Thales' Well

In this episode I talk with Dr Stuart Blaney about the French Philosopher Jacques Rancière, a thinker who has reshaped how we understand politics, equality, education, and art. We begin with his brief time in Algeria and his education in Paris, considering how these experiences shaped his outlook. From there, we trace his involvement in Louis Althusser’s circle, his eventual break with Althusser, and the broader impact of the May ’68 protests on his intellectual trajectory. Our conversation turns to Rancière’s redefinition of politics, not as governance but as an interruption of the sensible order, and his famous idea of the “distribution of the sensible.” We explore what he means by “unverifiable equality” and the “part of no part,” and how these concepts push against traditional leftist or Marxist frameworks. Alongside this, we examine his critique of expertise in governance and his challenge to technocratic or managerial approaches through a radical insistence on equality. Education and pedagogy also play