Customer Reviews

The Parasite

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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.

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.

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.

This treasured book stands as a profound meditation on human existence in relation to the world, the manifold scales at which power operates, shading from literal to allegorical, then to economic to revolutionary, and yet all seemingly one vibrating phenomenon, that of host to parasite. Prepare yourself for an enlightening exposition of this theme, go ahead and try to prepare--this book will still blow your mind. I've never been able to escape the force of his argument yet. This is one of the books that changed the way I look at the world.