Reviews for Raison et déraison d'Etat

The average rating for Raison et déraison d'Etat based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-11-27 00:00:00 Leonard Freitas For a book on political theory that relies heavily on philosophical terminology, Post-Foundational Political Thought does a very good job introducing a relative beginner to social post-foundationalism and the different arguments regarding the concepts of 'the political' and the 'political difference.' I personally read the book as an introduction to different theorizations of the political difference (for other research), and I found it did a good job at introducing the (or at least some) highlights of each thinker's work. As to Marchart's own argument however, I think I can only grasp it after a second reading - and then only after I've gotten more acquainted with Heideggerian philosophy. I did grasp that he is putting forward an argument for political ontology as a first philosophy that takes 'the political' as the shifting ground of all ontological interrogation, and I understand why he's doing so. His explanation of what post-foundationalism is and how it grew out of the foundationalist-antifoundationalist debate is easy to grasp. His discussion of 'the political' and how it is the ground/abyss of 'everything' was also easy to grasp, and it's not difficult to put these arguments together and understand why a philosophy of the political can serve as a first philosophy. But without a good understanding of ontology and Continental philosophy, the furthest I can engage with this main argument is to take it at face value. Another cautionary note is that German philosophical terms are used often without an English translation, which means the author counts on the reader either to know German or to have studied those concepts. Again, this is an excellent introduction to the 'political difference' (i.e. between the political and politics). And it provides a good background to the philosophical conditions that gave rise to the concept of the political as well as its theoretical implications, especially its implication for democracy and democratic theory. I think such background knowledge is indispensable for anyone willing to employ the concept for actual interrogation and research.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-01-10 00:00:00 Roland Ford Excellent account. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the topic. Pity not more about Ranciere though.