Subjective Fidelity in an Objective Phenomenology. On Badiou’s Logic of Appearance

Abstract

Alain Badiou's recent work gives rise to an inspiring and creative reflection on what phenomenology might be and how it is related to subjectivity. This chapter shows, in addition to other interpreters of Badiou's work, that Badiou's relation to Heidegger's work is more complicated than he is willing to acknowledge. In particular, it argues that the problems of appearance and presentation are immediately related to problems encountered in Heidegger's phenomenology. In addition, the chapter discusses Badiou's account of phenomenology: how does he incorporate the notion of appearing in his work and what does this imply for the notion of the subject? As the adjective indicates, Badiou aims at developing a phenomenology without a constituting subject. In the final part, the chapter demonstrates how the subject in Badiou's objective phenomenology is not marked by intentionality but rather by a fidelity to the event. Keywords:Alain Badiou; Heidegger; objective phenomenology; subjective fidelity