The Imaginary Institution of Society

The Imaginary Institution of Society

Author: Cornelius Castoriadis

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 9780262531559

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This is one of the most original and important works of contemporaryEuropean thought. First published in France in 1975, it is the major theoretical work of one of the foremost thinkers in Europe today. This is one of the most original and important works of contemporary European thought. First published in France in 1975, it is the major theoretical work of one of the foremost thinkers in Europe today. Castoriadis offers a brilliant and far-reaching analysis of the unique character of the social-historical world and its relations to the individual, to language, and to nature. He argues that most traditional conceptions of society and history overlook the essential feature of the social-historical world, namely that this world is not articulated once and for all but is in each case the creation of the society concerned. In emphasizing the element of creativity, Castoriadis opens the way for rethinking political theory and practice in terms of the autonomous and explicit self-institution of society.


Cornelius Castoriadis

Cornelius Castoriadis

Author: Suzi Adams

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-05-08

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1441169148

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Cornelius Castoriadis (1922-1997) was a Greek-French thinker best known for his work on 'autonomy' and 'human creation'. He was a political activist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, political and social thinker and economist. Recognised as a significant and original thinker of the twentieth century, his work is receiving increased scholarly attention. Notwithstanding the richness of his work, Castoriadis's terminology can prove challenging to understand. Cornelius Castoriadis: Key Concepts is the first book of its kind, providing readers with a road map to the fundamentals of his thought. International specialists in Castoriadis's works introduce and clarify the complexity of his thought through the elucidation of nineteen key concepts that are fundamental to understanding - and grappling with - his ideas. Comprehensive and accessible, the entries have been carefully selected to cover the most central aspects - psychoanalysis, sociology, philosophy, politics - and periods of his thought.


Figures of the Thinkable

Figures of the Thinkable

Author: Cornelius Castoriadis

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 9780804742344

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A collection of articles, lectures, and interviews whose apparent variety, touching on social criticism, psychoanalysis, philosophy, poetry and science, among others, is actually strongly focused on one main idea: that of autonomous, creative action at the individual and collective levels.


World in Fragments

World in Fragments

Author: Cornelius Castoriadis

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 556

ISBN-13: 9780804727631

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This collection presents a broad and compelling overview of the most recent work in philosophy, politics, and psychoanalysis by a world-renowned figure in contemporary thought.


Postscript on Insignificance

Postscript on Insignificance

Author: Cornelius Castoriadis

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2011-02-24

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1441111107

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Cornelius Castoriadis (1922-1997) was a philosopher, social critic, political activist, practicing psychoanalyst and professional economist. His work is widely recognized as one of the most singular and important contributions to twentieth-century thought. In this collection of interviews, Castoriadis discusses some of his most important ideas with leading figures in the disciplines that play such a crucial part in his philosophical work: poetry, psychoanalysis, biology and mathematics. Available in English for the first time, these interviews provide a concise and accessible introduction to his work as a whole, allowing him to draw on the astounding breadth of his knowledge (ranging from political theory and sociology to ontology and the philosophy of science). They also render Castoriadis' cutting, polemical and entertaining style while displaying the originality and clarity of his primary concepts. Intellectually provoking, this timely collection shows how Castoriadis' polemics are sharp and riveting, his conceptual manoeuvres rigorous and original, and his passion inspiring. This is an excellent introduction to one of Europe's most important intellectuals.


Cornelius Castoriadis and Radical Democracy

Cornelius Castoriadis and Radical Democracy

Author: Vrasidas Karalis

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2014-07-24

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 9004278583

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Cornelius Castoriadis and the Project of Radical Autonomy analyses the philosophy of Greek-born French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis. A leading member of the influential revolutionary group, Socialism or Barbarism in France, Castoriadis analysed contemporary political subjectivity and culture in terms of the collective and individual attempt to gain autonomy. His philosophy frames a multi-dimensional analysis of modern capitalist societies, based on a systematic critique of orthodox Marxism, Heideggerian ontology and Lacanian psychology. The present volume consists of two parts. In the first part, his most significant essays written before his departure to France in 1945 are translated and present young Castoriadis’ interpretation of Max Weber’s theory of bureaucratic societies. The second part consists of a series of essays by various scholars on aspects of Castoriadis’ mature philosophy in relation to other thinkers, and against the background of Europe’s political and social history.


Philosophy, Politics, Autonomy

Philosophy, Politics, Autonomy

Author: Cornelius Castoriadis

Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 9780195069631

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These remarkable essays include Cornelius Castoriadis's latest contributions to philosophy, political and social theory, classical studies, development theory, cultural criticism, science, and ecology. Examining the "co-birth" in ancient Greece of philosophy and politics, Castoriadis shows how the Greeks' radical questioning of established ideas and institutions gave rise to the "project of autonomy." The "end of philosophy" proclaimed by Postmodernism would mean the end of this project. That end is now hastened by the lethal expansion of technoscience, the waning of political and social conflict, and the resignation of intellectuals who blindly defend Western culture as it is or who merely denounce or "deconstruct" it as it has been. Discussing and criticizing Plato, Aristotle, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, Weber, Heidegger, and Habermas, the author of The Imaginary Institution of Society and Crossroads in the Labyrinth poses a radical challenge to our inherited philosophy.


Crossroads in the Labyrinth

Crossroads in the Labyrinth

Author: Cornelius Castoriadis

Publisher: Mit Press

Published: 1986-02-01

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 9780262530668

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The book presents Cornelius Castoriadis' concerns with the development of analytical theories of psychology, language, and politics, all commonly rooted in the social and historical aspects of human creativity.


Castoriadis

Castoriadis

Author: Jeff Klooger

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 9004175296

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This book is a critical exploration of the philosophical underpinnings and implications of Cornelius Castoriadis reflections on Being, society and the self. The book introduces the reader to the main concepts of Castoriadis work, but goes further to uncover the fundamental philosophical issues addressed by Castoriadis, and to critically examine the issues his work opens up, assessing and, where necessary, offering suggested amendments to the answers Castoriadis himself puts forward. Key conceptual problems addressed include the distinction between autonomy and heteronomy, the nature of the self and self-creation, and the nature of determination in a fundamentally indeterminate universe.


Castoriadis, Foucault, and Autonomy

Castoriadis, Foucault, and Autonomy

Author: Marcela Tovar-Restrepo

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-03-29

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 1441152261

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This book examines Cornelius Castoriadis' thought and the radical alternative it presents to the legacy of Michel Foucault, focusing on three key notions that are central in both scholars' theories: the subject, the production of social meaning and representation, and social/cultural change. Castoriadis and Foucault faced similar theoretical and political challenges and tackled common questions, yet their conclusions diverged significantly. This important book establishes, for the first time, a critical dialogue between these two bodies of thought. Through a detailed exploration of the Castoridian perspective, Marcela Tovar-Restrepo addresses the limitations of Foucault's poststructuralist thought; exploring and comparing what those three central notions mean in each framework. In so doing, Tovar-Restrepo elucidates a greater understanding of their differences and the resulting consequences for the social sciences and the role of social theory. Ultimately, this book presents Castoriadis' philosophical and theoretical position as an alternative to unresolved poststructuralist problems and to what Castoriadis saw as a deterministic ontology embedded in political relativism; paving the way for an invigorating debate about autonomy and social change.