Drawing support from Nietzsche and Foucault, Connolly argues that the Augustinian Imperative contains unethical implications: its carriers too often convert living signs that threaten their ontological self-confidence into modes of otherness to be condemned, punished, or converted in order to restore that confidence. With a lucidity and rhetorical power that makes it readily accessible, The Augustinian Imperative examines Augustine's enactment of the Imperative, explores alternative ethico-political orientations, and subsequently reveals much about the politics of morality in the modern age.

Chapter 1 Voices From the Whirlwind Chapter 2 Confessing the Moral God Chapter 3 Gentle Wars of Identity/Difference Chapter 4 The Genesis of Being Chapter 5 Beyond the Moral Imperative

William E. Connolly teaches political theory at Johns Hopkins University where he is professor of political science.