On the Human Condition (Thinking in Action)

Dominique Janicaud

ISBN 10: 0415327962 / ISBN 13: 9780415327961

Published by Routledge, 2005

Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00048936747

Synopsis:

The potential to clone, augment, and repair human beings is pushing the very concept of the human to its limit. Fantasies and metaphors of a supposedly monstrous and inhuman future increasingly dominate films, art and popular culture. On the Human Condition is an invigorating and fascinating exploration of where the idea of the human stands today. Given the damage human beings have inflicted on each other and their environment throughout history, should we embrace humanism or try and overcome it?

Dominique Janicaud explores these urgent questions and more. He argues that whilst we need to avoid apocalyptic talk of a post human condition, as embodied in technology such as cloning, we should neither fall back on a conservative humanism nor become technophobic. Drawing on illuminating examples such as genetic engineering, the novel Frankenstein, the legendary debate between Sartre and Heidegger over humanism, and the work of Primo Levi, Domnique Janicaud also explores the role of fantasy in understanding the human condition and asks where the line lies between the human, inhuman and the superhuman.

About the Author:

At the time of his death in 2002, Dominique Janicaud was one of the leading philosophers in France. He taught at the University of Nice and wrote many books, including Heidegger en France and The Powers of the Rational.

Bibliographic Details

Title: On the Human Condition (Thinking in Action)
Publisher: Routledge
Publication Date: 2005
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good