Badiou's Being and Event and the Mathematics of Set Theory [Hardcover]

Alain Badiou'sBeing and Eventcontinues to impact philosophical investigations into the question of Being. By exploring the central role set theory plays in this influential work, Burhanuddin Baki presents the first extended study of Badiou's use of mathematics inBeing and Event.

Adopting a clear, straightforward approach, Baki gathers together and explains the technical details of the relevant high-level mathematics in Being and Event. He examines Badiou's philosophical framework in close detail, showing exactly how it is 'conditioned' by the technical mathematics. Clarifying the relevant details of Badiou's mathematics, Baki looks at the four core topics Badiou employs from set theory: the formal axiomatic system of ZFC; cardinal and ordinal numbers; Kurt G?del's concept of constructability; and Cohen's technique of forcing. Baki then rebuilds Badiou's philosophical meditations in relation to their conditioning by the mathematics, paying particular attention to Cohen's forcing, which informs Badiou's analysis of the event.

Providing valuable insights into Badiou's philosophy of mathematics,Badiou's Being and Event and the Mathematics of Set Theoryoffers an excellent commentary and a new reading of Badiou's most complex and important work.

[A] courageous, articulate, meticulous presentation of the mathematics that Badiou identifies with ontology, namely ZF set theory with the axiom of choice. The mathematical presentation is in fact quite clear and instructive. MathSciNet

Baki's discussion of the underlying formalism skillfully relates Badiou to his more or less recent historical antecedents and the broader history of philosophy while also significantly illuminating what is actually at stake in Badiou's own relatively novel formal approach ... there is little doubt that Baki's careful parsing of Badiou's use of formalism will provide an invaluable resource for those pursuing it. Paul M. Livingston,lã%