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Institution

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In Institution, Roberto Esposito explores the intricate relationship between institutions and human life, especially highlighted during the pandemic. He argues that institutions and life are intertwined, with life itself acting as a continuous institution capable of self-renewal. Moving beyond mere survival, human life engages with social, political, and cultural realms through desires, choices, and collective interactions.
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Ideal for readers interested in political philosophy, sociology, and contemporary political issues, particularly those fascinated by the role of institutions in society and the pandemic's impact on governance and life.

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"A leading philosopher examines the enigmatic relationship between institutions and human life"--

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

The pandemic has brought into sharp relief the fundamental relationship between institution and human life: at the very moment when the virus was threatening to destroy life, human beings called upon institutions – on governments, on health systems, on new norms of behaviour – to combat the virus and preserve life.

Drawing on this and other examples, Roberto Esposito argues that institutions and human life are not opposed to one another but rather two sides of a single figure that, together, delineate the vital character of institutions and the instituting power of life. What else is life, after all, if not a continuous institution, a capacity for self-regeneration along new and unexplored paths?

No human life is reducible to pure survival, to bare life. There is always a point at which life reaches out beyond primary needs, entering into the realm of desires and choices, passions and projects, and at that point human life becomes instituted: it becomes part of the web of relations that constitute social, political, and cultural life.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as a highly original study, Esposito offers a new genealogy of the institution, tracing its development from ancient Rome to contemporary crises like Covid-19. Arthur Bradley from Lancaster University highlights Esposito's view of institutions as creative forces that liberate rather than repress. Radical Philosophy acknowledges Esposito's unmatched emphasis on immunity and immunisation in modern political thought.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509551569

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 June 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Zakiya Hanafi

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 137.0mm

Height: 213.0mm

Weight: 181g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Roberto Esposito is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy

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    In this book, Roberto Esposito continues his philosophical exploration of the relation between institutions and human life. Starting from the enigmatic Latin term vitam instituere, he charts its early emergence in modern philosophy and its development along a path that culminates in a novel understanding of the relationship between politics and life. Although the concept of institutio vitae originated in...
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    The Faces of the Adversary by Roberto Esposito is a poetic and historically layered book that draws on a famous, and famously opaque, passage from the Old Testament to shed light on the vision of self and domination that has profoundly shaped western identity and left its mark on western culture. These ten lines from Genesis tell the tale of...
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