What is Philosophy? A Lecture by Alain Badiou 2010

264 Pages·2015·11.33 MB·English

by  Alain Badiou

ATROPOS PRESS
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General Editor:
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Editorial Board:
Giorgio Agamben
Pierre Alferi
Hubertus von Amelunxen
Alain Badiou
Judith Balso
Judith Butler
Diane Davis
Chris Fynsk
Martin Hielscher
Geert Lovink
Larry Rickels
Avital Ronell
Michael Schmidt
Fredrich Ulfers
Victor Vitanza
Siegfried Zielinski
Siavoj Zizek
© 201 5 by Alail1 Badiou
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What is Philosophy?
A lecture by Alain Badiou
2010
Alain Badiou
dited by Srdjan Cvjeticanin
HOlF madll'ould he have la be ta say. "f1e
behefd
An arder and Ihereafier he befonged
Ta il"? He behe/d the order of the northel'll
sky.
But the beggar gazes on cafamity
And thereafter he be/ongs la il. ta bread
Hardfol/nd. and waler lasting o.lmiselY-
For him co/d's glacial beauty is hisfate.
Wilhout llflderslanding, he belongs ta il
And Ihe night. and midnighl, and afier, lI'here
il is.
What was he? FVhat he has he has, Blit whaf.?
Il is not a question o.lcaptious repal'tee.
What has he Ihat becomes his heart 's st/'Ong
core?
He has his pover!y and nolhing more.
His poverty becomes his hearl 's slrong core
Aforge(fitlness ofS UIll 111 el' at the pok
Sordid Mefpomene, why slrut bare boards,
Without scene,)' orlights, in the theatre 's
bricks.
Dressed high in heliotrope 's inconstant hue,
The lIluse o.fmise/J!? Speak tofiie!' lines.
C,)' Oltt. ;'/ am Ihe pli/pIe muse. " Make sure
The audience beholds )'011, no! your gOll'l1.
Wallace Stevens, III a Bad rime
Editor's Note by Srdjan Cvjeticanin 7
What is Philosophy? by Alain Badiou 11
1. Day One
1.1 Lecture 1 13
1.2 Lecture Il 38
2. DayTwo
2.1 Lecture Il 52
2.2 Lecture IV 77
3. Day Three 3.1
Lecture V 3.2 93
Lecture VI 117
4. Day Four
4.1 Lecture VII 138
4.2 Discussion 1 163
5. Day Five
5.1 Lecture VIII 181
5.2 Lecture IX 201
6. Day Six
6.1 Lecture X 214
6.2 Discussion Il 242

Editor's Note
The lecture transcribed below was given by Alain 8adiou in the
summer of 2010, over the course of six days, at the European
Graduate School. The problem at stake was to think philosophy
- its definition, its universal operation. This was not the first
time 8adiou addressed this question. lndeed, 'what is
philosophy', had already been taken up in numerous written
texts. For instance, in the Introduction to Being and Event, we
find maybe the most condensed articulation: philosophy
circulates between ontology, theories of the subject and its own
history. There are also two short text included in Conditions and
Manifesto for Ph ilosop hy, titled Definition of Philosophy, and
The (Re)turn of Philosophy Itse(f - both of which must be read
with the above definition. In addition to these explicit accounts
there are numerous remarks throughout the edifice: in
Metapolities for instance, as weil as in Polemies, Ethies,
Handbook of lnaestheties, and etc. Finally, following the thesis
of Truth as the compossibility of truths and ontology, it must
affirmed that the full definition of the 8adiouian philosophy is
found in Being and Event, from cover to cover - the other half of
which is Logies of Worlds. Nonetheless, this lecture constitutes
the longest explicit meditation on this reflexive question.
In fact, within this lecture we find a number of novel
articulations of this deceptively difficult operation to define. For
instance, 8adiou here proposes that there are five conditions for
the birth of philosophy, that philosophy has a very peculiar
relation to time - including its own past - that it is oriented
towards the future, and charged with aiding its production by
way of a new collective desire, that it is structurally distinct from
other fonns of thought, such as nihilism and mysticism, and so
on. That said, everything proposed in these lectures is
nonetheless consistent with the doctrine introduced in Being and
Event, and its supplements.
7
8 Editor's Note
If 1 may, 1 would like to draw attention to a single proposition
within these lectures: as one of the conditions of the birth of
philosophy, Badiou - in apparent paradox proposes the
presence of the philosopher. The idea of the presence of a master
as constitutive of the philosophical operation, in fact, returns a
number of times throughout. For instance, the asymmetrical
positions of the philosopher and student, the distinction of
philosophy from other forms of thought, and, of course, it
operates in style throughout. My reason for tnentioning this is
two-fold: it points at the apparently odd remark in Being and
Event that a profound question of philosophy is the measure in
which an event determines its fidelity, a curiosity found also in
Badiou's remark that the trial oftruth, and so, also Truth, cannot
be endured without encountering the voice of a master, and
second, the context of struggle within which Badiou proposes
this idea. It could be added that from within the concept of truth,
mastery at the beginning, no less than at the end, appears
contradictory or ev en impossible. Certainly, with Badiou we do
not stand in Kant or Lacan, but we do hear an echo of 'think and
obey'. These Two, it must be wagered, do not stand to one
another as two feet planted still, but as the walk of a march -
which is also the walk of love.
This lecture was spoken in English, with only marginal notes. In
view of these facts, 1 have here transcribed Badiou's lecture
word for word, and assumed the liberty of editing his thought
with the sole aim of trying to maintain the rhythm, the style,
without overly compromising the exact sequence of words. 1
have made only minimal adj ustm ent s, and in ail such cases any
mistakes are mine.
Mm'ch, 2015,
Sn/jan C1:ietiéanin
What is Philosophy? 9
Ce texte provient de notes prises par des étudiants lors de mon
séminaire de l'été 2010 à l'European Graduate School. C'est donc
le reflet d'une exposition orale, souvent improvisée, et qui ne
correspond à aucun texte écrit existant. Je n'ai pas relu ces notes,
car j'aurais eu envie de tout réécrire, ce qui n'était pas dans
l"esprit de cette tentative. Par conséquent, tout usage et toute
citation de ce texte devra être accompagnée d'une indication
précise de sa provenance, de façon à ce que personne ne puisse
penser que je l'ai écrit ou revu.
This text is based on notes taken by students during the seminar
1 presented at the European Graduate School in the summer of
2010. ft then reflects an oral contribution, with sorne degree of
improvisation, and does not correspond to any written text. 1 did
not re-read these notes as this would have lead me to a complete
rewriting, which would not have been consistent with the initial
spirit of this seminar. Consequently, any use or quotation of this
text will have to be accompanied with a precise indication of its
origin, so that nobody could think that l have either written or
proof-read it.
A.B.