What is Philosophy? by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari

Reviewed by John David Ebert

What is Philosophy?, originally published in 1991, was the last of the four great collaborations between Deleuze and Guattari, who had already published Anti-Oedipus, Kafka and A Thousand Plateaus. It was also Deleuze’s last significant work. Read the rest of this entry »

Philosophy in the Present by Alain Badiou and Slavoj Zizek

Reviewed by John David Ebert

This little book was published in German in 2005, and then translated into English and published in 2009 by Polity Press. As anyone who has read much of Zizek is well aware, Badiou is a name that he often cites and indeed, in the present book, he reveals that he reads every single one of Badiou’s books and that “every new work of his leaves a trace in mine.” This short book is a perfectly designed introduction to the basic ideas of Badiou, which center around a philosophy of the Event. Read the rest of this entry »

Living in the End Times by Slavoj Zizek:

A Book Review by John David Ebert

Despite its title, Living in the End Times actually has little to do with apocalyptic themes or eschatological scenarios. This would fall under the sphere of religious studies, and as his readers know, religion is not Zizek’s strong suit. His real strength is his particularly incisive understanding of political machinations, especially the hypocritical–or as he terms it “ideological”–manipulations of capitalism, for Zizek is an unapologetic Marxist. Read the rest of this entry »

The Agony of Power by Jean Baudrillard

Reviewed by John David Ebert

The Agony of Power is another posthumous text by Jean Baudrillard, to be published by Semiotexte in October. If you’ve never read Baudrillard but were always curious what the fuss was all about, this would be a good place to start, since the book is only 100 pages and reads swiftly. It is also Baudrillard at his finest. Read the rest of this entry »