The Fragmentary Demand: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Jean-Luc Nancy

by Ian James

This introduction to the philosophy of Jean-Luc Nancy gives an overview of his philosophical thought to date and situates it within the broader context of contemporary French and European thinking. The book examines Nancy’s philosophy in relation to five specific his account of subjectivity; his understanding of space and spatiality; his thinking about the body and embodiment; his political thought; and his contribution to contemporary aesthetics. In each case it shows the way in which Nancy develops or moves beyond some of the key concerns associated with phenomenology, post-structuralism, and what could broadly be termed the “post-modern.”

Genres: Philosophy

296 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2005

Reviews

[Deep · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no real prior knowledge of Nancy but I'd call this an excellent introduction. Ian James division of Nancy's work into chapters on Subjectivity, Space, Body, Community, and Art are presented in such way that while each topic is clearly delineated in its problem; however, they build upon concerns and ways of approaching them introduced in earlier chapters. While maybe very subjective, James also strikes a very good balance of having succinct explanations of Kant, Heidegger, Husserl, Derrida without straying from the central concern of the text.

In short: Ian James have given me a good comprehension of Nancy's concepts of philosophy's tension between literature and the mathematical proof; community as shared finitude; the ontological weight of sensation; while also leaving me interested in deeper engagement with all these topics in Nancy's own corpus.

[Michael Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

the chapter on 'community' especially helpful