The political philosophy of Giorgio Agamben: a critical evaluation

Abstract

This article is a critical evaluation of Giorgio Agamben's recent thought in the field of political philosophy, with a particular focus on the Italian philosopher's representation of Auschwitz, mostly incarnated through the metaphorical figure of the muselmann. The main argument is that Agamben's theory of negativity, which is the logical outcome of a considerable philosophical quest spanning over three decades, largely fails the test of temporality. Thus, Agamben openly denies any validity to history and his fascination for the cadaveric figure of the muselmann occults the complexity of life, survival and death inside or outside the concentration camp, a complexity which is portrayed in many historical accounts and eyewitness testimonies of Auschwitz .The conclusion is that Agamben's abstract aesthetics of disaster is quite symptomatic of contemporary philosophical representations of victims of violence, which tend to be detached from any socio‐historical framework of analysis.