«Agamben’s reflections are triggered by an intellectual spring: his interest in the archaeology of the human being, which does not mean going back to the origins. In fact, it leads to discovering the constituent principles of reality, arcane principles, therefore strongly related to the arché»
——Gustavo Zagrebelsky, La Repubblica

«Agamben’s considerations are invaluable and stimulate further reflection»
——Enzo Bianchi, TTL-La Stampa

«Discovery as surprise: here’s what Agamben gives us. Real discoveries, conceptual and linguistic innovations. A Copernican experience»
——Toni Negri, Il Manifesto

«The most esteemed Italian philosopher»
——Goffredo Fofi, L’Unità

«Giorgio Agamben is not only a philosopher, he’s also a writer. We notice it in the steady rhythm of his prose or in his style, sharp and rotund. Agamben’s writing is terse, and yet, we get the impression he’s whispering in our ears»
——Marco Belpoliti, L’Espresso

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Giorgio Agamben succeeds in offering a profound reflection accessible to a broad public yet never yielding to common sense.

Word drifts are often revolutionary events that lead to material subversion: from Cicero and the Church Fathers to 20th-century theologians, officium and leitourgia have defined a paradigm of human action rooted in duty—a mesmerizing philosophical inquiry into the transformation of "being" into "ought."

After undertaking an unparalleled philosophical enterprise exploring the theological genealogy of economy and government, Agamben continues his journey back to primitive Christianity and beyond, seeking the origins of moral duty. Generally derived from religion, the theological core of moral duty is usually revealed through progressive disclosure; Agamben, however, employs an "archaeological method," and herein lies the originality of his argument. Only Michel Foucault embraced such a wide scope: for both thinkers, diversions and details are as significant as main paths, if not more so. Agamben focuses on the term officium: "What is at stake when we think of human actions in terms of officium? What is the nature of liturgical acts?" Liturgical acts and ethics share the same paradigm—one where duty and virtue coincide. The church’s cultic practices and doctrinal discourses have generated a conception of human actions performed out of mere duty, and from this perspective, priestly duty has become the supreme model of human action. For Agamben, philosophy faces the task of transcending the dimension of duty—and thus ultimately of command—moving toward a new conception of both ethics and politics, free from the notions of duty and will.

Giorgio Agamben

Giorgio Agamben is one of the most hotly debated political philosophers today. His works on the political and legal paradigm of the West have caught the attention of philosophers, sociologists, political scientists and jurists alike, but his significance has been obscured by myths and misunderstandings. His works have been translated into more than 15 languages.