Introduction by Daniel Mermet

Philosopher, economist, anthropologist, psychoanalyst, historian, political thinker, of a dizzying vitality, Cornelius Castoriadis had wanted to express himself with us in a clear and concise way on what he called « the rise of insignificance ».

Often replayed in Là-bas, Castoriadis’ analysis, incredibly current 20 years later, is a lucid encouragement for those who have not given up. 

CORNEILLE, ESSENTIAL DISSIDENT 

Yes, insignificance has gained even more ground in the last 20 years. But there is no question of abdicating for all that. Castoriadis did not sink into aesthetic renunciation, nor into the Mitterrandian cynicism of the time. « I am a revolutionary in favor of radical changes ‚ » he said a few weeks before his death. He never failed to quote his ancestor Thucydides:  » One must choose, rest or be free ‚ » or again, from the same,  » A man who does not meddle in politics deserves to pass, not for a peaceful citizen, but for a useless citizen. »

The broadcast of this interview was a great success. Castoriadis was delighted, happy to address the general public.  » There are bottles in the sea that arrive at the right place » he said. 

Cornelius Castoriadis died one year later, on December 26, 1997. Born in Greece, he moved to Paris in 1945. In 1949, he created the now mythical journal Socialisme ou Barbarie, « of the radical anti-Stalinist left », which ended in 1967. In 1968, with Edgar Morin and Claude Lefort, he published Mai 68: la brèche. In 1975, he published The Imaginary Institution of Society, his most important work. 

In 1978, he began the series of Crossroads of the Labyrinth. It was during the publication of the fourth volume of this series, the Rise of Insignificance (Seuil), that he received us in November 1996. One last sentence noted before leaving him: « I don’t think we can make the French capitalist system work in a free, egalitarian and fair way as it is . »

« Huge, out of the ordinary, a titan of thought » said his old friend Edgar Morin. An encyclopedic thought, a jubilation of living and fighting, a carnal, spiritual, infinite struggle, but in movement and which leaves us grain to grind and bread on the board… 

Daniel Mermet