Date of Award

8-1-2013

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

First Advisor

Carl Raschke, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Darrin Hicks, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Andrea Stanton

Keywords

Badiou, Militancy, Miracle, Qutb, Schmitt, Sovereignty

Abstract

Utilizing the theoretical framework of philosopher Alain Badiou, this paper will examine the force and movement of religiously fueled, revolutionary politics. Badiou’s definition of event is read through the theological concept of miracle, put forward by jurist Carl Schmitt in order to elucidate the inauguration of new order. The theological concept of miracle radicalizes Alain Badiou’s definition of event by manner of divine authorization. While Schmitt uses miracle to explicate sovereign preservation of the State, and Badiou’s interest lies in its erosion, reading both thinkers through miracle, and through each other, conceptualizes the theo-political militant, authorized by event to interrupt orders and enact new law. The first chapter begins with an analysis of Badiou’s event, politics and militant fidelity, harnessing his framework while critiquing ‘what is not counted’ in his recent work Rebirth of History. The second chapter will discuss Carl Schmitt’s sovereign and its link to the theological concept of miracle. The chapter demonstrates miracle’s conceptual similarity to event, excepting that within its interruption is the investiture of divine authorization. The final chapter will examine the case study of Sayyid Qutb and his text Milestones to exemplify that Badiou’s framework bolstered by the theological concept of miracle accounts for the diverse disruptions of national, economic, and cultural orders along with the prescription for new possibilities.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Timothy J. Isaacson

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

59 p.

Discipline

Philosophy of Religion, Religion, Philosophy

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