PHILOSOPHER

Giorgio Agamben

1942 - Today

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Giorgio Agamben ( ə-GAM-bən; Italian: [ˈdʒordʒo aˈɡamben]; born 22 April 1942) is an Italian philosopher whose work spans political theory, ontology, aesthetics, and literature. He is best known for developing the concepts of the state of exception and homo sacer, which explore the relationship between sovereignty, legal authority, and what he calls 'bare life'. His writings draw on sources including Aristotle, Roman law, Christian theology, Martin Heidegger, Walter Benjamin, Ludwig Wittgenstein, St. Augustine and Carl Schmitt among others, and engage critically with Michel Foucault’s account of biopolitics and biopower. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 42 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 40 in 2024). Giorgio Agamben is the 237th most popular philosopher (down from 236th in 2024), the 684th most popular biography from Italy (down from 640th in 2019) and the 22nd most popular Italian Philosopher.

Giorgio Agamben is most famous for his work on the concept of "homo sacer," which he defines as someone who can be killed without committing a crime.

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Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, Giorgio Agamben ranks 237 out of 1,267. Before him are Iamblichus, Carneades, Marshall McLuhan, Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, Paul Feyerabend, and Nikolai Berdyaev. After him are Michael Psellos, Prodicus, Franz Brentano, Al-Jahiz, Gabriel Marcel, and Milarepa.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1942, Giorgio Agamben ranks 42. Before him are John Wayne Gacy, José Eduardo dos Santos, Michael Haneke, Ian McShane, Werner Herzog, and David Bradley. After him are Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Jacques Rogge, Martin Rees, Michel Mayor, Jochen Rindt, and Lou Reed.

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In Italy

Among people born in Italy, Giorgio Agamben ranks 684 out of 5,161. Before him are Maria Theresa of Austria (1767), Josephine of Leuchtenberg (1807), Giovanni Giustiniani (1418), Francis of Paola (1416), Edmondo De Amicis (1846), and Henry of Germany (1211). After him are Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (1701), Bona Sforza (1494), Saint Rosalia (1130), Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (1920), Poppaea Sabina (30), and Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (1833).

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Among PHILOSOPHERS In Italy

Among philosophers born in Italy, Giorgio Agamben ranks 22. Before him are Cesare Beccaria (1738), Alcmaeon of Croton (-510), Hippasus (-600), Theano (-600), Julius Evola (1898), and Benedetto Croce (1866). After him are Marsilius of Padua (1275), Elena Cornaro Piscopia (1646), Pietro Pomponazzi (1462), Giovanni Gentile (1875), Antonio Negri (1933), and Aristoxenus (-360).

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