There are perpetual debates about the extent of freedom in politics. Are we free to choose? Are we overdetermined by our material conditions? Some hybrid between the two? What is more, how are we to comprehend ourselves as creators of history if freedom itself is a problematic concept? And what would it mean if self-comprehension were foreclosed by this problematic? In this text, Austin Hayden Smidt analyzes an oft-overlooked text by Jean-Paul Sartre in order to ground a logical framework for exploring this paradox. In Critique of Dialectical Reason, Sartre sought to develop an historical and structural heuristic; one that would enable future theorists and activists alike to assess the pressing problems facing the various milieux of capitalist life. Through this heuristic, his intent was to develop an orientation enabling humans to transform their world in their perpetual creation of themselves (and vice versa). However, the stylistic difficulties of the text, as well as a general agreement among previous interpreters, has prevented the richness of the investigation from taking root. This book sets a new course, and invites further collaboration as – together – we create society as a work of art.
Austin Hayden Smidt is a political philosopher, producer, writer, podcaster and performer. His research is most concerned with analyzing social life under the conditions of capitalism in order to envision better arrangements. He is the producer of the cinematic adaptation of the best-selling book Inventing the Future and co-host of the Show Me the Meaning and Owls at Dawn podcasts.
AcknowledgementsAbbreviationsGlossary of TermsIntroduction: Rediscovering Sartre in a Completely Natural WayIntroduction NotesPart One: The Living Logic of Action in Critique of Dialectical ReasonChapter 1: Dialectical Reason and the Paradoxico-Critical Orientation of Thought Chapter 2: Dialectical Logic and The Pervasion of Seriality: Towards a Fresh Reading of Sartre's Critique of Dialectical ReasonChapter 3: The Field of Possibles: the Practico-inert and the Exigency of Objective ConditionsChapter 4: Pluridimensional Seriality Chapter 5: Freedom and the Logic of the GroupPart Two: Toward an Imaginative Logic of Action Chapter 6: The Logic of Poetic ImaginationChapter 7: A Tale of Two LogicsChapter 8: Creating Society as a Work of ArtChapter 9: Prolegomena to Any Future Critique of Political EconomyConclusionConclusion NotesBibliographyIndex
Smidt’s book is essential to anyone dealing with Critique of Dialectical Reason in a substantial manner and provides an entry point . . .for those interested in a critical and well-articulated overview of Sartre’s positions.