French Literature Reviews - 2026
V. Descombes, C. Larmore, Dernières nouvelles du Moi
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Vincent Descombes, Charles Larmore, Dernières nouvelles du Moi
Presses universitaires de France
Quadrige Series
ISBN: 978-2-13-057091-2
Number of pages: 192 pages
Price: 15 euros
Publication date: 04/02/2009
Publisher's overview:
"In our view, one must recognize that we find ourselves already engaged in the world, simply by virtue of believing or desiring things, prior to gaining any knowledge of our mental life. A little further on, it is true, we part ways. For I am convinced, unlike Descombes, that there is indeed a relation to the self constitutive of the subject (or the ego, as I prefer to say), except that its nature is practical, or better yet, normative, rather than cognitive." (C. Larmore)
The philosophy of the subject has been one of the pillars of modern philosophy, focusing primarily—since Descartes—around the idea that our primordial relationship to the world and to ourselves is of a cognitive nature. The debate between Vincent Descombes and Charles Larmore stems from a confrontation of the different lessons they draw from a shared overturning of this classical model of the philosophy of the subject.
The authors:
Vincent Descombes is Director of Studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) and the author of numerous works, including La Denrée mentale (1995), Les Institutions du sens (1996), and Le Complément de sujet : enquête sur le fait d'agir soi-même (2004), a work awarded the Grand Prize for Philosophy by the Académie française.
Charles Larmore is Professor of Philosophy at Brown University in Rhode Island. In addition to his English-language writings, he has published in French Modernité et Morale (1993), Débat sur l'éthique. Idéalisme ou réalisme (with Alain Renaut, 2004), and Les Pratiques du moi (2004), a book that was also awarded the Grand Prize for Philosophy by the Académie française.
Table of Contents:
Introduction, by Jean-Cassien Billier
I. — The Ego and Its Reasons for Being, by Charles Larmore
II. — Recognizing the Diversity of Ways of Relating to the Self, by Vincent Descombes
III. — The Linguistic Turn and the Ineluctable Ego, by Charles Larmore
IV. — Must I Be an Ego to Be Myself?, by Vincent Descombes
Conclusions: Philosophy and Subjectivity, by Charles Larmore — On the Agenda: The Question of the Subject, by Vincent Descombes
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An article on this work can be read on the nonfiction.fr website:
The philosophy of the subject has been one of the pillars of modern philosophy, focusing primarily—since Descartes—around the idea that our primordial relationship to the world and to ourselves is of a cognitive nature. This volume presents an exchange between Vincent Descombes and Charles Larmore, stemming from a confrontation of the different lessons they draw from a shared overturning of this classical model of the philosophy of the subject. Readers interested in contemporary philosophy and debates surrounding subjectivity may find this relevant to their inquiries.
The table of contents features contributions including an introduction by Jean-Cassien Billier, chapters by Charles Larmore such as "The Ego and Its Reasons for Being" and "The Linguistic Turn and the Ineluctable Ego," chapters by Vincent Descombes such as "Recognizing the Diversity of Ways of Relating to the Self" and "Must I Be an Ego to Be Myself?," and conclusions by both authors addressing philosophy, subjectivity, and the question of the subject.