Catherine Malabou, "Stop Thief!: Anarchism and Philosophy" (Polity Books, 2023)

Why do so many philosophers value anarchy but refuse to call themselves anarchists? Why don’t philosophers draw on the classical anarchist tradition? How can we think de facto anarchism as distinct from dawning anarchism? What is at stake in doing so? Does philosophy need anarchism? To answer these questions, in Stop Thief! Anarchism and Philosophy (Polity Books, 2023), Catherine Malabou reads submerged counter-revolutionary themes in the texts of several key philosophical thinkers. By doing so, Malabou helps us understand the ways in which philosophy has left anarchy unthought, while also stealing from it, and disavowing it. What emerges in her analysis is the importance of the non-governable, not just as a problem for philosophy, but as what opens towards other ways of sharing, acting, and thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member!

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Catherine Malabou, "Stop Thief!: Anarchism and Philosophy" (Polity Books, 2023) is an episode from New Books in Philosophy by New Books Network.

This episode is 46:38 long.

This episode was published on Aug 20, 2025.

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