Meditation on the Concept of Nature

This new book by Alain Badiou is an incisive study of a word which is everywhere, but which no one truly understands: 'nature.'

Today, a powerful ideological movement has turned the word 'nature' into a political symbol: cars, jet planes, industrial development, new technologies and other testaments to human ingenuity are denounced as threats to nature and the environment across the globe. In this context, Alain Badiou tackles a surprisingly neglected question: what does the word 'nature' actually mean? In a reflection that is both rigorous and thought-provoking, he reveals how this seemingly familiar concept is, in fact, slippery, unstable and elusive. It is always present, yet impossible to pin down. Retracing this concept through the history of philosophy, he sheds light on the ambiguities, contradictions and ideological distortions surrounding it.