Adventures in Transcendental Materialism: Dialogues with Contemporary Thinkers

This book deals with a new materialist theory of subjectivity mobilising philosophy, psychoanalysis, politics and science. Armed with resources provided by German idealism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, the life sciences and contemporary philosophy, Johnston formulates an account of subjectivity that is both materialist and naturalist, and does full justice to human beings as irreducible to natural matter alone. At the same time, he argues against relapses into idealisms, dualisms and spiritualisms. It critically engages with some of today’s most important thinkers, including Slavoj Zizek, Alain Badiou, Catherine Malabou, Jean-Claude Milner, Martin Hagglund, William Connolly and Jane Bennett. It is split into three parts: Zizek: Dossier of an Ongoing Debate; Psychoanalysis: The Unconscious between Philosophy, Science and Religion; and, Politics: True and False Utopias. It combines Continental-style philosophy with science.