Review Of "The Unrealizable: Towards A Politics Of Ontology" By G. Agamben, Translated By A. Toscano

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

10-2025

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Agamben’s The Unrealizable, ably translated from the Italian by Toscano, is a genealogical excavation of (allegedly) fundamental dichotomies underpinning Western philosophical thought, especially as they pertain to what Agamben calls a ”politics of ontology.” The distinctions between essence and existence or the possible and the real are meticulously developed in the thought of the ancients, the medievals, Marx, and Hegel. There is much to learn here. That said, this reviewer was not fully convinced by the argument that the “splitting of being” has led to the “ontological-political machine of the West,” without which the advancements of Western scientific and technological progress would have been impossible, nor Agamben's further claim that this “splitting” penetrates deeply into how societies are organized, how power is used, and how the actions of individuals and collectives are controlled. Agamben concentrates almost exclusively on the developments of distinctions made by philosophers—Plato, Avicenna, Kant, Marx, Hegel—ignoring many other non-philosophical developments. Additionally, Agamben’s investigations stop at the end of the 19th century, with the exception of Walter Benjamin and Michel Foucault. This is a worthy read for those interested in the origins of problematic distinctions and some contemporary thought along the lines of Foucault. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and faculty.

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This work is freely available courtesy of Choice Reviews. The review has been reproduced in full in the abstract field.

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