French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Cauquelin, At the Edge of Possible Worlds
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Anne Cauquelin
At the Edge of Possible Worlds
P.U.F.
Coll. Quadrige Essais Débats
2010
202 p.
ISBN : 978-2-13-058235-9
12 euros
Publisher's overview:
The philosophies of ancient Greece asserted that the world is one. In this world, the earth is the center and man, superior to all other living beings, holds the preeminent place. There was no question of a plurality of worlds, except for a few highly unorthodox philosophers who ended up burned at the stake. The desire for other worlds eventually found roundabout expressions, such as evoking the existence of possible worlds… What kind of worlds are these, where can they be found, and are they habitable? This is the question this book seeks to answer. After exploring the possibility that art "opens up a world," according to the well-known formula, or that the cyberworld is genuinely another world, the author puts forward the hypothesis not only of the existence, but of the reality of possible worlds, and examines the practical consequences of such a proposition.
Table of Contents
Foreword
PART ONE — ON THE EXISTENCE OF WORLDS
Chapter I. The Aristotelian Model
Heavens, a World: Our Sublunar Condition
Arguments for a Single World
Alternative Versions
Chapter II. The Fragmentation of the World
A Few Steps into Infinity: A Space for the Innumerable
Chapter III. The Universe of Possible Worlds
The Infinity of Worlds
Returning to the Single World
A Science of Confused Perceptions: Aesthetics
PART TWO — ART AND ALTERNATE WORLDS
Chapter I. From the "Real" World to the World of Art
A Phenomenology
The Open, the Opening
Horizon and Transcendence, Phenomenological Version
Behind the Horizon?
Chapter II. The Possible Considered as One of the Fine Arts
From Allography to Transcendence
Chapter III. Art as an Alibi
Poetics of Multiplicity and Multiverse Theory
PART THREE — ALTERNATE WORLDS AND ONTOLOGIES
Chapter I. Displaced Ontologies
Ontology vs. Ontologies
Regional Ontologies
An Ontology of the Third Kind
The Question of Dwelling and Background Ontology
Reality as Transcendence
Chapter II. Games, Avatars, and Persistent Worlds
Narrative Fictions, Games, and the Magic Circle
Limited Games and Persistent Worlds
Inhabiting Second Life: Avatars
Final and Fragmentary Notes Concerning Second Worlds
Chapter III. Reality, Concrete Utopia
Genres of Utopia
Ernst Bloch's Concrete Utopia
Questions of Reality and Background
Modal Practices
Games and Art: Necessary Alibis
Clarification on the Choice of Title
Anne Cauquelin, philosopher and editor-in-chief of the Nouvelle Revue d'Esthétique, is the author of numerous works translated into several languages. Her career is punctuated by catalogue essays, journal articles, and lectures. Her works published by PUF include L'invention du paysage (Plon, 1989, repr. "Quadrige" 2000), Le site et le paysage ("Quadrige", 2002, 2nd ed. 2007), and Fréquenter les incorporels ("Lignes d'art", 2006).
Rooted in contemporary philosophy and aesthetics, this work examines how human thought shifted from the ancient model of a single, geocentric universe toward the acceptance of plural realities. Anne Cauquelin traces this intellectual trajectory from classical philosophy through the fragmentation of the cosmos to modern digital and artistic environments. By engaging with concepts of ontology and perception, the author investigates how human imagination constructs alternative spaces that challenge traditional definitions of reality, inviting readers to reconsider the boundaries between the actual and the possible in an increasingly interconnected and mediated universe.
The book will prove particularly valuable to students and scholars of philosophy, aesthetics, and cultural theory seeking to understand how contemporary media, virtual environments like Second Life, and artistic practices redefine our dwelling spaces. By bridging traditional ontological questions with modern phenomena such as digital avatars, video games, and cyberworlds, Cauquelin offers a structured inquiry into the status of second worlds. It serves as an accessible yet rigorous guide for readers interested in the philosophical implications of art, narrative fiction, and utopian thought in shaping human perception today.