Poli Formal Ontology Book

Although the paperback art (featured on this page) is hardly betrays it, this book is a powerful contribution to the discussion of power and social change. Although certainly not removed from the Marxist intellectual lineage, Holloway allows for more time with the more difficult concepts and provides an extensive bibliography to orient the reader towards the origin of his own academic frameworks. If you have a basic understanding of historical /dialectical materialism, class consciousness, and historical actor, you'll be able to certainly work through the text. A deeper knowledge of Adorno&Horkheimer's negative dialectics, the concept of Totality, and various Marxist contemporaries (Gramsci, etc.) will lend itself to less re-reading. The charges of jargon and opacity by other reviewers are certainly not unfounded, however, it has never appeared to me that Holloway has opted to use an intellectually inaccessible description when a simple explanations would suffice and the clarity granted to the reader is well worth opening up a book or two for further comprehension.

With all of this said, very few books have confronted my preconceptions about a topic so completely. In all honesty, this book changed my life. The conceptual frameworks I've drawn from the text has provided for a more thorough examination of questions of revolution, structure, capitalism, and violence. I strongly recommends this book to anyone who interested in social change, by reform or revolt.


(If you have any questions while reading this text or would just like to speak with someone who has also read the book, feel free to message me!)