Abstract/Details

Inertia of the negative: The generic set in Alain Badiou's “Being and Event”

Clarke, Evan.   University of Guelph (Canada) ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2007. MR33842.

Abstract (summary)

This thesis examines the role of the generic set in Alain Badiou's Being and Event (1988). The generic set arises in the context of set theory and is distinguished the fact that it does not conform to any of the categories that characterize the set theoretic 'universe'. Applying this concept to politics, Badiou attempts to show that just as the generic set presents nothing from the standpoint of the set theoretic universe, it is possible to bring about a political singularity that presents nothing from the standpoint of the political situation. I show that in transposing this concept from mathematics to politics, Badiou is obliged to introduce a series of relations that are grounded in nothingness alone, and that this relational deployment of negativity contradicts the notion of negativity as non-relational; that is, as a kind of absolute barrier between the generic set and the universe from which it emerges.

Indexing (details)


Subject
Philosophy
Classification
0422: Philosophy
Identifier / keyword
Philosophy, religion and theology
Title
Inertia of the negative: The generic set in Alain Badiou's “Being and Event”
Author
Clarke, Evan
Number of pages
144
Degree date
2007
School code
0081
Source
MAI 46/03M, Masters Abstracts International
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
Country of publication
United States
ISBN
978-0-494-33842-1
University/institution
University of Guelph (Canada)
University location
Canada -- Ontario, CA
Degree
M.A.
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language
English
Document type
Dissertation/Thesis
Dissertation/thesis number
MR33842
ProQuest document ID
304845367
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/docview/304845367/