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July 15, 2010

Harryman is Warming to Slavoj Zizek…

Another festival of Slavoj Zizek articles appeared this weekend, all of it from Europe, where people actually read philosophy. Oh yeah, he's a Marxist, sort of - with a heavy dose of Lacanian psychoanalysis and Hegelian philosophy - so that explains why no one on this continent is paying any attention to him.

Apparently Zizek's 'the world's hippest philosopher,' as the Telegraph UK suggests - or as Der Spiegel claims, 'The Most Dangerous Philosopher in the West.' I get the sense that the person who wrote the Der Speigel article is not a fan…

So, from what I can tell (I really need to read some of his books/articles), Zizek is a social constructionist, and a constructivist - but the construction of self is an empty space, with identity always located somewhere else. And knowing this, as many postmodernists do, their deconstructions and "critiques" of capitalism and society are simply another commodity in the marketplace of ideas.

Anyway, all three articles are in support of Zizek's newest book, Living in the End Times.
Read/Watch the Entire Post: Here

2 comments:

william harryman said...

I'm not sure I'm a fan of his yet, but he is very interesting.

I don't like Marxism, and I don't like Lacan, so it's a mixed bag - not to mention that Zizek dislikes Habermas, who I find very erudite and convincing.

Thanks for the publicity, though!

Peace,
Bill

Michael- said...

You don't like Marxism?!!! Say it ain't so Bill... ;-)

Marx's work does have its problems no doubt, but I think, and Habermas might agree here, that his work was monumental in it's proto-evolutionary, realist, ethical stance. Marx's words (minus his follower's interpretations) might suprise you...

I have found in Marx's writings much that post-formal cognizers would really dig...

Check out: Here

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