Skip to main content

Distributed for Seagull Books

The Kingdom and the Garden

In a tour-de-force reinterpretation of the Christian tradition, Agamben shows that the Garden of Eden has always served as a symbol for humanity’s true nature.

What happened to paradise after Adam and Eve were expelled? The question may sound like a theological quibble, or even a joke, but in The Kingdom and the Garden, Giorgio Agamben uses it as a starting point for an investigation of human nature and the prospects for political transformation. In a tour-de-force reinterpretation of the Christian tradition, Agamben shows that the Garden of Eden has always served as a symbol of humanity’s true nature. Where earlier theologians viewed the expulsion as temporary, Augustine’s doctrine of original sin makes it permanent, reimagining humanity as the paradoxical creature that has been completely alienated from its own nature. From this perspective, there can be no return to paradise, only the hope for the messianic kingdom. Yet there have always been thinkers who rebelled against this idea, and Agamben highlights two major examples. The first is the early medieval philosopher John Scotus Eriugena, who argued for a radical unity of humanity with all living things. The second is Dante, whose vision of the earthly paradise points towards the possibility of genuine human happiness in this world. In place of the messianic kingdom, which has provided the model for modern revolutionary movements, Agamben contends that we should place our hopes for political change in a return to our origins, by reclaiming the earthly paradise.
 

164 pages | 5.5 x 7.75 | © 2020

The Italian List

Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory

Philosophy: General Philosophy

Religion: Philosophy of Religion, Theology, and Ethics


Seagull Books image

View all books from Seagull Books

Reviews

"By means of a meticulously researched argument, Agamben presents a genealogy of the shifting understanding of Christian paradise and its impact on the conception of human nature. Because Agamben has indisputably achieved the status of one of the major philosophers of the 21st century, this slim, focused volume has interest beyond its explicit topic. . . . Highly recommended."

Choice

"The English-language reader, whether political theorist, philosopher, or theologian (or some creative combination of these), can only rejoice at this profound little fire-starter that challenges our sacred and secular polities, and the all-too-narrow, unimaginative, unhopeful conceptions of the human community, wearingly proposed by three extrinsic, alienated disciplines."

Journal of Church and State

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press