Dictionary of Non-Philosophy

by François Laruelle

In The Dictionary of Non-Philosophy, the French thinker François Laruelle does something unprecedented for philosophers: he provides an enormous dictionary with a theoretical introduction, carefully crafting his thoughts to explain the numerous terms and neologisms that he deems necessary for the project of non-philosophy. With a collective of thinkers also interested in the project, Laruelle has taken up the difficult task of creating an essential guide for entering into his non-standard, non-philosophical terrain. And for Laruelle, even the idea of a dictionary and what a dictionary is become material for his non-philosophical inquiries. As his opening note begins, “Thus on the surface and within the philosophical folds of the dictionary, identity and its effect upon meaning are what is at stake.”

Genres: Philosophy

171 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

François Laruelle was a French philosopher, of the Collège international de philosophie and the University of Paris X: Nanterre. Laruelle began publishing in the early 1970s and had around twenty book-length titles to his name. Alumnus of the École normale supérieure, Laruelle was notable for developing a science of philosophy that he calls non-philosophy. Until his death, he directed an international organisation dedicated to furthering the cause of non-philosophy, the Organisation Non-Philosophique Internationale.

Reviews

[Zack2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dictionary is the perfect format for Laruelle's style in his Philosophy III phase, where he undertakes a repetitive, churning exploration of the structure of non-philosophy. This book gives dozens of short views of the system (which, I might add, is totally beautiful) from varied angles.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is useful in helping someone get to grips with Laruelle's vocabulary. However, you can't just look at a single entry and be done with it. More often than not, you're having to look at 3 or 4 different entries just to understand a single word.