THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF ALAIN BADIOU

This paper is intended as an admiring, but ultimately critical, examination of Badiou's metaphysics and its grounding in his politics. I have chosen to examine these dimensions of his thought for two interrelated reasons. Firstly, while Badiou's metaphysics may be his most original contribution to continental philosophy, he remains far more famous for his voluminous contributions to radical left wing thought. It is therefore important to introduce the philosophical grounding for his positions to as more general audience. Secondly, Badiou's metaphysical tomes are famously dense and often difficult to summarize. Part of this is due to his use of complex mathematics and mathematical terms, and part of it is due to his occasionally unclear writing style. Grounding Badiou's metaphysics in an analysis of his politics help us better see what the point of the former is, while demonstrating the systematic nature of his philosophical architecture more fully.