Contemporary French Philosophy: Modernity and the Persistence of the Subject (Continuum Collection) PDF
Preview Contemporary French Philosophy: Modernity and the Persistence of the Subject (Continuum Collection)
Contemporary French Philosophy: Modernity and the Persistence of the Subject CAROLINE WILLIAMS THE ATHLONE PRESS CONTEMPORARY FRENCH PHILOSOPHY This page intentionally left blank CONTEMPORARY FRENCH PHILOSOPHY MODERNITY AND THE PERSISTENCE OF THE SUBJECT CAROLINE WILLIAMS THE ATHLONE PRESS LONDON AND NEW YORK THE ATHLONE PRESS A Continuum imprint The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX 370 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6503 © 2001 Caroline Williams First published 2001 Caroline Williams has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 485 00432 1 (Hardback) 0 485 00632 4 (Paperback) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Williams, Caroline, 1966- Contemporary French philosophy: modernity and the persistence of the subject/Caroline Williams. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-485-00432-1 (case: alk. paper) - ISBN 0-485-00632-4 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Philosophy, French. 2. Subject (Philosophy)—History. 3. Philosophy, Modern. 4. Philosophy, French-20th century. 5. Subject (Philosophy)—History- 20th century. 6. Philosophy, Modern-20th century. I. Title. B1809.S85 W55 2001 194-dc21 00-067642 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Typeset by Aarontype Limited, Bristol Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall CONTENTS Acknowledgements vii Introduction 1 1 Inheriting Problems and Paradoxes: Subjectivity and Modern 12 Philosophy I. Descartes and the birth of the modern cogito 14 II. Spinoza's philosophy of substance: the decomposition and 18 recomposition of the subject III. Hegelian phenomenology: constructing the subject 27 of history 2. Marxism and Subjectivity: from Lukacs to Althusser 38 I. Returning to Lukacs 40 II. The encounter between structuralism and subjectivity 54 III. Althusser and the repositioning of the subject 56 3. Psychoanalysis, Subjectivity and the Vita Lingua 78 I. Lacan's theory of the subject 82 II. The paradox of the subject: between philosophy and 92 psychoanalysis III. Psychoanalysis, subjectivity and the political 102 4. Derrida, Subjectivity and the Politics of Differance 109 I. Situating deconstruction: Derrida, Althusser and Lacan 112 II. Deconstruction and the subject: contesting the subject 122 as self-presence III. Deconstruction and political critique 140 vi CONTENTS 5. The Discursive Construction of the Subject 152 I. Archaeologies of the subject 156 II. Foucauldian dilemmas: thinking the limits of discourse 170 III. Genealogies of the subject: power and subjection 175 Conclusion - The Persistence of the Subject 190 Notes 198 Bibliography 234 Index 246 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Every work is inscribed by the works of many others, and hides many debts, some of which are difficult to record. However, the names of Diana Coole, Gregory Elliott, Peter Lukacs, Warren Montag, Susan Stephenson, Margaret Whitford, Abbas Vali and David Wood, are important ones for offering critical insights, thoughtful discussion, advice and, at crucial moments, support. I would also like to record my thanks to the department of Politics, Queen Mary College, for giving me study leave in Spring 1998, and for offering a stimulating, collegia! environment in which to conduct research. As fellow travellers of this work, Pete Lukacs and our daughter Rosa helped me in so many per- sonal ways, lightening the weight of writing with love and play. London August 2000 Will you, as a self, accept taking this self as problematic, as fictive, and nonetheless more necessary than if you were able to close up around yourself like a circle sure of its centre? Maurice Blanchot, The Infinite Conversation It is impossible to know anything about men except on the absolute precondition that the philosophical (theoretical) myth of man is reduced to ashes. Louis Althusser, For Marx This book is dedicated to the memory of my father
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