Mark G. E. Kelly - Normal Now

1 Cover

2 Epigraph Epigraph Only one truth appears before our eyes: wealth, fertility and sweet strength in all its insidious universality. In contrast, we are unaware of the prodigious machinery of the will to truth, with its vocation of exclusion. Michel Foucault, ‘The Orders of Discourse’

3 Title Page NORMAL NOW Individualism as Conformity Mark G. E. Kelly polity

4 Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright © Mark G. E. Kelly 2022 The right of Mark G. E. Kelly to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2022 by Polity Press Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-5094-4 ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-5095-1(pb) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Control Number: 2021945288 by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

5 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements I thank James Kent for his comments on an initial draft of this book (and for his broader willingness to act as a sounding board for my ideas), three anonymous reviewers for their comments and recommendations, and Robert Carson for his comments on the chapter on sex. I thank my editor at Polity, Pascal Porcheron, for facilitating the publication of this work. This work originates in the project, generously funded by the Australian Research Council as a Future Fellowship (Grant FT140101020), ‘The invention of norms: understanding how ethics, law, and the life sciences connect to shape our social selves’. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the ARC and to Australia more generally for this funding. I would also like to thank those who fostered this project: Alison Ross, who helped enormously with my application; Diego Bubbio, who also helped in this regard; Dimitris Vardoulakis, without whom I doubt it would ever have occurred to me to apply; Paul Patton, the relevant member of the ARC’s College of Experts at the time the project was funded; the various anonymous reviewers of my proposals for their feedback and generous estimation of its worthiness; and Adam Jasper Smith and the University of Technology, Sydney, for arranging library facilities for me while I was first writing the application. I would also like to thank those who hosted me on research visits during the fellowship, most particularly the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy at Kingston University London, and especially Peter Hallward for seminar questioning that forced me to add caveats that survive in this manuscript.

6 Preface Notes

7 1 Genealogy Normality as Normative Normalization What’s in a Norm? New Norms Method Notes

8 2 New Norms The Old Norms Individualism Success American Christianity Enjoy Universalization Notes

9 3 Politics Normalization Trump as Abnormal Trump as Normal Political Ideology as Norm Notes

10 4 Sex Sexuality Celibacy Monogamy Consent Queer Gender Identity Notes

11 5 Life Anxiety Diet Epidemiology Death Artifice Notes

12 6 Law Guilty Sin Psych- Perfectionism Divergence Notes

13 7 Difference Diversity Differential Abnormalization Justice Notes

14 Conclusion Notes

15 Index

16 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Table of Contents

3 Begin Reading

1 ii

2 iii

3 iv

4 vi

5 vii

6 viii

7 ix

8 x

9 xi

10 xii

11 1

12 2

13 3

14 4

15 5

16 6

17 7

18 8

19 9

20 10

21 11

22 12

23 13

24 14

25 15

26 16

27 17

28 18

29 19

30 20

31 21

32 22

33 23

34 24

35 25

36 26

37 27

38 28

39 29

40 30

41 31

42 32

43 33

44 34

45 35

46 36

47 37

48 38

49 39

50 40

51 41

52 42

53 43

54 44

55 45

56 46

57 47

58 48

59 49

60 50

61 51

62 52

63 53

64 54

65 55

66 56

67 57

68 58

69 59

70 60

71 61

72 62

73 63

74 64

75 65

76 66

77 67

78 68

79 69

80 70

81 71

82 72

83 73

84 74

85 75

86 76

87 77

88 78

89 79

90 80

91 81

92 82

93 83

94 84

95 85

96 86

97 87

98 88

99 89

100 90

101 91

102 92

103 93

104 94

105 95

106 96

107 97

108 98

109 99

110 100

111 101

112 102

113 103

114 104

115 105

116 106

117 107

118 108

119 109

120 110

121 111

122 112

123 113

124 114

125 115

126 116

127 117

128 118

129 119

130 120

131 121

132 122

133 123

134 124

135 125

136 126

137 127

138 128

139 129

140 130

141 131

142 132

143 133

144 134

145 135

146 136

147 137

148 138

149 139

150 140

151 141

152 142

153 143

154 144

155 145

156 146

157 147

158 148

159 149

160 150

161 151

162 152

163 153

164 154

165 155

166 156

167 157

168 158

169 159

170 160

171 161

172 162

173 163

174 164

175 165

176 166

177 167

178 168

179 169

180 170

181 171

182 172

183 173

184 174

185 190

186 191

187 192

188 193

Only one truth appears before our eyes: wealth, fertility and sweet strength in all its insidious universality. In contrast, we are unaware of the prodigious machinery of the will to truth, with its vocation of exclusion.

Michel Foucault, ‘The Orders of Discourse’

Mark G. E. Kelly

polity

Copyright © Mark G. E. Kelly 2022

The right of Mark G. E. Kelly to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2022 by Polity Press

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.