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Dialogism
by Michael Holquist • 1990
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
4.09
88
Dialogism Summary
Dialogism 91%
All speech answers prior speech, all selves depend on others: the dialogic philosophy of Bakhtin.
by Michael Holquist 1990
4.09
88 ratings
Structural Anthropology
by Claude Lévi-Strauss • 1958
Culture obeys a hidden logic as strict as grammar. The linguistic method that reveals it.
3.93
2k+
Structural Anthropology Summary
Structural Anthropology 90%
Culture obeys a hidden logic as strict as grammar. The linguistic method that reveals it.
by Claude Lévi-Strauss 1958
3.93
2k+ ratings
The Savage Mind
by Claude Lévi-Strauss • 1962
So-called primitive thought builds meaning like a handyman: from whatever pieces are at hand.
3.93
2k+
The Savage Mind Summary
The Savage Mind 90%
So-called primitive thought builds meaning like a handyman: from whatever pieces are at hand.
by Claude Lévi-Strauss 1962
3.93
2k+ ratings
The Logic of Sense
by Gilles Deleuze • 1969
Sense is not a thing but an event, a surface effect where language meets the world.
4.29
1k+
The Logic of Sense Summary
The Logic of Sense 90%
Sense is not a thing but an event, a surface effect where language meets the world.
by Gilles Deleuze 1969
4.29
1k+ ratings
Mythologies
by Roland Barthes • 1957
Wrestling, soap ads, and the Tour de France: how everyday life gets made to look inevitable.
4.08
17k+
Mythologies Summary
Mythologies 89%
Wrestling, soap ads, and the Tour de France: how everyday life gets made to look inevitable.
by Roland Barthes 1957
4.08
17k+ ratings
Writing and Difference
by Jacques Derrida • 1967
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
4.00
8k+
Writing and Difference Summary
Writing and Difference 89%
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
by Jacques Derrida 1967
4.00
8k+ ratings
Passwords
by Jean Baudrillard • 2000
We mapped the world so completely that we erased it. The simulation is all that remains.
3.75
418
Passwords Summary
Passwords 89%
We mapped the world so completely that we erased it. The simulation is all that remains.
by Jean Baudrillard 2000
3.75
418 ratings
Looking Awry
by Slavoj Žižek • 1991
Lacan's hardest ideas become visible when you watch Hitchcock with the wrong kind of attention.
4.02
2k+
Looking Awry Summary
Looking Awry 89%
Lacan's hardest ideas become visible when you watch Hitchcock with the wrong kind of attention.
by Slavoj Žižek 1991
4.02
2k+ ratings
Slavoj Zizek
by Tony Myers • 2003
Your cynicism isn't rebellion. According to Žižek, it's the purest form of ideology.
3.82
266
Slavoj Zizek Summary
Slavoj Zizek 89%
Your cynicism isn't rebellion. According to Žižek, it's the purest form of ideology.
by Tony Myers 2003
3.82
266 ratings
The Order of Things
by Michel Foucault • 1966
Thought is governed by hidden rules that have collapsed twice. 'Man' was their latest product.
4.12
10k+
The Order of Things Summary
The Order of Things 89%
Thought is governed by hidden rules that have collapsed twice. 'Man' was their latest product.
by Michel Foucault 1966
4.12
10k+ ratings
Of Grammatology
by Jacques Derrida • 1967
Philosophy treats speech as pure thought and writing as its corrupt double. It has it backward.
3.97
5k+
Of Grammatology Summary
Of Grammatology 89%
Philosophy treats speech as pure thought and writing as its corrupt double. It has it backward.
by Jacques Derrida 1967
3.97
5k+ ratings
The Posthuman
by Rosi Braidotti • 2013
Humanism promised progress but delivered exclusion. A theory of what we become next.
3.82
949
The Posthuman Summary
The Posthuman 89%
Humanism promised progress but delivered exclusion. A theory of what we become next.
by Rosi Braidotti 2013
3.82
949 ratings
The Seminar of Jacques Lacan
by Jacques Lacan • 1998
The unconscious is not what you feel but what escapes when you speak. Four foundations, redefined.
4.11
2k+
The Seminar of Jacques Lacan Summary
The Seminar of Jacques Lacan 89%
The unconscious is not what you feel but what escapes when you speak. Four foundations, redefined.
by Jacques Lacan 1998
4.11
2k+ ratings
Acts of Meaning
by Jerome Bruner • 1990
The cognitive revolution was supposed to study meaning. It gave us a machine instead.
4.06
346
Acts of Meaning Summary
Acts of Meaning 89%
The cognitive revolution was supposed to study meaning. It gave us a machine instead.
by Jerome Bruner 1990
4.06
346 ratings
The Sublime Object of Ideology
by Slavoj Žižek • 1989
We are cynical, not naive. The ideological illusion operates through our actions, not our beliefs.
4.07
6k+
The Sublime Object of Ideology Summary
The Sublime Object of Ideology 89%
We are cynical, not naive. The ideological illusion operates through our actions, not our beliefs.
by Slavoj Žižek 1989
4.07
6k+ ratings
Anti-Oedipus
by Gilles Deleuze • 1972
Desire produces, not pursues. Oedipus is how society tames it.
4.18
9k+
Anti-Oedipus Summary
Anti-Oedipus 89%
Desire produces, not pursues. Oedipus is how society tames it.
by Gilles Deleuze 1972
4.18
9k+ ratings
The Limits of Interpretation
by Umberto Eco • 1990
When deconstruction declared all readings equal, Eco showed why the text itself disagrees.
4.13
552
The Limits of Interpretation Summary
The Limits of Interpretation 89%
When deconstruction declared all readings equal, Eco showed why the text itself disagrees.
by Umberto Eco 1990
4.13
552 ratings
How to Read Lacan
by Slavoj Žižek • 2006
Canned laughter, borrowed desire, and the hidden logic that links sitcoms to totalitarianism.
3.94
4k+
How to Read Lacan Summary
How to Read Lacan 89%
Canned laughter, borrowed desire, and the hidden logic that links sitcoms to totalitarianism.
by Slavoj Žižek 2006
3.94
4k+ ratings
The Skilled Communicator in Social Work
by Karen Healy • 2017
Poststructuralism doesn't end critical social work; it saves it from its own certainties.
4.00
4
The Skilled Communicator in Social Work Summary
The Skilled Communicator in Social Work 88%
Poststructuralism doesn't end critical social work; it saves it from its own certainties.
by Karen Healy 2017
4.00
4 ratings
Simulacra and Simulation
by Jean Baudrillard • 1981
What's left of reality when the map no longer copies the territory but creates it?
4.00
17k+
Simulacra and Simulation Summary
Simulacra and Simulation 88%
What's left of reality when the map no longer copies the territory but creates it?
by Jean Baudrillard 1981
4.00
17k+ ratings
Introducing Cultural Studies
by Ziauddin Sardar • 1994
Your taste is a power move. Cultural studies explains the rules of the game.
3.50
448
Introducing Cultural Studies Summary
Introducing Cultural Studies 88%
Your taste is a power move. Cultural studies explains the rules of the game.
by Ziauddin Sardar 1994
3.50
448 ratings
Écrits
by Jacques Lacan • 1966
The unconscious speaks in metaphors. The self is a reflection. Desire is always secondhand.
4.03
3k+
Écrits Summary
Écrits 88%
The unconscious speaks in metaphors. The self is a reflection. Desire is always secondhand.
by Jacques Lacan 1966
4.03
3k+ ratings
The True Life
by Alain Badiou • 2016
A philosopher's diagnosis: boys can't become men, girls lose girlhood; the solution is corruption.
3.61
555
The True Life Summary
The True Life 88%
A philosopher's diagnosis: boys can't become men, girls lose girlhood; the solution is corruption.
by Alain Badiou 2016
3.61
555 ratings
The Anatomy of Genres
by John Truby • 2022
Genres are philosophies disguised as story types. Crack the beats and you crack writing and life.
4.21
607
The Anatomy of Genres Summary
The Anatomy of Genres 88%
Genres are philosophies disguised as story types. Crack the beats and you crack writing and life.
by John Truby 2022
4.21
607 ratings
The Translator's Invisibility
by Lawrence Venuti • 1994
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
3.79
272
The Translator's Invisibility Summary
The Translator's Invisibility 88%
The smoother a translation reads, the more it erases the foreign culture and the translator's labor.
by Lawrence Venuti 1994
3.79
272 ratings
Social Theory and Social Structure
by Robert K. Merton • 1949
Why false beliefs become real, rules outlast their purpose, and satisfaction is always relative.
4.23
124
Social Theory and Social Structure Summary
Social Theory and Social Structure 88%
Why false beliefs become real, rules outlast their purpose, and satisfaction is always relative.
by Robert K. Merton 1949
4.23
124 ratings
A History of India, Vol. 1
by Romila Thapar • 1990
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
3.63
2k+
A History of India, Vol. 1 Summary
A History of India, Vol. 1 88%
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
by Romila Thapar 1990
3.63
2k+ ratings
The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity
by Jürgen Habermas • 1985
Western philosophy bet everything on the individual knower. From Hegel onward, the bet kept losing.
3.90
1k+
The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity Summary
The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity 88%
Western philosophy bet everything on the individual knower. From Hegel onward, the bet kept losing.
by Jürgen Habermas 1985
3.90
1k+ ratings
A Thousand Plateaus
by Gilles Deleuze • 1980
All of Western thought is a tree. Two French philosophers found the off-switch: the root network.
4.33
7k+
A Thousand Plateaus Summary
A Thousand Plateaus 88%
All of Western thought is a tree. Two French philosophers found the off-switch: the root network.
by Gilles Deleuze 1980
4.33
7k+ ratings
Visual Methodologies
by Gillian Rose • 2001
Seven methods for interpreting images, one demand: know your own position and why it matters.
3.87
278
Visual Methodologies Summary
Visual Methodologies 88%
Seven methods for interpreting images, one demand: know your own position and why it matters.
by Gillian Rose 2001
3.87
278 ratings
The Social Construction of Reality
by Peter L. Berger • 1966
The world you take for granted is built: how everyday talk, habit, and institutions make reality.
4.11
4k+
The Social Construction of Reality Summary
The Social Construction of Reality 88%
The world you take for granted is built: how everyday talk, habit, and institutions make reality.
by Peter L. Berger 1966
4.11
4k+ ratings
Only a Joke Can Save Us
by Todd McGowan • 2017
When lack and excess collide, laughter erupts. A philosopher shows why that shock is liberating.
4.32
37
Only a Joke Can Save Us Summary
Only a Joke Can Save Us 88%
When lack and excess collide, laughter erupts. A philosopher shows why that shock is liberating.
by Todd McGowan 2017
4.32
37 ratings
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
by Walter Benjamin • 1936
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
4.08
25k+
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Summary
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 88%
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
by Walter Benjamin 1936
4.08
25k+ ratings
Trouble in Paradise
by Slavoj Žižek • 2014
Financial crises don't break capitalism. They renew it. The way out was buried on purpose.
3.73
1k+
Trouble in Paradise Summary
Trouble in Paradise 88%
Financial crises don't break capitalism. They renew it. The way out was buried on purpose.
by Slavoj Žižek 2014
3.73
1k+ ratings
Identity And Story
by Dan P. McAdams • 2006
The self is not one voice but many, and identity is the story they rewrite together.
4.12
26
Identity And Story Summary
Identity And Story 88%
The self is not one voice but many, and identity is the story they rewrite together.
by Dan P. McAdams 2006
4.12
26 ratings
Being And Event
by Alain Badiou • 1988
Set theory is the science of being itself, and the One is nowhere in it.
4.01
1k+
Being And Event Summary
Being And Event 88%
Set theory is the science of being itself, and the One is nowhere in it.
by Alain Badiou 1988
4.01
1k+ ratings
The Racist Fantasy
by Todd McGowan • 2022
Racism's real source isn't hatred but psychic enjoyment: the obstacle is the point.
4.51
59
The Racist Fantasy Summary
The Racist Fantasy 88%
Racism's real source isn't hatred but psychic enjoyment: the obstacle is the point.
by Todd McGowan 2022
4.51
59 ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 88%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
The Seven Basic Plots
by Christopher Booker • 2004
All stories are one of seven shapes. And they all solve the same psychological problem.
3.76
2k+
The Seven Basic Plots Summary
The Seven Basic Plots 88%
All stories are one of seven shapes. And they all solve the same psychological problem.
by Christopher Booker 2004
3.76
2k+ ratings
Archaeologies of the Future
by Fredric Jameson • 2005
Utopia's function is not to predict the future but to prove the present is not inevitable.
4.04
596
Archaeologies of the Future Summary
Archaeologies of the Future 88%
Utopia's function is not to predict the future but to prove the present is not inevitable.
by Fredric Jameson 2005
4.04
596 ratings
The Sociology of Anthony Giddens
by Steven Loyal • 2003
Giddens built his sociology around individual freedom. It was always politics dressed as theory.
4.31
16
The Sociology of Anthony Giddens Summary
The Sociology of Anthony Giddens 88%
Giddens built his sociology around individual freedom. It was always politics dressed as theory.
by Steven Loyal 2003
4.31
16 ratings
The Society of the Spectacle
by Guy Debord • 1967
Life is no longer lived but watched. A 1967 diagnosis of how images replaced reality.
4.03
24k+
The Society of the Spectacle Summary
The Society of the Spectacle 88%
Life is no longer lived but watched. A 1967 diagnosis of how images replaced reality.
by Guy Debord 1967
4.03
24k+ ratings
Flatline Constructs
by Mark Fisher • 2018
Reality flatlined into the undead where cybernetics, gothic horror, and theory-as-fiction converge.
4.13
345
Flatline Constructs Summary
Flatline Constructs 88%
Reality flatlined into the undead where cybernetics, gothic horror, and theory-as-fiction converge.
by Mark Fisher 2018
4.13
345 ratings
Rational Choice and Security Studies
by Michael E. Brown • 2000
Two visions of political science: one builds mathematical temples, the other wants to stop war.
3.78
9
Rational Choice and Security Studies Summary
Rational Choice and Security Studies 88%
Two visions of political science: one builds mathematical temples, the other wants to stop war.
by Michael E. Brown 2000
3.78
9 ratings
Extrastatecraft
by Keller Easterling • 2014
Free zones and broadband cables don't just move goods. They rewrite who governs the world.
3.68
410
Extrastatecraft Summary
Extrastatecraft 88%
Free zones and broadband cables don't just move goods. They rewrite who governs the world.
by Keller Easterling 2014
3.68
410 ratings
Michel Foucault
by Hubert L. Dreyfus • 1982
Power fabricates the modern individual. Foucault's method shows how, and his final word is refusal.
4.11
574
Michel Foucault Summary
Michel Foucault 88%
Power fabricates the modern individual. Foucault's method shows how, and his final word is refusal.
by Hubert L. Dreyfus 1982
4.11
574 ratings
One-Dimensional Man
by Herbert Marcuse • 1964
The prison of comfort: needs manufactured, desires satisfied, the very idea of escape erased.
3.98
8k+
One-Dimensional Man Summary
One-Dimensional Man 88%
The prison of comfort: needs manufactured, desires satisfied, the very idea of escape erased.
by Herbert Marcuse 1964
3.98
8k+ ratings
Hegemony and Socialist Strategy
by Ernesto Laclau • 1985
Consensus is a mirage. Conflict is ineradicable; any left project that forgets this fails.
3.82
1k+
Hegemony and Socialist Strategy Summary
Hegemony and Socialist Strategy 88%
Consensus is a mirage. Conflict is ineradicable; any left project that forgets this fails.
by Ernesto Laclau 1985
3.82
1k+ ratings
Social Identity
by Richard Jenkins • 1996
Your identity is shaped more by institutions than by introspection.
3.71
131
Social Identity Summary
Social Identity 88%
Your identity is shaped more by institutions than by introspection.
by Richard Jenkins 1996
3.71
131 ratings
The Listening Society
by Hanzi Freinacht • 2017
Political systems ignore how minds grow. A blueprint for a state that develops its citizens.
4.49
402
The Listening Society Summary
The Listening Society 88%
Political systems ignore how minds grow. A blueprint for a state that develops its citizens.
by Hanzi Freinacht 2017
4.49
402 ratings
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