Surplus

A. Kiarina Kordela

Description

Opposing both popular "neo-Spinozisms" (Deleuze, Negri, Hardt, Israel) and their Lacanian critiques (Zðizûek and Badiou), Surplus maintains that Lacanian psychoanalysis is the proper continuation of the Spinozian-Marxian line of thought. Author A. Kiarina Kordela argues that both sides ignore the inherent contradictions in Spinoza's work, and that Lacan's reading of Spinoza—as well as of Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Freud, and Wittgenstein—offers a much subtler balance of knowing when to take the philosopher at face value and when to read him against himself. Moving between abstract theory and tangible political, ethical, and literary examples, Kordela traces the emergence of "enjoyment" and "the gaze" out of Spinoza's theories of God, truth, and causality, Kant's critique of pure reason, and Marx's pathbreaking application of set theory to economy. Kordela's thought unfolds an epistemology and an ontology proper to secular capitalist modernity that call for a revision of the Spinoza-Marx-Lacan line as the sole alternative to the (anti-)Platonist tradition.
Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Context

Postmodern "Neo-Spinozism"

Scientific "Neo-Spinozism" and Hegel

Consensual, Evolutionist "Modern Spinozism"

After the Contex

Part I. Secular Causality and Its Enjoyment

From the First Cause to Transference Causes or Reasons?

Science of Differential Substance

Secular Ontology: Differential (Non-)Substance and the End of (Anti-)Platonism

Wherein Consists the Break of Secular Modernity?

History of Differential (Non-)Substance

Ethics of Differential (Non-)Substance

From Libido to Enjoyment

A History of God in Secular Reason (From Philosophy to Non-Anti-Philosophy)

God in (or out of?) Cultural Studies

The Break of Extimacy

(Burning with) Enjoyment

God, Nobody, or Mr. Nobody?

Part II. Kant with Marx: Surplus, Or, Gaze

Commodity Fetishism: Toward an Epistemo-/Ontology of Surplus

The Rule of Representation and Sex (From Kant's Rule of Reason to Marx's Rule of Exchange-Value)

Set Theory and Being (Marx's Materialist Metaphysics)

From Absolute Knowledge to the Gaze

Is It Possible Not to Hate Representation? (Another Look at Empire)

In Lieu of an Epilogue

Another Look at Ethics, Or, Commodity and the Gaze

Notes
Cited Works
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Métaphysique
• Philosophie moderne
• Philosophie moderne
• Metaphysics

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9780791480458
• Langue: English

Extrait

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SUNY series, Insinuations: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Literature Charles Shepherdson, editor

$urplus Spinoza, Lacan

A. K IARINA  K ORDELA

S TATE  U NIVERSITYOF  N EW  Y ORK  P RESS

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2007 State University of New York

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Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Kordela, A. Kiarina, 1963– Surplus : Spinoza, Lacan / A. Kiarina Kordela. p. cm. — (SUNY series, insinuations, philosophy, psychoanalysis, literature) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-7019-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Philosophy, Modern. 2. Spinoza, Benedictus de, 1632–1677. 3. Causation. I. Title.

B791.K67 2007 190—dc22

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2006013423

Truth is the standard both of itself and of the false. —Spinoza,Ethics

If beyond appearance there is nothing in itself, there is the gaze. —Lacan,The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis

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Acknowledgments

Contents

Introduction: The Context Postmodern “Neo-Spinozism” Scientific “Neo-Spinozism” and Hegel Consensual, Evolutionist “Modern Spinozism” After the Context

Part I. Secular Causality and Its Enjoyment From the First Cause to Transference Causes or Reasons? Science of Differential Substance Secular Ontology: Differential (Non-)Substance and the End of (Anti-)Platonism Wherein Consists the Break of Secular Modernity? History of Differential (Non-)Substance Ethics of Differential (Non-)Substance From Libido to Enjoyment A History of God in Secular Reason (From Philosophy to Non-Anti-Philosophy) God in (or out of?) Cultural Studies The Break of Extimacy (Burning with) Enjoyment God, Nobody, or Mr. Nobody?

Part II. Kant with Marx: Surplus, Or, Gaze Commodity Fetishism: Toward an Epistemo-/Ontology of Surplus The Rule of Representation and Sex (From Kant’s Rule of Reason to Marx’s Rule of Exchange-Value) Set Theory and Being (Marx’s Materialist Metaphysics)

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27 27 32 36

42 55 59 63 68

71 77 79 81 87

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Contents

From Absolute Knowledge to the Gaze Is It Possible Not to Hate Representation? (Another Look atEmpire)

Conclusion: Raising a Question Another Look at Ethics, Or, Commodity and the Gaze

Notes Works Cited Index

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123

133 133

141 177 187

Contents

Acknowledgments

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This book is written by meonly insofar as I am the collective effect of several texts, people, and experiences. Some of these texts are referenced, but acknowledged should be also those that are not, as well as those of my teachers who have never written for the purpose of publication. Practicing Spinozian monism, I would like to acknowledge indiscriminately the impact, pleasant or unpleasant, on my life and consequently work and career, of the following people: Chiarina Altomare-Sohou, Labros Antonatos, Aristeidis Baltas, Willi Benning, Cesare Casarino, Joan Copjec, Jonathan Culler, Karl Dahlquist, Ben Davis, Ellis Dye, Kiva Garen, Sabine Hake, Gitta Hammarberg, Peter Uwe Hohendahl, Aaron Hubbard, Steve Jaksa, Kojin Karatani, Eleni Katsiboki, Katerina and Chrysa Kyriazidou, Tasos Kolelis, Haris Kontopanagos, Konstantinos Kordellas, Maria Kordela, Penelope Kordella, Maria Koutsilieri, Stella Krouska, Fofo Kypreou, Dominick LaCapra, Peter Machamer, Biddy Martin, David Martyn, Miltos Menexelis, Jonathan Monroe, John Mowitt, Clark Muenzer, Tim Murray, Viki Nassouli, Kostas Pagondiotis, Jochen Schulte- Sasse, Linda Schulte-Sasse, Nikos Skouteropoulos, Demetres and Panos Souleles, Geoff Waite, and Leonidas Zampas, as well as all others of my teachers/colleagues at the Universities of Pittsburgh and Cornell, and colleagues/teachers at Macalester College. In the second part of the present book, I include some of the ideas proposed at the seminar on Experimental Critical Theory (SECT), organized by the Humanities Research Institute, at the University of California, Irvine (August 16–27, 2004). I take the opportunity to thank the participant-instructors, Alain Badiou, Joan Copjec, Mladen Dolar, Eric Santner, Slavoj Œiºek, and Alenka ZupanÇiÇ, for their engaging presentations and discussions, and lots of fun. My thanks go also to the organizers of the seminar, Kenneth Reinhard and Anna Kornbluh, for inviting me to present my work,

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