Being Singular Plural (Meridian: Crossing Aesthetics)
Contributors: Robert Richardson (Translator); Anne O'Byrne (Translator)
Edition: 1 edition
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: November 2, 2000
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 232
ISBN-13: 9780804739740
Subjects: Metaphysics & ontology; Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present; Metaphysics; Ontology; Philosophy; History & Surveys - Modern; Philosophy / Modern; Philosophical anthropology
First sentence: It is often said today that we have lost meaning, that we lack it and, as a result, are in need of and waiting for it.
Description: "This book consists of an extensive essay from which the book takes its title and five shorter essays that are internally related to "Being Singular Plural." One of the strongest strands in Nancy's philosophy is his attempt to rethink community and the very idea of the social in a way that does not ground these ideas in some individual subject or subjectivity.

The fundamental argument of the book is that being is always "being with," that "I" is not prior to "we," that existence is essentially co-existence. The five shorter essays impressively translate the philosophical insight of "Being Singular Plural" into sophisticated discussions of national sovereignty, war and technology, identity politics, the Gulf War, and the tragic plight of Sarajevo.

The essay "Eulogy for the Melee," in particular, is a brilliant discussion of identity and hybridism that resonates with many contemporary social concerns."--BOOK JACKET.