The Castoriadis Reader

Cornelius Castoriadis is presently Director of Studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He is a philosopher, social critic, professional economist, practicing psychoanalyst and one of Europe's foremost thinkers. The Castoriadis Reader provides for the first time an overview of the author's work and encompasses every aspect of his thought.

Foreword vii

Acknowledgements xvi

Abbreviations xviii

1.'The Only Way to Find out If You Can Swim Is to Get into the Water’: An Introductory Interview (1974) 1

2. Presentation of Socialisme ou Barbarie: An Organ of Critique and Revolutionary Orientation (1949) 35

3. On the Content of Socialism (1955-1957): Excerpts 40

From the Critique of Bureaucracy to the Idea of the Proletariat's Autonomy (1955) 40

On the Content of Socialism, II (1957) 49

4. Recommencing the Revolution (1964) 106

5. Marxism and Revolutionary Theory (1964-65). Excerpts 139

Marxism: A Provisional Assessment 139

Theory and Revolutionary Project 146

6. The Social Imaginary and the Institution (1975). Excerpt. The Social-Historical 196

7. The Social Regime in Russia (1978) 218

8. From Ecology to Autonomy (1980) 239

9. The Crisis of Western Societies (1982) 253

10. The Greek Polis and the Creation of Democracy (1983) 267

11. The Logic of Magmas and the Question of Autonomy (1983) 290

12. Radical Imagination and the Social Instituting Imaginary (1994) 319

13. Culture in a Democratic Society (1994) 338

14. Psychoanalysis and Philosophy (1996) 349

15. Done and To Be Done (1989) 361

Index 418

"The Castoriadis Reader, with representative extracts from almost fifty years of political and philosophical writing, reflects his long march from Marx back to Aristotle." Scott McLemmee, Lingua Franca

"When so many pay superficial tribute to false prophets, how much better to pay serious attention to this true thinker." Nicolas Walter, New Statesman

"For those unfamiliar with the thought of Castoriadis, reading his works for the first time is to encounter one of the most original and creative figures of the last half of the twentieth century." David Wallace, Topia

David Ames Curtis is an independent translator and writer. He is based in Paris. Cornelius Castoriadis (b.1922) cofounded the now legendary revolutionary group and journal Socialisme ou Barbarie (1948-1967). Presently a Director of Studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, Castoriadis is a philosopher, social critic, professional economist, and a practicing psychoanalyst who is considered one of Europe's foremost thinkers. Through such works as The Imaginary Institution of Society, Crossroads in the Labyrinth, Political and Social Writings (3 vols.), Philosophy, Politics, Autonomy, and World in Fragments, he has renovated social thought and exerted a profound influence on the twentieth century.

For both first-time readers and those already familiar with his work, The Castoriadis Reader provides a thorough overview that encompasses every aspect of his thought: Socialisme ou Barbarie trenchant critique of Russian totalitarianism and of "modern capitalism" in the West which paved the way for an alternative left-wing politics and inspired the 1968 student-worker rebellion in France; the development of ideas of a "project of autonomy" and "the imaginary institution of society"; and a representative selection of recent texts on ecology, aesthetics, the "crisis of Western Societies", the "radical imagination", the philosophical significance of psychoanalysis, an alternative interview offers a historical overview of Castoriadis's life and work. In a concluding chapter that presents replies to his international critics, the author further clarifies his ideas while opening new paths for the creation of an "autonomous society."

David Ames Curtis's selection of classical and contemporary material charts Castoriadis's contributions to the revolutionizing of thought and society over the past five decades. His Foreword and a thorough listing of Castoriadis's major texts provide the reader with the necessary background for further explorations.