Christopher Norris
Encyclopedia
Christopher Charles Norris (born 6 November 1947) is a British philosopher and literary critic.
. He completed his PhD in English at University College London
in 1975, while Sir Frank Kermode
served as the Lord Northcliffe Professor of modern English literature there.
After an early career in Literary Criticism, in 1991 Norris moved to the Cardiff Philosophy Department where, in 1997, he was awarded the title of Distinguished Research Professor. He has also held fellowships and visiting appointments at a number of institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley
, the City University of New York
and Dartmouth College
.
He is one of the world's leading scholars on deconstruction
, and the work of Jacques Derrida
. He has written numerous books and papers on literary theory
, continental philosophy
and philosophy of science
, and, more recently, he has been focussing on the work of Alain Badiou
. Norris is considered a philosopher in his own right: 2003's Life After Theory featured an interview with Norris, placing him alongside Derrida as a significant contemporary author.
Career
As of 2011 Prof. Norris is Distinguished Research Professor in Philosophy at Cardiff UniversityCardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
. He completed his PhD in English at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1975, while Sir Frank Kermode
Frank Kermode
Sir John Frank Kermode was a highly regarded British literary critic best known for his seminal critical work The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction, published in 1967 ....
served as the Lord Northcliffe Professor of modern English literature there.
After an early career in Literary Criticism, in 1991 Norris moved to the Cardiff Philosophy Department where, in 1997, he was awarded the title of Distinguished Research Professor. He has also held fellowships and visiting appointments at a number of institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
and Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
.
He is one of the world's leading scholars on deconstruction
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...
, and the work of Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...
. He has written numerous books and papers on literary theory
Literary theory
Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of...
, 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...
and philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, and, more recently, he has been focussing on the work of Alain Badiou
Alain Badiou
Alain Badiou is a French philosopher, professor at European Graduate School, formerly chair of Philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure . Along with Giorgio Agamben and Slavoj Žižek, Badiou is a prominent figure in an anti-postmodern strand of continental philosophy...
. Norris is considered a philosopher in his own right: 2003's Life After Theory featured an interview with Norris, placing him alongside Derrida as a significant contemporary author.
Selected works
- Theory and Practice
- Against Relativism
- New Idols of the Cave
- Uncritical Theory
- The Contest of Faculties: Philosophy and Theory After Deconstruction
- Derrida (Fontana Modern MastersFontana Modern MastersThe Fontana Modern Masters was a series of pocket guides on the writers, philosophers, and other thinkers and theorists whose ideas were shaping the intellectual landscape of the twentieth century. The first five titles were published on 12 January 1970 by Fontana Books, the paperback imprint of...
) - What's Wrong with Postmodernism
- Deconstruction: Theory and Practice
- Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism: Philosophical Responses to Quantum Mechanics
- Minding the Gap: Epistemology and Philosophy of Science in the Two Traditions
- Truth Matters: Realism, Anti-realism and Response-dependence
- Spinoza and the Origins of Modern Critical Theory
- Resources of Realism: Truth, Meaning, and Interpretation
- Inside the Myth: Orwell, Views from the Left (Ed)
- Badiou's Being and Event
- Re-thinking the Cogito. Naturalism, Rationalism and the Venture of Thought
External links
- Christopher Norris’ webpage at Cardiff University
- Audio recording of Norris on the role of philosophy in relation to neuroscience at Cardiff 'Philosophy Cafe'