The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences

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Michel Foucault

Routledge, New York, London, 2001 (2nd edition), 1970, English; originally published 1966 (in French)

Nonfiction, General

ISBN: 978041526737

From the Publisher. When one defines "order" as a sorting of priorities, it becomes beautifully clear as to what Michel Foucault (1926–84) is doing here. With virtuoso showmanship, he weaves an intensely complex history of thought. He dips into literature, art, economics, and even biology in The Order of Things, possibly one of the most significant, yet most overlooked, works of the twentieth century. Eclipsed by his later work on power and discourse, nonetheless it was The Order of Things that established Foucault's reputation as an intellectual giant. Pirouetting around the outer edge of language, Foucault unsettles the surface of literary writing. In describing the limitations of our usual taxonomies, he opens the door onto a whole new system of thought, one ripe with what he calls "exotic charm." Intellectual pyrotechnics from the master of critical thinking, this book is crucial reading for those who wish to gain insight into that odd beast called postmodernism.

On 4 book lists

Elizabeth Diller

On Elizabeth Diller’s Book List

Karim Rashid

On Karim Rashid’s Book List

Foucault studies knowledge beautifully via language, art, politics, and everything you can imagine in this book. His ideas are ever so inspiring. This is a brilliant book that altered the way I saw life. I feel I owe my career to his writing.

Ricardo Scofidio

On Ricardo Scofidio’s Book List

Jorge Silvetti

On Jorge Silvetti’s Book List

This book elicited the startling realization that we are not innocent in our relationships with nature and humankind.

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