Andrew Benjamin
Encyclopedia
Andrew Benjamin is an Australian philosopher and Professor of Critical Theory at Monash University
, Melbourne
, Australia. Benjamin first came to critical attention with his writings in continental philosophy
, writing articles and editing books on the thinking of Martin Heidegger
, Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin
, Julia Kristeva
and Jean-François Lyotard
. Benjamin has become involved in the field of architecture
, to the extent that he has also taught in various schools of architecture in UK, US
and Australia.
Diplome d'Etude Avancee (University of Paris 7, France
)
PhD (University of Warwick
, UK)
, New York
, US, and Visiting Critic at the Architectural Association in London
, UK, and Professor of Critical Theory in the Centre and at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. He is recurrent visiting professor at the Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London. Benjamin is a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities
.
in philosophy, seeing language as constructing reality. “Philosophy can never be free of architecture”, so he argues, finding architectural metaphors pervading philosophy in terms of foundations and edifices. And just as Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, attempted to think of philosophy from first principles – from the cogito
(the thinking subject) – so a critical architecture is seen to contest its tradition, if not fully succeeding in getting beyond notions such as shelter and dwelling. On the other hand, as a critical practice, architecture – in a similar way as the relationship between literary criticism
and literature
- is allowed to pursue its own hermetic
, critical inquiry. In terms of architectural production, this sees the development of unbuilt (and even perhaps presently unbuildable) “architectural” models within cyberspace
as having equal validity as implemented works, if not even more validity if one defines architecture as a critical activity. Such a position also, by definition, supports an avant-gardist approach to the architectural production.
Andrew Benjamin also edited The Lyotard Reader (1989), Abjection, Melancholia and Love: The Work of Julia Kristeva (1990), Walter Benjamin's Philosophy: Destruction and Experience (1993) and Walter Benjamin and Romanticism (2002). He is also joint editor of the series Walter Benjamin Studies published by Continuum Press.
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia. Benjamin first came to critical attention with his writings in continental philosophy
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
, writing articles and editing books on the thinking of Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
, Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin
Walter Benjamin
Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin was a German-Jewish intellectual, who functioned variously as a literary critic, philosopher, sociologist, translator, radio broadcaster and essayist...
, Julia Kristeva
Julia Kristeva
Julia Kristeva is a Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, psychoanalyst, sociologist, feminist, and, most recently, novelist, who has lived in France since the mid-1960s. She is now a Professor at the University Paris Diderot...
and Jean-François Lyotard
Jean-François Lyotard
Jean-François Lyotard was a French philosopher and literary theorist. He is well known for his articulation of postmodernism after the late 1970s and the analysis of the impact of postmodernity on the human condition...
. Benjamin has become involved in the field of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, to the extent that he has also taught in various schools of architecture in UK, US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia.
Education
MA, BA (The Australian National University)Diplome d'Etude Avancee (University of Paris 7, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
)
PhD (University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, UK)
Career
Benjamin’s career began as a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick, UK, where he was later Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Research in Philosophy and Literature at the same university. He has also been Visiting Professor of Architectural Theory at Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, US, and Visiting Critic at the Architectural Association in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK, and Professor of Critical Theory in the Centre and at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. He is recurrent visiting professor at the Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London. Benjamin is a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities
Australian Academy of the Humanities
The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia...
.
On architecture
Benjamin’s writings on architecture – for instance the early essay "Eisenman and the Housing of Tradition" (Art, Mimesis and the Avant-Garde, 1991) – have started from the premise that architecture is a critical activity not a synonym for building, or as he argued in his book Architectural Philosophy (2000) a virtuality not merely an actuality. The theoretical basis for such a position is the so-called linguistic turnLinguistic turn
The linguistic turn was a major development in Western philosophy during the 20th century, the most important characteristic of which is the focusing of philosophy and the other humanities primarily on the relationship between philosophy and language....
in philosophy, seeing language as constructing reality. “Philosophy can never be free of architecture”, so he argues, finding architectural metaphors pervading philosophy in terms of foundations and edifices. And just as Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, attempted to think of philosophy from first principles – from the cogito
Cogito ergo sum
is a philosophical Latin statement proposed by . The simple meaning of the phrase is that someone wondering whether or not they exist is, in and of itself, proof that something, an "I", exists to do the thinking — However this "I" is not the more or less permanent person we call "I"...
(the thinking subject) – so a critical architecture is seen to contest its tradition, if not fully succeeding in getting beyond notions such as shelter and dwelling. On the other hand, as a critical practice, architecture – in a similar way as the relationship between literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
- is allowed to pursue its own hermetic
Hermetic
* Hermeticism, a magical and religious movement stemming from the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus* Hermeticism , a literary movement in poetry started in Italy* Hermetics, the deliberate use of esoteric imagery...
, critical inquiry. In terms of architectural production, this sees the development of unbuilt (and even perhaps presently unbuildable) “architectural” models within cyberspace
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
as having equal validity as implemented works, if not even more validity if one defines architecture as a critical activity. Such a position also, by definition, supports an avant-gardist approach to the architectural production.
A selection of writings by Andrew Benjamin
- Style and Time: Essays on the Politics of Appearance, North Western University Press, Evanston, 2006.
- Disclosing Spaces: On Painting, Clinamen Press, 2004.
- Philosophy's Literature, Clinamen Press, Manchester, 2001.
- Architectural Philosophy, Athlone Press, London, 2000.
- Present Hope: Philosophy, Architecture, Judaism, Routledge, London, 1997.
- What is Abstraction?, Academy Editions, London, 1996.
- Object Painting, Academy Editions, London, 1994.
- The Plural Event: Descartes, Hegel, Heidegger, Routledge, London, 1993.
- Art, Mimesis and the Avant-Garde, Routledge, London, 1991.
- Translation and the Nature of Philosophy: A new theory of words, Routledge, London, 1989.
- (with Christopher Norris), What is Deconstruction?, St. Martins Press, New York, 1988. (German edition: Was ist Dekonstruktion? Verlag fur Architektur, Artemis, Munich, 1990).
Andrew Benjamin also edited The Lyotard Reader (1989), Abjection, Melancholia and Love: The Work of Julia Kristeva (1990), Walter Benjamin's Philosophy: Destruction and Experience (1993) and Walter Benjamin and Romanticism (2002). He is also joint editor of the series Walter Benjamin Studies published by Continuum Press.