Table of Contents

Translator's Introduction Preface to the Second Edition Introduction: What Was Never Seen 1. Culture and Barbarism 2. Science Judged by the Criterion of Art 3. Science Alone: Technology 4. The Sickness of Life 5. The Ideologies of Barbarism 6. The Practices of Barbarism 7. The Destruction of the University Conclusion: Underground Index

Promotional Information

The first English-language translation of Michel Henry's compelling philosophical critique of capitalism, technology and education.

About the Author

Michel Henry (1922-2002) was a leading French philosopher and novelist. He was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montpellier, France and author of five novels and numerous philosophical works. Scott Davidson is Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Oklahoma City University. He is the translator of Michel Henry's works: Material Phenomenology (Fordham, 2008) and Seeing the Invisible (Continuum, 2009).

Reviews

'Henry is one of the most exciting and radical thinkers of the last half-century. In this excellent translation of Barbarism, we get a sense of this radicalism is his critique of the "Galilean" principle - especially with regard to politics but also in his approach to art, ideology, technology, and education. It will be an invaluable addition to his other works already in English.' -- Professor John Mullarkey, Kingston University, UK.
'Scott Davidson delivers a much welcome translation of Michel Henry's provocative work on culture and critique. Barbarism is Henry's subtle radicalization of E. Husserl's analysis of the lifeworld and the crisis of the sciences. For Henry, the crisis is nothing short of barbarism: a reversal of culture which is revealed in the social, political, and epistemic practices that inhibit the self-movement of absolute Life. Yet the work itself, Barbarism, functions as a timely call to reverse this reversal, and to renew the dynamic intimacy of Self-knowledge.' -- Anthony Steinbock, Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA