Philosophy and the Event

This concise and accessible book is the perfect introduction to Badiou’s thought.  Responding to Tarby’s questions, Badiou takes us on a journey that interrogates and explores the four conditions of philosophy: politics, love, art and science. In all these domains, events occur that bring to light possibilities that were invisible or even unthinkable; they propose something to us.  Everything then depends on how the possibility opened up by the event is grasped, elaborated and embedded in the world – this is what Badiou calls a ‘truth procedure’.  The event creates a possibility but there then has to be an effort – a group effort in the case of politics, an individual effort in the case of love or art – for this possibility to become real and inscribed in the world.   As he explains his thinking on politics, love, art and science, Badiou takes stock of his major works, reflects on their central themes and arguments and looks forward to the questions he plans to address in his future writings.  The book concludes with a short introduction to Badiou’s philosophy by Fabien Tarby.   For anyone wishing to understand the work of one of the most widely read and influential philosophers writing today, this small book will be an indispensable guide.

"An excellent introduction to Badiou's work." Morning Star "This exciting and timely volume provides a remarkably lucid and conversational account of Badiou's philosophy of the distinct generation of truths in politics, art, science and love.  These interviews and Tarby's introduction to Badiou's work will be of value to those wishing to become acquainted with Badiou's formidable oeuvre and for Badiou's readers who want to understand his present take on his own corpus." Claire Colebrook, Penn State University "Badiou’s work is conceptually creative, enabling and empowering. You can mobilize his concepts theoretically and practically in very powerful ways. Those who haven’t yet read Badiou’s work have got delicious pleasures in store." Simon Critchley, The New School

Alain Badiou is Emeritus Professor in Philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure, Paris. He is one of the most widely read and influential philosophers writing today. Fabien Tarby is a philosopher and author of several books, including a study of the philosophy of Alain Badiou.