New This Month in Philosophy - March 2024

New This Month in Philosophy - March 2024


Check out our new of selection philosophy titles, with a range of topics, from art, poetry, and psychology, there's something to pique the interest of any philosophy enthusiast. Or browse our new in paper titles that explore the roots of modern secular discourse, offer insights into human norms, and revolutionize the study of religion. These books are sure to offer fresh insights and perspectives.

Apparitions, Daemons, and Emanations: Poetry and Painting in the Work of Georges Bataille, Pierre Klossowski, and Henri Michaux, by Charles Freeland, presents a new study of the visual arts and poetry in the work of three well-known French writers and artists from the mid-twentieth century—Georges Bataille, Pierre Klossowski, and Henri Michaux, and the is latest title in our Intersections: Philosophy and Critical Theory series.

"This is a stunning book: erudite and philosophically astute. Freeland takes us deep into the labyrinthine recesses of the 'unknown' explored by Bataille (prehistoric art), Klossowski (demonology), and Michaux (mescaline). Like each of these author's own work, Freeland's writing hovers at a limit where language strives to express what is not linguistic and thus inexpressible. An essential work, it deserves a wide audience." — Daniel W. Smith, coeditor of Deleuze and Time

From our series in Ancient Greek Philosophy comes Aristotle's Quarrel with Socrates: Friendship in Political Thought, by John Boersma, making the case that the different stances Aristotle and Socrates take toward politics can be traced to their divergent accounts of friendship.

"In addition to providing rigorous and original interpretations of four important texts of Greek political thought, Boersma presents an encouraging resolution to the age-old friction between philosophy and politics: friendship. This pre-political concept, he powerfully argues, guides the relation of philosopher and statesman to work together in preserving a flourishing political culture. Clear and balanced, this book's arguments demand the attention of scholars who study these texts and ideas." — Michael Promisel, Catholic University of America

Freud and the Problem of Sexuality, by Bradley Ramos, is a fresh, provocative reading of Freud's theory of sexuality and the newest in our Insinuations: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Literature series.

"A fine, very nuanced reading of Freud's vexed work and views on sexuality. Rather than normalizing sexuality or making intrinsically perverse sexuality into some sort of hero, Ramos makes a case for dwelling with sexuality simply as a problem. Erudite and well-researched, this book should have broad appeal across the humanities, including to readers who are just getting interested in psychoanalysis." — Ed Pluth, coauthor of On Silence: Holding the Voice Hostage

Political Bodies: Writings on Adriana Cavarero's Political Thought, edited by Paula Landerreche Cardillo and Rachel Silverbloom, is the latest in our series in Contemporary Italian Philosophy, and is the first edited volume solely dedicated to the philosophy of Adriana Cavaero.

"Landerreche Cardillo and Silverbloom are right to hold that Cavarero has reached 'critical acclaim' in the 'Italian and English-speaking world.' I would broaden this audience to include the rest of Europe, Latin America, and very likely other areas of the world. Cavarero's areas of expertise—philosophy, political science, women's and gender studies, feminist theory, musicology, literature, modern languages, queer theory, and the arts—demand a common theme to link them together within the pages of a single volume. The editors have chosen Cavarer's political philosophy in response to that demand. Their choice is wise because the political area is central to Cavarero's many books and of great interest to interdisciplinary as well as to philosophical thinkers and academics. Political Bodies constitutes an exciting inaugural contribution to what might be called the field of 'Cavarero studies.'" — Fred Evans, author of Public Art and the Fragility of Democracy: An Essay in Political Aesthetics

New in Paper

Beyond the Secular: Jacques Derrida and the Theological-Political Complex, by Andrea Cassatella, investigates, through a critical exploration of Derrida's political thought, the foundations of modern secular discourse in relation to issues of race and colonialism and is new in paperback and part of our series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy.

"While there are a number of studies of Derrida's extensive texts on religion, and several studies of deconstructive politics, I know of no book-length account of the interaction between religion and politics. Given the excellence of Cassatella's understanding of Derrida, and the power of the book's overall argument, Beyond the Secular makes an enormous contribution to the fields of religion, theology, political theory, and philosophy." — Matthias Fritsch, author of The Promise of Memory: History and Politics in Marx, Benjamin, and Derrida

Also new in paperback, Critiques of Theology: German-Jewish Intellectuals and the Religious Sources of Secular Thought, by Yotam Hotam, argues that the modern practice of critique emerged out of religious traditions and can in many ways be traced back to them. Be sure to check out the rest of the titles our series in Contemporary Jewish Thought.

"Critiques of Theology contributes profoundly to our understanding of what critique actually is, transcending the disciplinary categories of 'religious studies,' 'theology,' or 'theory.' Pathbreaking within these fields, Critiques is also essential reading for philosophers, political theorists, literary critics, intellectual historians, sociologists, and theorists of every school." — Kirk Wetters, Yale University

The Emergence of Value: Human Norms in a Natural World, by Lawrence Cahoone, argues that truth, moral right, political right, and aesthetic value may be understood as arising out of a naturalist account of humanity, if naturalism is rightly conceived, and is in our series in American Philosophy and Cultural Thought.

Toward a Philosophy of Religious Studies: Enecstatic Explorations, by Jim Kanaris, offers a unique perspective on the study of religion revolutionized by contemporary continental thinking. 

"Kanaris argues that religious studies is more than just an academic discipline—it is where an encounter with the core of our own humanity takes place. Solidly grounded in the author's own experience of teaching religious studies, this book will be immensely helpful to all of those working in the field." — Colby Dickinson, Loyola University of Chicago

Happy reading and come back to see what's new next month!