1
of
1
The Unrealizable
Towards a Politics of Ontology
Series: The Italian List
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 13 ratings, 1 reviews)
Brief Description
A patient, genealogical investigation of the dichotomies that are foundational to the Western philosophical tradition. We are so used to distinguishing between the possible and the real, between essence and existence, that we do not realise these distinctions, which seem so obvious to us, are the...
Read More
Format: Hardback
$5499
Unit price
/
Unavailable
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER
Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks
Found a better price? Request a price match
The Unrealizable
$5499
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Latest News
Pick up a Graphic Novel for Halloween
Wanting something different for spooky season? Try a horror themed graphic novel! Lizzy has rounded...
The ACOTAR Countdown Is On, But We Need to Talkβ¦
Last week, things started taking a dark turn. The excitement surrounding the release was suddenly...
Even More New Board Games Just Arrived!
It's been another busy week at Book Hero, with heaps of new board games and...
The Book Briefing 21/10/2026
Welcome back to another edition of 'The Book Briefing', your weekly round-up of all the...
Story to Screen - 21/10/26
It's been another huge week in the world of book-to-screen adaptations! From record-breaking trailers and...
See more
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
A patient, genealogical investigation of the dichotomies that are foundational to the Western philosophical tradition.
We are so used to distinguishing between the possible and the real, between essence and existence, that we do not realise these distinctions, which seem so obvious to us, are the result of a long and laborious process that has led to the splitting of beingβthe "matter" of thoughtβinto two fragments that are both conflicting and intimately intertwined.
The Unrealizable argues that the ontological-political machine of the West is based on this splitting of "matter," without which neither science nor politics would be possible. Without the partition of reality into essence and existence, and into possibility and actuality, neither scientific knowledge nor the ability to control human actionβwhich characterises the historical power of the Westβwould have been achievable.
If we could not suspend the exclusive concentration of our attention on what immediately exists (as animals seem to do), to think and define its essence, Western science and technology would not have experienced the advances that characterise them. And if the dimension of possibility disappeared entirely, neither plans nor projects would be conceivable, and human actions could be neither directed nor controlled. The incomparable power of the West has one of its essential presuppositions in this ontological machine.
Series: The Italian List
View all-
Rain's Falling Up
A beautifully crafted novel set in the late 1960s and 1970s Italy, a tempestuous period that shaped the lives of generations to come in many countries. What was it really like to be a teenager growing up in Italy in the 1970s, during a time it has become all too easy to file away under βyears of lead,β as the...Hardback$5299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The World Machine
A vivid and unforgettable novelistic portrait of rural Italy, exploring the nature of reality and the human condition. A small-time farmer living in central Italy in the 1960s is the keeper of a great truth: that people are machines built by other beings who are machines themselves. Our true destiny is to build ever-better machines so that society can become...Hardback$4799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Taste
Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben takes a close look at why the sense of taste has not historically been appreciated as a means to know and experience pleasure, or why it has always been considered inferior to actual theoretical knowledge. Taste, Agamben argues, is a category that has much to reveal to the contemporary world. Taking a step into the history...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Human Voice
An inquiry into the origins of language and articulation, exploring how the transformation of the human voice shaped history, politics, and thought. What does it mean to have a voiceβand how does it shape what it means to be human? In The Human Voice, Giorgio Agamben embarks on a profound exploration of how the human voice transforms from mere sound...Hardback$5700Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
As Cruel as Anyone Else
Reveals a dark chapter in the Italian government's colonial history that has been largely hidden from view. Between the end of the nineteenth century and over the first half of the twentieth, Italy invaded and occupied the Horn of Africa, Libya, and several other territories. Yet recognition of this history of colonial destruction, racist violence, and genocidal aerial and chemical...Paperback$5299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Nymphs
Agamben is the rare writer whose ideas and works have a broad appeal across many fields, and Nymphs will engage not only the author's devoted fans in philosophy, legal theory, sociology, and literary criticism but also his growing audience among art theorists and historians as well. In 1900, art historians AndrΓ© Jolles and Aby Warburg constructed an experimental dialogue in...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Self-Portrait in the Studio
A rare autobiographical glimpse into the life and influences of one of Europe's greatest living philosophers. This book's title, Self-Portrait in the Studioβa familiar iconographic subject in the history of paintingβis intended to be taken literally: the book is a self-portrait, but one that comes into view for the reader only by way of patient scrutiny of the images, photographs,...Hardback$4799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Spartakus
On December 29, 1918, the Spartakus League, a Marxist revolutionary movement, rose up in Germany calling for an end to class rule by the bourgeoisie. Massive demonstrations followed, and more than 500,000 Berliners took to the streets in Januaryβonly to be crushed by police and anticommunist paramilitary troops. Several leaders of the League were killed, and the revolt was quashed....Paperback$3599Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Studiolo
A brief study of select Western art from Italy's foremost philosopher. In Renaissance palaces, the studiolo was a small room to which the prince withdrew to meditate or read, surrounded by paintings he particularly loved. This book is a kind of studiolo for its author, Giorgio Agamben, as he turns his philosophical lens on the world of Western art. Studiolo...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Idea of World
A philosophical exploration of what capitalistic societies truly mean for the individual. A short vade mecum for unrepentant materialism, The Idea of World collects three essays by Italian philosopher Paolo Virno that are intricately wrapped around one another. The first essay, βMundanity,β attempts to clarify what the term βworld,β as referred to as the perceptual and historical context of our...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Kingdom and the Garden
In a tour-de-force reinterpretation of the Christian tradition, Agamben shows that the Garden of Eden has always served as a symbol for humanity's true nature. What happened to paradise after Adam and Eve were expelled? The question may sound like a theological quibble, or even a joke, but in The Kingdom and the Garden, Giorgio Agamben uses it as a...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Unrealizable
A patient, genealogical investigation of the dichotomies that are foundational to the Western philosophical tradition. We are so used to distinguishing between the possible and the real, between essence and existence, that we do not realise these distinctions, which seem so obvious to us, are the result of a long and laborious process that has led to the splitting of...Hardback$5499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781803094670
Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 13 May 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Seagull Books London Ltd
Contributors:
- Translated by Alberto Toscano
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 25.0mm
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 197.0mm
Weight: 481g
Pages: 283
About the Author
Giorgio Agamben is one of Italyβs foremost contemporary thinkers. Seagull Booksβs Italian List includes several of Agambenβs recent works. Alberto Toscano teaches at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. He is the author of Fanaticism and Late Fascism and coeditor of The SAGE Handbook of Marxism.
Also by Giorgio Agamben
View all-
Taste
Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben takes a close look at why the sense of taste has not historically been appreciated as a means to know and experience pleasure, or why it has always been considered inferior to actual theoretical knowledge. Taste, Agamben argues, is a category that has much to reveal to the contemporary world. Taking a step into the history...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Means Without End
An essential reevaluation of the proper role of politics in contemporary life. In this critical rethinking of the categories of politics within a new sociopolitical and historical context, the distinguished political philosopher Giorgio Agamben builds on his previous work to address the status and nature of politics itself. Bringing politics face-to-face with its own failures of consciousness and consequence, Agamben...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Nymphs
Agamben is the rare writer whose ideas and works have a broad appeal across many fields, and Nymphs will engage not only the author's devoted fans in philosophy, legal theory, sociology, and literary criticism but also his growing audience among art theorists and historians as well. In 1900, art historians AndrΓ© Jolles and Aby Warburg constructed an experimental dialogue in...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Human Voice
An inquiry into the origins of language and articulation, exploring how the transformation of the human voice shaped history, politics, and thought. What does it mean to have a voiceβand how does it shape what it means to be human? In The Human Voice, Giorgio Agamben embarks on a profound exploration of how the human voice transforms from mere sound...Hardback$5700Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
Self-Portrait in the Studio
A rare autobiographical glimpse into the life and influences of one of Europe's greatest living philosophers. This book's title, Self-Portrait in the Studioβa familiar iconographic subject in the history of paintingβis intended to be taken literally: the book is a self-portrait, but one that comes into view for the reader only by way of patient scrutiny of the images, photographs,...Hardback$4799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Profanations
Essays by a provocative Italian philosopher on memory and oblivion, on what is lost and what remains. The Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben has always been an original reader of texts, understanding their many rich historical, aesthetic, and political meanings and effects. In Profanations, Agamben has assembled for the first time some of his most pivotal essays on photography, the novel,...Paperback$5499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Studiolo
A brief study of select Western art from Italy's foremost philosopher. In Renaissance palaces, the studiolo was a small room to which the prince withdrew to meditate or read, surrounded by paintings he particularly loved. This book is a kind of studiolo for its author, Giorgio Agamben, as he turns his philosophical lens on the world of Western art. Studiolo...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Kingdom and the Garden
In a tour-de-force reinterpretation of the Christian tradition, Agamben shows that the Garden of Eden has always served as a symbol for humanity's true nature. What happened to paradise after Adam and Eve were expelled? The question may sound like a theological quibble, or even a joke, but in The Kingdom and the Garden, Giorgio Agamben uses it as a...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
State of Exception
Two months after the attacks of 9/11, the Bush administration, in the midst of what it perceived to be a state of emergency, authorised the indefinite detention of noncitizens suspected of terrorist activities and their subsequent trials by a military commission. Here, distinguished Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben uses such circumstances to argue that this unusual extension of power, or state...Paperback$4399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
What I Saw, Heard, Learned . . .
An engaging collection of late-life reflections and quick thoughts, a book unlike any other Agamben book. What can the senses of an attentive philosopher see, hear, and learn that can, in turn, teach us about living better lives? Perhaps itβs less a matter of asking what and more a matter of asking how. These latest reflections from Italyβs foremost philosopher...Hardback$3599Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
When the House Burns Down β From the Dialect of Thought
Giorgio Agamben tackles our crisis-ridden world in a series of powerful philosophical essays. When the House Burns Down β From the Dialect of Thought poses a critical question: βWhich house is burning?β asks Giorgio Agamben. βThe country where you live, or Europe, or the whole world? Perhaps the houses, the cities have already burnt downβwho knows how long ago?βin a...Paperback$3399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
HΓΆlderlinβs Madness
One of Europeβs greatest living philosophers, Giorgio Agamben, analyses the life and work of one of Europeβs greatest poets, Friedrich HΓΆlderlin. What does it mean to inhabit a place or a self? What is a habit? And, for human beings, doesnβt living meanβfirst and foremostβinhabiting? Pairing a detailed chronology of German poet Friedrich HΓΆlderlinβs years of purported madness with a...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks
More from Philosophy & Psychology
View all-
Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits by James Clear is a transformative guide that demonstrates how tiny, incremental changes in behaviour can fundamentally reshape your life. Rather than urging sweeping transformations, Clear advocates for the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions. Whether itβs performing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes earlier, or making a brief, focused phone call, these minuscule adjustments,...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseHow Lucky Am I
The first full book featuring social media sensation Mr. Skelly, with over 5 million global followers, a skeleton who teaches us that life is a gift to be treasured, reminding us how lucky we all are to live in this present moment. For readers of The Book of Gifts and The Little Frogβs Guide to Self Care. In this poignant,...Hardback$4299Elsewhere:$5500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Creative Act
Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day and then ages out. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed...Hardback$4400Elsewhere:$5500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Winner's Formula
The Neuroscience of Peak Performance, Success, and Happiness Why do some people win all the time? Why do others languish? From Olympians to Formula 1 drivers, addicts to billionaires, cognitive neuroscientist Dr Kerry Spackman has spent decades working to help people understand how to succeed. In The Winner's Formula, Kerry explains what goes on in your brain when you are...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Strangers
The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" β Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
23% off1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
In the drab and oppressive world of 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduces us to Winston Smith, a man haunted by the omnipresent surveillance and control exercised by the Party and its enigmatic leader, Big Brother. Winston works diligently at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to alter historical records to fit the ever-changing narrative dictated by the...Paperback$1000Usually:$1299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
21% offAroha
Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder is an enlightening exploration of timeless Maori wisdom, intricately woven into a contemporary context. This top-selling non-fiction title from New Zealand in 2021 introduces readers to 52 traditional Maori proverbs, known as whakataukΔ«, each offering a profound lesson for every week of the year. Dr Elder, a respected Maori psychiatrist, delves into these powerful sayings...Hardback$1900Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Lessons on Living
Bestselling author Nigel Latta's simple psychological toolkit for life's ups and downs. Over thirty years working as a clinical psychologist, Nigel Latta assembled a personal toolkit based on three simple principles. These principles helped him to be more resilient, joyful, and attuned to what matters most. The same principles have helped him through some difficult times as well, such as...Paperback$2900Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Eat Your Ice Cream
The New York Times bestseller that presents a bold new vision for living well and ageing with purpose from a world-renowned health expert THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a leading doctor and world-renowned health expert, the simple, uplifting and practical guide to cutting through the wellness noise, living well and ageing with purpose. βEssential reading for anyone who...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Better Never Stops
The Art and Science of Continuous Improvement From delinquent to doctor, Paul Wood knows first-hand how far we can take our lives if we address what holds us back. At the age of 18, Wood was sent to New Zealand's toughest prison. Almost 11 years later, in 2006, he walked out a free man, escaping his past and becoming a...Paperback$2700Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Courage to be Disliked
The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga presents an enlightening and thought-provoking dialogue between a philosopher and a young man disillusioned with life. In a series of conversations, the philosopher introduces the principles of Alfred Adler's psychology, advocating for personal empowerment and mental freedom. Through this engaging dialogue, the young man learns to confront the societal...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The DOSE Effect
The DOSE Effect offers small habits to boost your brain chemistry. "This book will help you find more motivation, create deeper connections, energise your body, and destress your mind," says Jay Shetty, author of Think Like a Monk. Life can feel overwhelming, but it doesnβt have to be. Todayβs fast-paced world leaves many of us struggling with extreme emotional highs...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
