Table of Contents

Guide to Abbreviations of Badiou's Publications vi

Introduction 1

1 Badiou's Philosophical Background 17

2 Being and Event 29

3 Situations and Events 48

4 Logics of Worlds 67

5 Infi nity and Truth 85

6 Badiou's Theories of the Subject 104

7 Ethics and Affects 128

8 Politics 154

Conclusion 175

Select Bibliography 186

Index 188

About the Author

Ed Pluth is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at California State University.

Reviews

"Ed Pluth's book is an admirably accessible and intellectually rigorous introduction to the work of Alain Badiou. In precise and unaffected prose, he provides compelling reconstructions of the key facets of Badiou's philosophy, from his mathematical ontology to his thinking of the event. An excellent starting-point for those new to Badiou's thought, Pluth's book also offers insightful treatments of issues of concern to more specialized readers, such as the role of affect in Badiou's understanding of the subject, and the link between his two major works, Being and Event and Logics of Worlds . Above all, Pluth convincingly shows how Badiou's philosophy combines the formal requirements of logic and ontology with an emphasis on the courage needed to live a life committed to unprecedented truths." Alberto Toscano, Goldsmiths, University of London "This book is a clear-eyed walk straight to the heart of Badiou's philosophy - all dross is eliminated in the pursuit of a single, astounding, idea: that if we do not take the risk of being faithful to a truth, we guarantee ourselves inhuman lives. Pluth has not only introduced Badiou's philosophy, he has crystallized it." Oliver Feltham, American University of Paris