World of Becoming

William E. Connolly is Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. His most recent books include Capitalism and Christianity, American Style and Pluralism, both also published by Duke University Press. His classic study The Terms of Political Discourse won the Benjamin Lippincott Award in 1999. Connolly is an advisory editor of the journal Theory & Event, a co-editor of the blog The Contemporary Condition, and a former editor (1980–86) of the journal Political Theory.

“A World of Becoming continues William E. Connolly’s project of a ‘positive’ pluralism: one unafraid of the ‘messy fecundities’ of a complex world tense with unresolved tendencies yet effervescent with emergent potential. Against the politics of resentment so dominant today, he argues for an ethos of radical ‘interinvolvement’ affirmative of becoming, with all its promise and all its loose ends. To counter the otherworldly lure of final transcendent solutions in which the politics of resentment too often takes refuge, he proposes the meeting ground of a non-doctrinal faith that amplifies attachment to this world as a work-in-progress and collective adventure. Written in flowingly accessible prose that sacrifices nothing of the complexity it charts, and as passionate as it is conceptually precise, A World of Becoming is a political and philosophical statement of foremost importance for our times.”-Brian Massumi, author of Parables for the Virtual: Movement, Affect, Sensation “A World of Becoming is a deeply original and timely book drawing together a series of ideas, discoveries, and concepts from a wide range of fields into a coherent image of a new way of responding to what William E. Connolly understands as the human predicament. It suggests many practical guidelines, forms of action, types of ethos, and modes of interaction directly applicable to some of the most intractable social and political problems we face today. It is a brave and engaged work.”-James Williams, author of Gilles Deleuze’s Logic of Sense “William E. Connolly has not so much written about a world of becoming as he has enacted it, energized it, opened it into language limpid and alive with the temporal pulsation he narrates. A leading political philosopher here takes politics and philosophy somewhere other than where they have been, somewhere densely enmeshed in the Deleuzian and Whiteheadian philosophies of open-ended process, somewhere strangely hospitable to any thinking-even theological-respectful of its own uncertainty. With him we ‘enter into moments of suspension to allow creative thoughts to gestate when a new fork in time is underway.’ The book is brilliant with metamorphosis.”-Catherine Keller, author of The Face of the Deep: A Theology of Becoming “A World of Becoming is a remarkably rich and rewarding work, and Connolly a thinker whose claims demand serious reflection and thought. His work does not shy away from the vexing philosophical and political questions of our time. Such thoroughgoing examination of the concrete challenges humanity currently faces is admirable. Furthermore, he offers a strong foundation upon which we might begin to build a practical orientation for affirming political life in a world of disequilibrium and disorder.” - Robert W. Glover (Philosophy in Review) “[F]or those interested in the intersection of religion and politics or those exploring critical theory or pluralism, Connolly’s text offers a lot of fodder for thought. It is a highly imaginative, well thought out piece that can expand our understanding of the world in which we live.” - Nathan Crawford (Reviews in Religion and Theology) “Although Connolly’s impressive work draws freely from a remarkably diverse group of philosophers, literary figures, theologians, and scientists, there is no doubt that he is constructing something original in our late-modern spiritual and political-theoretical landscape. . . . Connolly makes a deeply affecting case for affirming a world of becoming, knowing all the while that its attractions may gain some power only after long cultivation.” - Stephen K. White (Journal of Religion) “Connolly certainly opens a path for those wishing to make such a positive contribution in political theory and philosophy. This complexly crafted reinvigoration of a Deleuzean approach to Nietzsche's closure of metaphysics is sure to inspire further engagement with the topics covered. The strength of this new approach by Connolly is his engagement with recent advances in neuroscience and mathematics, and his emphasis on positive outcomes. While not for the faint-hearted, those looking for inspiration may find it in this exciting new work.” - Alexander C. Karolis (Critical Horizons) “In A World of Becoming Connolly identifies the question of the relationship of subjectivity to authenticity as an element of what he calls the human predicament. From that perspective, he enables us to start seeing things differently, to join in describing a world of becoming in which a predicament, as opposed to a condition, allows us to think more complexly about the directions we may take as we either bide our time or make it.” - Thomas Dumm (Theory & Event)

• Prelude 11. Complexity, Agency, and Time 172. The Vicissitudes of Experience 433. Belief, Spirituality, and Time 68Interlude 934. The Human Predicament 975. Capital Flows, Sovereign Decisions, and World Resonance Machines 1246. The Theorist and the Seer 148Postlude 176Acknowledgments 178Notes 181Bibliography 199Index 205