The Parasite [Hardcover]

Professor Michel Serres (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1982

Influential philosopher Michel Serres’s foundational work uses fable to explore how human relations are identical to that of the parasite to the host body. Among Serres’s arguments is that by being pests, minor groups can become major players in public dialogue—creating diversity and complexity vital to human life and thought.

 

Michel Serres is professor in history of science at the Sorbonne, professor of Romance languages at Stanford University, and author of several books, including Genesis.

 

Lawrence R. Schehr is professor of French at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

 

Cary Wolfe is Bruce and Elizabeth Dunlevie Professor of English at Rice University. His books include Zoontologies: The Question of the Animal (Minnesota, 2003).

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1st Edition in English edition (May 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801824567
• ISBN-13: 978-0801824562
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,911,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic philosophical text, August 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parasite (Posthumanities) (Paperback)

Written by history and science professor Michel Serres, and expertly translated from the original French by professor of French Lawrence R. Schehr (no simple feat, as Serres often expressed himself in unusual styles and multilingual puns), The Parasite is an eyebrow-raising treatise that compares how human relations are frequently identical to the relationship between a parasite and the host body. Serres does not decry this situation as universally deleterious; to the contrary, he points out that by being vocal pests, small groups can raise their collective power to influence public dialogue, engendering the diversity and complexity vital to vibrant human thought and culture. "The position of a parasite is to be between. That is why it must be said to be a being or a relation. But the attribute of the parasite... is its specificity. It is not just anything that troubles a passing message. It is not just anyone who is invited to someone's table. A given larva develops only in a certain organism and is carried only by a certain vector." Originally published in 1982, this re-release of a classic philosophical text is highly recommended especially for college library philosophy shelves and scholarly reading lists.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the concept of parasitism, August 9, 2000

By 

Ernest Brown (Columbia, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parasite (Hardcover)

Serres the polymath strikes again, with an extensive and detailed examination of the history of the concept of parasitism in history, philosophy, science and literature. The discussion of the literary parasite is especially useful for Anglo-American readers that might not be familiar with the concept. Try to find this at a good university library, or order it online if you can.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding post-humanist perspective, March 24, 2009

By 

James R. Saker "Jamie Saker" (Tabor, Iowa) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Parasite (Posthumanities) (Paperback)

Serres' work is remarkably fresh and reading it has a true aesthetic quality, aside from the invaluable outlook on human relationships. Having acquired the book to develop further critical arguments for our policy debate program, I found myself evaluating his thoughts in my role as a professional risk manager. Serres provides much to consider in relationships, especially when one attempts to evaluate underlying behaviors and incentives. Several chapters would provide excellent material for graduate management coursework on ethics.