Vorab-RezensentenKeith Moser

#1 New Release in Military Encyclopedias: Amazon This monograph represents the first comprehensive study dedicated to the interdisciplinary French philosopher Michel Serres. As the title of this project unequivocally suggests, Serres’s prolific body of work paints a rending portrait of what it means for a sentient being to live in the modern world. This book reflects Serres’s profound conviction that “philosopher c’est anticiper”/ ‘to philosophize (about something) is to anticipate’ (“Philosophie Magazine”). According to Serres, a philosopher is someone who possesses an extremely broad base of knowledge coupled with the uncanny ability to envision what might transpire based upon his or her astute observations concerning phenomena that are already starting to unfold in a given society. Serres’s explanation of what engaging in philosophical inquiry entails encourages us to imagine all of the present and future ramifications of certain trajectories that are clearly visible all around us. From 1968 to the present, Serres has been generating forceful, “prophetic” visions in his works that mingle philosophy, religion, theology, contemporary science, and literature. “In this comprehensive and insightful introduction, Keith Moser travels the highways and byways of Michel Serres’s thought to show how it both illuminates pressing contemporary issues and presages potential futures-to-come. This is a remarkable achievement and a genuine gift to readers both new and old to Serres’s work.” —Steven D. Brown, Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom “At a time in which overspecialization hangs over all disciplines, thinkers who have a global, interdisciplinary base of knowledge are quite rare. Therefore, I would like to laud Keith Moser’s initiative to dedicate an exhaustive study to one of these thinkers, Michel Serres, who thanks to his ‘encyclopedic’ knowledge, has the ability to understand a rapidly changing world and to predict ‘the shape of things to come.’ In short, an essential book for becoming aware of the threat of a return of obscurantism—despite the development of new technologies—and of the necessity of a new century of Lumières.” —Issa Asgarally, Associate Professor, Mauritius Institute of Education, Linguist, author and co-founder, along with J.M.G. Le Clézio, of the Foundation for Interculturality and Peace “A much needed English language introduction to the ideas of a major French eco-philosopher and pacifist whose prophetic work spans the period from the late 60’s to the present. Moser’s engaging prose makes this study a great read, and he demonstrates a formidable grasp on the connections within Serres’ work, as well as the links between Serres and other major twentieth century thinkers.” —Tom Trzyna, Professor Emeritus of English, Seattle Pacific University “Professor Keith Moser’s treatment of Michel Serres’ philosophy in the context of contemporary 21st-century globalization is both timely and thorough. His provocative critique of societal malaise, from our relationship to the planet, to ourselves, to each other, and to technology, as well as the solutions envisioned through an erudite and thoughtful analysis of Serres’ entire philosophical corpus is a remarkable contribution to both the fields of Philosophy and French Studies.” —Isaac Joslin, The University of Denver “Entertaining, gloomy, and sharp, Moser’s careful and exhaustive exploration of Michel Serres’ encyclopedic philosophy unveils the eccentricity of a rare thinker who has managed to shake the insularity of academic specialty. The range of topics tackled in this book – with the help of a diverse arsenal of disciplines – leaves the reader better able to think about a world in which the more technological and scientific advancements arise, the more unknowable it becomes. Moser believes that the world we’re coming into was not only foreshadowed by Serres, but necessitates his thinking to best wrestle with it.” —Zachary Siegel, Independent Researcher, Journalist, and Contributor to Critical-theory.com “Keith Moser’s pioneering vision of the post-Marxist era, as reflected in the syncretism of philosophy, religion, theology, science and literature in Michel Serres’ body of work during the last half a century, transforms human consciousness beyond its illusory genophobia that has damaged the very semiotics of life. Moser’s monograph taps into a tremendous flow of energy that evokes a passionate desire in a dead humanity to re-live and re-think.” —Professor Ananta Ch. Sukla, Editor, Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics Keith Moser is Associate Professor of French at Mississippi State University. He is the author of four other books including A Practical Guide to French Harki Literature, J.M.G. Le Clézio: A Concerned Citizen of the Global Village, J.M.G. Le Clézio dans la forêt des paradoxes (co-editor with Bruno Thibault), and ‘Privileged Moments’ in the Novels and Short Stories of J.M.G. Le Clézio: His Contemporary Development of a Traditional French Literary Device. Moser has also contributed approximately forty essays to peer-reviewed publications such as The French Review, The International Journal of Francophone Studies, Romance Notes, Dalhousie French Studies, Les Cahiers Le Clézio, Modern Language Review, French Cultural Studies, Forum for Modern Language Studies (Oxford UP), Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment (Oxford UP), and The Pennsylvania Literary Journal.