'Francois Laruelle is one of the most radical and challenging of contemporary thinkers. In this book, Anthony Paul Smith provides a road map to Laruelle, guiding us through the rough terrain of the French thinker's "non-philosophy". There are many surprising prospects to be encountered here, as well as the sense of wonder that comes from seeing familiar ideas in an entirely new light.' Steven Shaviro, Wayne State University A guide through the difficult territory of Laruelle's most complete development of non-philosophy François Laruelle has been engaged in one of the most daring projects in contemporary philosophy, aiming to overturn the standard form of philosophy and renew its practice. However, he grew dissatisfied with the purely critical form of his work as it seemed simply to subordinate philosophy to science and so merely reversed the old hierarchy. In Principles of Non-Philosophy Laruelle develops the concepts and method of a more democratic form of thought where neither science nor philosophy are subjected to one another, but brought together in a more productive theoretical and practical relationship. While the potential importance of this project is clear, Laruelle remains famously difficult. Anthony Paul Smith provides an introduction and guide to the text that situates it amongst the figures and concepts Laruelle engaged with, creating a foothold for understanding and, more importantly, potential use of the project of non-philosophy. Key Features - Provides the essential historical background to non-philosophy which Laruelle leaves out of his writing - Explains how non-philosophy contributes to contemporary debates in European philosophy, especially in relation to the philosophy of science, theories of the subject and the role of translation in philosophy - Shows how non-philosophy can be useful as a research paradigm for doing interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary work Anthony Paul Smith is Assistant Professor of Philosophical Theology at La Salle University. Cover image: (c) www.canstockphoto.com Cover design: [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com