The Greek Imaginary - by Cornelius Castoriadis (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book collects 12 previously untranslated lectures by Castoriadis from 1982 to 1983. Castoriadis focuses on the interconnection between philosophy and democracy and the way both emerge within a self-critical imaginary already in development in the work of early Greek poets and Presocratic philosophers.

Book Synopsis

This book collects 12 previously untranslated lectures by Castoriadis from 1982 to 1983. Castoriadis focuses on the interconnection between philosophy and democracy and the way both emerge within a self-critical imaginary already in development in the work of early Greek poets and Presocratic philosophers.
Displaying both mastery of the relevant scholarship and original interpretation, he reveals the birth of a society that would place its highest value in calling itself and its institutions into question. He argues that this spirit would develop directly into the twin signatures of the Greek world, namely radical philosophy, on the one hand, and radical democratic practices, on the other.
Like no previous interpreter, Castoriadis allows us to feel the existential need, already present in the earliest Greek thinkers, to question the significance of human existence and to share in shaping its meaning. The Greeks not only did this, he argues, they also began the equally important work of establishing the institutions to support such a project.

From the Back Cover

Offers in English for the first time philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis's earliest surviving lectures on the ancient Greeks This book collects 12 previously untranslated lectures by Castoriadis from 1982 to 1983. Castoriadis focuses on the interconnection between philosophy and democracy and the way both emerge within a self-critical imaginary already in development in the work of early Greek poets and Presocratic philosophers. Displaying both mastery of the relevant scholarship and original interpretation, he reveals the birth of a society that would place its highest value in calling itself and its institutions into question. He argues that this spirit would develop directly into the twin signatures of the Greek world, namely radical philosophy, on the one hand, and radical democratic practices, on the other. Like no previous interpreter, Castoriadis allows us to feel the existential need, already present in the earliest Greek thinkers, to question the significance of human existence and to share in shaping its meaning. The Greeks not only did this, he argues, they also began the equally important work of establishing the institutions to support such a project. Cornelius Castoriadis (1922-1997) was a Greek-French philosopher and author of a large corpus on the topics of ontology, politics, psychoanalysis, and several other fields. Emigrating to France after World War II, he co-founded the political group Socialisme ou Barbarie (1948-1967), worked in economics, practiced as a psychoanalyst, and eventually served from 1980-1995 as the director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris. John V. Garner is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of West Georgia.

Review Quotes

The Greek Imaginary: From Homer to Heraclitus, Seminars 1982-1983 will certainly be of interest for those without French interested in this aspect of Castoriadis' work. [...] The book's formatting is convenient, and the typography is pleasing to eye. [...] I do find Castoriadis' vision of Greece generally compelling and attractive. It will no doubt help orient some of us who are making our own sea-voyages on that vast and wonderous expanse.--Joseph Gerbasi, University of Toronto "BMCR 2024.01.10"

As with any philosophical piece, the translation of philosophical thought is a difficult endeavor. This translation seems to be complete; nothing having been omitted from the content of the original book. The terms used are accurate, and depict the true meaning of the original work, meaning there is consistency in the terminology, while the readability of the chapters remains intact, and the reader's experience in reading the piece can be considered to have a natural flow, similar to the experience of a reader of the original piece.

--George Peter Bifis, Phaedra Giannopoulou, and Angeliki-Maria Argyrakou "Conatus - Journal of Philosophy"

Castoriadis' insightful and provocative analysis of ancient Greek poetry, history, mythology, and philosophy seeks to elucidate the creation of the two main "social imaginary significations" democracy and philosophy as inseparable yet mutually presupposing each other. The book is indispensable for the understanding of the relevance of ancient philosophy for contemporary democratic practice.

-- "Dmitri Nikulin, The New School for Social Research"

These seminars showcase Castoriadis as a captivating and extremely learned interlocutor with a distinctive and original interpretation of what makes Greece.

--Suzi Adams, Flinders University "European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology"

Certainly, in this book we gain much to reflect on and to take further in our search for philosophy and thinking that might constitute a better humanity.[...] one would certainly find this book to be a 'great work of thinking'.--John Enslin "Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory"

About the Author

Cornelius Castoriadis (1922-1997) was a Greek-French philosopher and author of a large corpus on the topics of ontology, politics, psychoanalysis, and several other fields. Immigrating to France after World War II, he co-founded the political group Socialisme ou Barbarie (1948-1967), worked in economics, practiced as a psychoanalyst, and eventually served from 1980-1995 as director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris.

John Garner is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of West Georgia. He is the author of The Emerging Good in Plato's Philebus (Northwestern University Press, 2017). Has also translated Democracy and Relativism: A Debate by Cornelius Castoriadis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and co-translated Postscript on Insignificance: Dialogues with Cornelius Castoriadis (Continuum, 2011).

María-Constanza Garrido Sierralta is a PhD student in Philosophy at the University of New Mexico