Polemics

February 1, 2007
This collection of political essays by Badiou (philosophy, École Normale Supérieure; "Theory of the Subject") is organized into three parts. "Philosophy and Circumstances" deals with the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, the nature of terrorism, the wars in Iraq and former Yugoslavia, parliamentary democracy as seen in the French presidential election of 2002, and the issue of the Islamic headscarf. "Uses of the Word 'Jew' " explores the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, a possible "rapprochement" between the warring constituents, and some pertinent historical background on the conflict. Finally, "Lessons of Two Revolutions" examines the Paris Commune and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Badiou has long been associated with the Far Left, and he does not hesitate to express what he feels is the correct position in each of these essays. Unfortunately, although much of this work is readable, interesting, and pertinent to today's world, Badiou's polemical orientation leans on feeling rather than on detailed, defensible argumentation throughout. An optional purchase for academic libraries.Leon H. Brody, Falls Church, VA

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