Sometimes, We Are Eternal

“The affect of a truth is the immanence of something infinite within finitude. I agree with Benedictus de Spinoza that sometimes ‘we feel and know by experience that we are eternal’.” (Alain Badiou) Sometimes, We Are Eternal is a compelling introduction to Badiou’s thought and a rare glimpse into the monumental final volume of the Being and Event trilogy, The Immanence of Truths. Human beings can live as immortals; they can become eternal—sometimes. Philosophy helps us to orient our lives in the light of truths. In this collection of essays and interviews, Alain Badiou, in conversation with his disciples and attentive readers, explains his intellectual trajectory, the intricacies and problems that brought him to write the Being and Event trilogy, all while making rare self-critical remarks. He addresses a variety of topics ranging from his recent rethinking of the notion of the absolute, the universality of love, Toussaint Louverture, Marxism, the necessity of revolution, and the plurality of logics. The book includes an introduction by Nick Nesbitt, Kenneth Reinhard’s article “Alain Badiou’s Fundamental Philosophy,” and Jana Ndiaye Berankova’s postface on The Immanence of Truths, which discusses the attributes of the absolute and Badiou’s dialogue with Spinoza.