Malcolm Bull Livres

The story of a large yet little-known Protestant denomination

From here to utopia. New directions in political theory

Perhaps the single most revolutionary aspect of the Renaissance was the re- emergence of the gods and goddesses of antiquity. This book surveys this phenomenon and takes the story from the Renaissance to the Baroque. Each chapter focuses on a particular god and recounts the tales about that deity, as they were re-created by artists.

The book explores the connections between Lukacs' theories and the ideas of American philosophers Rorty and Cavell, positing that late modernity is characterized by the concealment of conflicting identities that emerge from political and social emancipation. It delves into how these identities interact and the implications of their hidden nature in contemporary society.

Nietzsche, the philosopher seemingly opposed to everyone, has met with remarkably little opposition himself. He remains what he wanted to be— the limit-philosopher of a modernity that never ends. In this provocative, sometimes disturbing book, Bull argues that merely to reject Nietzsche is not to escape his lure. He seduces by appealing to our desire for victory, our creativity, our humanity. Only by ‘reading like a loser’ and failing to live up to his ideals can we move beyond Nietzsche to a still more radical revaluation of all values—a subhumanism that expands the boundaries of society until we are left with less than nothing in common. Anti-Nietzsche is a subtle and subversive engagement with Nietzsche and his twentieth-century interpreters—Heidegger, Vattimo, Nancy, and Agamben. Written with economy and clarity, it shows how a politics of failure might change what it means to be human.

Is mercy more important than justice?Since antiquity, mercy has been regarded as a virtue. Yet by the end of the eighteenth century, mercy had been exiled from political life. In this book, Malcolm Bull analyses and challenges the Enlightenment’s rejection of mercy. Political realism, Bull argues, demands recognition of the foundational role of mercy in society. If we are vulnerable to harm from others, we are in need of their mercy. By restoring the primacy of mercy over justice, we may constrain the powerful and release the agency of the powerless. An important contribution to political philosophy from an inventive thinker, On Mercy makes a persuasive case for returning this neglected virtue to the heart of political thought.

The book provides a thorough examination of nihilism in Nietzsche's philosophy, highlighting the paradox of its contemporary acceptance as a new orthodoxy. Through Malcolm Bull's analysis and commentaries from Cascardi and Clark, it reveals how the widespread embrace of Nietzsche's ideas contradicts his original understanding of nihilism. The exploration challenges the notion that there are no anti-Nietzscheans today, inviting readers to reconsider the implications of Nietzsche's thought in modern discourse.