance

Jessica Schmidt ~ RP 182 (Nov/Dec 2013) ~ Review

Turn left and follow the path of least resistanceAsh Amin and Nigel Thrift, Arts of the Political: New Openings for the Left, Duke University Press, Durham NC, 2013. 240 pp., £62.00 hb., £15.99 pb., 978 0 82235 387 4 hb., 978 0 82235 401 7 pb. This book makes a much-needed attempt to revamp the […]

The Autonomy of the Aesthetic Process: With introduction by Bruno Bosteels

Alain Badiou ~ RP 178 (Mar/Apr 2013) ~ Article

An introduction to Alain Badiou’s ‘The autonomy of the aesthetic process’ Bruno bosteels After achieving considerable critical acclaim with Almageste and Portulans – two avant-garde novels that promptly caught the attention of his long-time intellectual model Jean-Paul Sartre – Alain Badiou published ‘The Autonomy of the Aesthetic Process’, his first work as a philosopher. [1] […]

Lenin and Gandhi: A missed encounter?

Étienne Balibar ~ RP 172 (Mar/Apr 2012), pp. 9–17 ~ Article

The theme I shall address today has all the trappings of an academic exercise.* Still, I would like to attempt to show how it intersects with several major historical, epistemological and ultimately political questions. As a basis for the discussion, I will posit that Lenin and Gandhi are the two greatest figures among revolutionary theorist–practitioners […]

Noam Chomsky: Freedom and power

Noam Chomsky and Peter Hallward ~ RP 172 (Mar/Apr 2012) ~ Interview

Interview noam chomsky Freedom and power Peter hallward I’d like to start by asking you about some of your basic philosophical principles, starting with your understanding of human freedom and creativity. In the modern European tradition I’m most familiar with, freedom is a dominant philosophical theme from Descartes through Rousseau to Kant. With Kant we […]