Or, My Life in Theory
Interview with Emily Eakin about her book The Frenchmen: Or, My Life in Theory. Explores the rise of French theory in 1980s American academia, led by thinkers like Foucault and Derrida, as a blend of intellectual rigour, a shortcut to cultural sophistication, and a form of rebellion. It transitioned French philosophy into cultural criticism, influencing fields like identity politics. Details the shift from existentialism, the structuralist idea of language controlling humans, and Derrida’s concept of deferred meaning. Highlights Foucault’s views on power and control, particularly his Panopticon metaphor. Examines the enduring relevance of these theories, especially their surprising resonance with the advent of AI and large language models, which prompt philosophical questions about language existing without human thought.
