The Universe of Things

""Steven Shaviro has long been the most dignified and helpful of Speculative Realism’s critics. In this new book, in prose devoid of rancor or backstabbing ambition, he patiently develops the metaphysics of Whitehead into an alternative to the four main strands of Speculative Realism: object-oriented, speculative materialist, vitalist, and scientistic. Shaviro’s arguments will interest both the supporters and the detractors of this still young philosophical movement."" —Graham Harman, author of Bells and Whistles: More Speculative Realism ""Shaviro has done a tremendous service by detailing in clear and precise prose the key tenets and developments of what has come to be known as the 'speculative realist' tradition in contemporary continental philosophy.  A standard reference and a useful guide for many years to come.""—Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews ""Shaviro’s summaries of the four Speculative Realists’ main doctrines are helpful to beginner and advanced student alike.""—TLS ""The Universe of Things is the most important monograph yet to address Whitehead’s relevance for contemporary philosophy.""—Los Angeles Review of Books ""As for The Universe of Things, I found it to be extraordinary.""—Configurations ""An illuminating critical account of the development of speculative realism to date and a significant contribution to speculative realist thought in its own right.""—Cultural Critique