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"[T]he most original, ambitious, and reflective attempt to think throughthe liberating mediation of history, society, external and internalnature once again as praxis." -- Jürgen Habermas, ThePhilosophical Discourse of Modernity

"Castoriadis's The Imaginary Institution of Society is a work ofgreat power and originality. As a work of social theory, I would arguethat it belongs in a class with the writings of Habermas and Arendt." --Jay Bernstein, University of Essex

This is one of the most original and important works of contemporaryEuropean thought. First published in France in 1975, it is the majortheoretical work of one of the foremost thinkers in Europe today.

Castoriadis offers a brilliant and far-reaching analysis of the uniquecharacter of the social-historical world and its relations to theindividual, to language, and to nature. He argues that most traditionalconceptions of society and history overlook the essential feature of thesocial-historical world, namely that this world is not articulated onceand for all but is in each case the creation of the society concerned.In emphasizing the element of creativity, Castoriadis opens the way forrethinking political theory and practice in terms of the autonomous andexplicit self-institution of society. ... Read more

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One of the most important thinkers of the 20th century
Castoriadis was born in 1922 in cosmopolitan Constantinople (now Istanbul)from Greek parents. He grew up in Athens in a cultivated and fertile social environment. Castoriadis belongs to the generation of Greek thinkers that left Greece (in 1945 because of the Greek civil war)and matured in Europe (Axelos, Kranaki, Papaioannou etc.).The imaginary istitution of society is his landmark work. In this work he covers several subjects (marxism, revolutionary theory, social imaginary and the individual..).A few words from this work will show the depthand clarity of his thought: "Is my desire infantile? But it is the situation we live in infantile. That the life is given to us, the law is given to us. In an infantile situation life is given for nothing;and the law is given without anything (sans rien), without a possible discussion. But what I want is the opposite: I want to live my life and if possible to give life .....The person who is in an infantile level is the person who is apolitical and conformist...the person who replaces the private father with the social anonymous father... " ... Read more

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Cornelius Castoriadis is a fascinating figure, not only because of his personal and intellectual background, but because of the extraordinary breadth of his interests and his ability to play the brilliant intellectual jester—all characteristics in abundant evidence in this collection of essays. In them, Castoriadis goes to the heart of deep philosophical issues raised but not answered by modern thought.

The book presents his concerns with the development of analytical theories of psychology, language, and politics, all commonly rooted in the social and historical aspects of human creativity. It examines figures as diverse as Aristotle, Heidegger, Lacan, Marx, and Merleau-Ponty. ... Read more

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These remarkable essays include Cornelius Castoriadis's latest contributions to philosophy, political and social theory, classical studies, development theory, cultural criticism, science, and ecology. Examining the "co-birth" in ancient Greece of philosophy and politics, Castoriadis shows how the Greeks' radical questioning of established ideas and institutions gave rise to the "project of autonomy".The "end of philosophy" proclaimed by Postmodernism would mean the end of this project.That end is now hastened by the lethal expansion of technoscience, the waning of political and social conflict, and the resignation of intellectuals who blindly defend Western culture as it is or who merely denounce or "deconstruct" it as it has been. Discussing and criticizing Plato, Aristotle, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, Weber, Heidegger, and Habermas, the author of The Imaginary Institution of Society and Crossroads in the Labyrinth poses a radical challenge to our inherited philosophy. ... Read more

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This title is a collection of interviews in which Cornelius Castoriadis discusses his key works and ideas. Cornelius Castoriadis (1922-1997) was a philosopher, social critic, political activist, practicing psychoanalyst and professional economist. His work is widely recognized as one of the most singular and important contributions to twentieth-century thought. In this collection of interviews, Castoriadis discusses some of his most important ideas with leading figures in the disciplines that play such a crucial part in his philosophical work: poetry, psychoanalysis, biology and mathematics. Available in English for the first time, these interviews provide a concise and accessible introduction to his work as a whole, allowing him to draw on the astounding breadth of his knowledge (ranging from philosophy and mathematics to political theory and psychoanalysis). They also render Castoriadis' cutting, polemical and entertaining style while displaying the originality and clarity of his primary concepts. Intellectually provoking, this timely collection shows how Castoriadis' polemics are sharp and riveting, his conceptual manoeuvres rigorous and original, and his passion inspiring.This is an excellent introduction to one of Europe's most important intellectuals. ... Read more

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