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Philosophy & Critical Theory Books in this online selection represent only a sliver of what we offer in the store. If you've got a particular book in mind and want to check on its availability, call us at 415-362-8193.

1 2 3 4 5 >>>     sort list by title | author Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story Jim Holt In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddle of existence from the ancient world to modern times. Whether framed philosophically as "Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?" or more colloquially as... Plato's Republic A Dialogue in 16 Chapters Alain Badiou Plato's Republic is one of the best-known and most widely-discussed texts in the history of philosophy. But how might we get to the heart of this work today, 2,500 years after its original composition? Alain Badiou breathes life into Plato's landmark... On the Map A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks Simon Garfield Simon Garfield's Just My Type illuminated the world of fonts and made everyone take a stand on Comic Sans and care about kerning. Now Garfield takes on a subject even dearer to our fanatical human hearts: maps... Body Drift Butler Hayles Haraway Arthur Kroker According to Arthur Kroker, the postmodernism of Judith Butler, the posthumanism of Katherine Hayles, and the companionism of Donna Haraway are possible pathways to the posthuman future that is captured by the specter of body drift. Body drift refers... A Little History of Philosophy Nigel Warburton Philosophy begins with questions about the nature of reality and how we should live. These were the concerns of Socrates, who spent his days in the ancient Athenian marketplace asking awkward questions, disconcerting the people he met by showing them... Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story Jim Holt In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddle of existence from the ancient world to modern times. Whether framed philosophically as "Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?" or more colloquially... The Event of Literature Terry Eagleton What is literature? Can we even speak of "literature" at all? What do different literary theories tell us about what texts mean and do? In throwing new light on these and other questions, Eagleton offers a new theory of what we mean by literature. Maphead Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks Ken Jennings It comes as no surprise that, as a kid, Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings slept with a bulky Hammond world atlas by his pillow every night. Maphead recounts his lifelong love affair with geography and explores why maps have always been so fascinating to... A Wicked Company The Forgotten Radicalism of the European Enlightenment Philipp Blom The flourishing of radical philosophy in Baron Thierry Holbach's Paris salon from the 1750s to the 1770s stands as a seminal event in Western history. Holbach's house was an international epicenter of revolutionary ideas and intellectual daring... Pataphysical Essays René Daumal Pataphysical Essays collects Daumal's overtly pataphysical writings from 1929 to 1941, from his landmark exposition on pataphysics and laughter to his late essay, "The Pataphysics of Ghosts." Daumal's "Treatise on Patagrams" offers the reader... Many Subtle Channels In Praise of Potential Literature Daniel Levin Becker This book presents us with Oulipo—the mischievous group of writers whose obsession with words knows no limits. Levin Becker expertly describes the members of the group, each one uniquely working to devise linguistic puzzles to write within. Friends, Followers and the Future How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media Rory O'Connor Award-winning journalist Rory O'Connor explores how social media is transforming not only politics, media, and business, but every aspect of how we live. The Grey Album On the Blackness of Blackness Kevin Young Taking its title from Danger Mouse's pioneering mashup of Jay-Z's The Black Album and the Beatles' The White Album, Kevin Young’s encyclopedic book combines essay, cultural criticism, and lyrical chorus to illustrate the African American tradition of... Wittgenstein's Anti-Philosophy Alain Badiou Alain Badiou takes on the standard bearer of the "linguistic turn" in modern philosophy, and anatomizes the “anti-philosophy” of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Addressing the crucial moment where Wittgenstein argues that much has to be passed over in silence... 1 2 3 4 5 >>>