Duke University Press A World of Becoming (A John Hope Franklin Center Book)

In A World of Becoming William E. Connolly outlines a political philosophy suited to a world whose powers of creative evolution include and exceed the human estate. This is a world composed of multiple interacting systems, including those of climate change, biological evolution, economic practices, and geological formations. Such open systems, set on different temporal registers of stability and instability, periodically resonate together to produce profound, unpredictable changes. To engage such a world reflectively is to feel pressure to alter established practices of politics, ethics, and spirituality. In pursuing such a course, Connolly draws inspiration from philosophers such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Alfred North Whitehead, and Gilles Deleuze, as well as the complexity theorist of biology Stuart Kauffman and the theologian Catherine Keller. Attunement to a world of becoming, Connolly argues, may help us address dangerous resonances between global finance capital, cross-regional religious resentments, neoconservative ideology, and the 24-hour mass media. Coming to terms with subliminal changes in the contemporary experience of time that challenge traditional images can help us grasp how these movements have arisen and perhaps even inspire creative counter-movements. The book closes with the chapter “The Theorist and the Seer,” in which Connolly draws insights from early Greek ideas of the Seer and a Jerry Lewis film, The Nutty Professor, to inform the theory enterprise today. Review " A World of Becoming is a remarkably rich and rewarding work, and Connolly a thinker whose claims demand serious reflection and thought. His work does not shy away from the vexing philosophical and political questions of our time. Such thoroughgoing examination of the concrete challenges humanity currently faces is admirable. Furthermore, he offers a strong foundation upon which we might begin to build a practical orientation for affirming political life in a world of disequilibrium and disorder."--Robert W. Glover "Philosophy in Review" "[F]or those interested in the intersection of religion and politics or those exploring critical theory or pluralism, Connolly's text offers a lot of fodder for thought. It is a highly imaginative, well thought out piece that can expand our understanding of the world in which we live."--Nathan Crawford "Reviews in Religion and Theology" "Although Connolly's impressive work draws freely from a remarkably diverse group of philosophers, literary figures, theologians, and scientists, there is no doubt that he is constructing something original in our late-modern spiritual and political-theoretical landscape. . . . Connolly makes a deeply affecting case for affirming a world of becoming, knowing all the while that its attractions may gain some power only after long cultivation."--Stephen K. White "Journal of Religion" "Connolly certainly opens a path for those wishing to make such a positive contribution in political theory and philosophy. This complexly crafted reinvigoration of a Deleuzean approach to Nietzsche's closure of metaphysics is sure to inspire further engagement with the topics covered. The strength of this new approach by Connolly is his engagement with recent advances in neuroscience and mathematics, and his emphasis on positive outcomes. While not for the faint-hearted, those looking for inspiration may find it in this exciting new work."--Alexander C. Karolis "Critical Horizons" "In A World of Becoming Connolly identifies the question of the relationship of subjectivity to authenticity as an element of what he calls the human predicament. From that perspective, he enables us to start seeing things differently, to join in describing a world of becoming in which a predicament, as opposed to a condition, allows us to think more complexly about the directions we may take as we either bide our time or make it."--Thomas Dumm "Theory & Event" " A World of Becomi