NO BEGINNER’S text, Philosophy and the Idea of Communism assumes a deep knowledge of Hegel — arguably the most arcane of Western philosophers — with no introduction to guide the casual reader.

Even so, its dialogic form is eminently readable, with Badiou and Engelmann making their entry point the distinction between the “individual” — the human animal — and the “subject” — one summoned to participate in one of life’s processes — only alighting explicitly on Marx and communism some 26 pages in. Although a little laboured at times, this discussion lays important theoretical groundwork for the remainder of the book.

The electoral process holds no value for Badiou, who declares that “what we call democracy is simply the organisation of the power of the dominant hegemony. It’s the process that legitimises or establishes domination. We have to stop concerning ourselves with it.”