The Kingdom and the Garden

Giorgio Agamben, Adam Kotsko

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English

Seagull Books London Ltd
17 May 2024

Philosophy; Christianity; Christian theology; Humanist & secular alternatives to religion

Series: The Italian List

In a tour-de-force reinterpretation of the Christian tradition, Agamben shows that the Garden of Eden has always served as a symbol for humanity's true nature.

What happened to paradise after Adam and Eve were expelled? The question may sound like a theological quibble, or even a joke, but in The Kingdom and the Garden, Giorgio Agamben uses it as a starting point for an investigation of human nature and the prospects for political transformation. In a tour-de-force reinterpretation of the Christian tradition, Agamben shows that the Garden of Eden has always served as a symbol of humanity's true nature. Where earlier theologians viewed the expulsion as temporary, Augustine's doctrine of original sin makes it permanent, reimagining humanity as the paradoxical creature that has been completely alienated from its own nature. From this perspective, there can be no return to paradise, only the hope for the messianic kingdom. Yet there have always been thinkers who rebelled against this idea, and Agamben highlights two major examples. The first is the early medieval philosopher John Scotus Eriugena, who argued for a radical unity of humanity with all living things. The second is Dante, whose vision of the earthly paradise points towards the possibility of genuine human happiness in this world. In place of the messianic kingdom, which has provided the model for modern revolutionary movements, Agamben contends that we should place our hopes for political change in a return to our origins, by reclaiming the earthly paradise.

By: Giorgio Agamben
Translated by: Adam Kotsko
Imprint: Seagull Books London Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 197mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9781803093642
ISBN 10: 1803093641
Series: The Italian List
Pages: 164
Publication Date: 17 May 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Giorgio Agamben is one of Italy’s foremost contemporary thinkers. He recently brought to a close his widely influential archaeology of Western politics, the nine-volume Homo Sacer series. Adam Kotsko is an American theologian, religious scholar, culture critic, and translator.

Reviews for The Kingdom and the Garden

""By means of a meticulously researched argument, Agamben presents a genealogy of the shifting understanding of Christian paradise and its impact on the conception of human nature. Because Agamben has indisputably achieved the status of one of the major philosophers of the 21st century, this slim, focused volume has interest beyond its explicit topic. . . . Highly recommended."" * Choice * ""The English-language reader, whether political theorist, philosopher, or theologian (or some creative combination of these), can only rejoice at this profound little fire-starter that challenges our sacred and secular polities, and the all-too-narrow, unimaginative, unhopeful conceptions of the human community, wearingly proposed by three extrinsic, alienated disciplines."" * Journal of Church and State *