From its very beginnings, Western civilization has held the concept of a universal that embodies all elements; this has only been possible by producing unassimilated remainders and the consequent attempts to eliminate them through persecution or terror. By using Lacan's object a and Melville's character Bartleby, in addition to considerations from authors such as Viveiros de Castro, Agamben and Badiou, this article proposes other possible paths of thought on universality.
Universal; singular; identification; remainder