The Lesser Existences: tienne Souriau, an Aesthetics for the Virtual
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
The Lesser Existences: tienne Souriau, an Aesthetics for the Virtual
By (Author) David Lapoujade
Translated by Erik Beranek
University of Minnesota Press
University of Minnesota Press
21st September 2021
United States
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
111
Physical Properties
Paperback
144
Width 127mm, Height 203mm, Spine 25mm
Description
On the complex aesthetics and ontology at work in tienne Souriaus unique oeuvre
In this concise but expansive exegesis of the philosophical aesthetics of tienne Souriau, philosopher David Lapoujade provides a lucid introduction to many of the key concepts underpinning Souriaus existential pluralism. Among the various modes of existence that populate a world, Souriau grants particular importance to virtual beingsthe lesserexistences. Always taking the form of a sketch or an outline, the perfection of such existences lies precisely in the incompletion with which they imbue all reality. They exist with a problematizing force, posing questions and inviting the establishment of an art that would make them more real. And yet, for this to happen, another existence must first see themmust be capable of hearing their appealsand must be willing to defend their right to exist.
Through discussions of modern art ranging from the dispossessed characters of Kafka and Beckett to the grids of Agnes Martin and the protographies of Oscar Muoz, Lapoujade leads the reader into a complex philosophical world, brimming with modal existences and animated by a unique conception of creative processes, where the philosopher as artist or artist as philosopher becomes an advocate, defending the right of certain realities to gain in existence. For Souriau, nothing is given in advance, everything is a work in the making: such is the instaurative practice that grounds his entire oeuvre.
Author Bio
David Lapoujade is professor of philosophy at Universit Paris 1Sorbonne, and author of numerous books, including William James: Empiricism and Pragmatism, Aberrant Movements: The Philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, and Powers of Time: Versions of Bergson (Univocal/Minnesota, 2018).
Erik Beranek is translator of tienne Souriaus The Different Modes of Existence and Jacques Rancires Bla Tarr, the Time After and cotranslator of Intolerable: Writings from Michel Foucault and the Prisons Information Group (19701980), all from Minnesota.
