"Stop Thief!" critiques contemporary philosophers who borrow from anarchism without embracing it. Catherine Malabou argues for a redefined concept of anarchy, focusing on the "non-governable" as a means to challenge political domination. The book emphasizes anarchism as essential for fostering confidence and survival in today's political landscape.
25 essays showcase Malabou's rounded philosophical project: 17 previously published and 8 brand new. In them, Malabou carves a philosophical space between structuralism, deconstruction, cognitive psychology, psychoanalysis and speculative realism.
The clitoris was absent in anatomy books, in paintings and sculptures, absent in spirit and even body; it has long been the organ of erased pleasure. We assume that this oversight has been repaired in our times: today, the clitoris is not forgotten but honoured. Conferences, books, manifestos, works of art are all devoted to it. The autonomy of clitoral jouissance is recognized. The boundaries of feminism have also moved: queer, intersex and trans approaches claim that the clitoris is perhaps no longer the exclusive preserve of the woman. And yet, there remains a wounded space. Because genital mutilation is still common practice. Because millions of women are still denied pleasure. The clitoris continues to mark the enigmatic space of the feminine. Constrained by the extreme difficulty and the extreme urgency of returning to this scorched earth, it is time to give voice to an organ of pleasure which has still not become an organ of thought.
Adrian Johnston offers a first-of-its-kind sustained critical response to Slavoj Zizek's Less Than Nothing and Absolute Recoil, in which Zizek returns to Hegel. Johnston develops what he calls transcendental materialism, an antireductive materialism capable of preserving and advancing the legacies of the Hegelian, Marxian, and Freudian traditions.
Acclaimed philosopher Catherine Malabou traces the modern metamorphoses of intelligence, seeking to understand how neurobiological and neurotechnological advances have transformed our present-day view. She emphasizes the intertwined, networked relationships among the biological, the technological, and the symbolic.
Is contemporary continental philosophy making a break with Kant? The structures of knowledge, taken for granted since Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, are now being called into question: the finitude of the subject, the phenomenal given, a priori synthesis.
Exploring the intersection of psychoanalysis and contemporary neurobiology, this book delves into the experiences of brain lesion patients, referred to as the "new wounded." It confronts traditional views on trauma and psychic wounds, arguing for a reevaluation of the brain as integral to psychic life rather than a separate entity. Through this philosophical lens, the work challenges existing paradigms and highlights the complexities of trauma in relation to both neurological and psychological dimensions.
Catherine Malabou is a rising star of French philosophy and has a high reputation in the English speaking world. This is the second of several books by her that Polity will publish, the first being Changing Difference.
Focusing on the concept of plasticity, the author presents an innovative interpretation of change by engaging with Heidegger's philosophical writings. This exploration aims to reshape understanding of transformation, offering fresh insights into how we perceive and interact with the world around us. Through this lens, the book delves into the implications of plasticity in various contexts, encouraging readers to rethink established notions of stability and flux.