Introduction To The Thought Of Ernesto Laclau

Various traditions within the social sciences (positivism, hermeneutics, etc.) start from social facts as something positively "given." A theorist of the social sciences, Ernesto Laclau, an Argentine based in Essex, has developed an original work, where THE STARTING POINT IS TO SEE THE SOCIAL AT ITS FAILURE POINT, IN ITS DISLOCATION AND IMPOSSIBILITY. LACLAU JOINS two very important trends in contemporary thought: DESCONSTRUCTION AND PRAGMATISM. The first current has its origin in Nietzsche, and its objective is to demolish the constructions of classical philosophy to reach its foundations, that is, the ideals most valued by metaphysics: essence, truth, foundation. He is interested in this, in terms of exposing the radical CONTINGENCY (the accidental, the unnecessary) that makes them possible. To address the issue, we have summarized the essentials of "Ernesto Laclau: a new logic of social relations", by Silvia Rivera.