"In The Pornographic Age, Alain Badiou argues that the dominant ideological fetish of our times is the word "democracy" itself - that is, democracy not in its original meaning of "the shared power of the demos," but in its contemporary perversions in the smug self-definitions of the neo-liberal State. A. J. Bartlett and Justin Clemens' translation and Afterword are superb, accurate and illuminating." --Kenneth Reinhard, Professor of Comparative Literature, UCLA, USA

"In the original seminar from which this talk was drawn Badiou warned that his analysis of contemporary enjoyment would be hardcore, unlike other philosophers' softcore meanderings: indeed his analysis of Jean Genet's play The Balcony leads him all the way to identifying and denouncing the ideological emblem of our times - democracy - materialized as an endless shower of imaged and affect-ridden bodies" --Oliver Feltham, Professor of Philosophy, American University of Paris, France

Alain Badiou teaches at the École Normale Supérieure and at the Collège International de Philosophie in Paris, France. In addition to several novels, plays and political essays, he has published a number of major philosophical works.

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