Lacan's Logic of Subjectivity. A Walk on the Graph of Desire.

by Mattias Desmet

Modern Western science started with mathematically modeling phenomena that were removed the furthest from us: the movements of the sun, the planets, the stars. With his Graph of Desire, French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan presented the first mathematical model in the history of Western science for the phenomenon that is closest to us: subjective experience.

Author Mattias Desmet shows how the various levels of subjectivity all relate to the same structure – the Graph of Desire. Desmet unravels how a singular Graph represents the intricate relationships between phenomena – at first glance unrelated – such as the becoming of the subject, immediate subjective experience, the effects and process of the psychoanalytic treatment, the ethical positioning of the psychoanalyst and the selection of interventions in this process.

The Graph does what every science does, it simplifies complex matters. It introduces remarkable clarity into a field – subjectivity, and the effects speech has on it – that initially appears chaotic and endlessly complicated. This theoretical parsimony is one of the principal scientific achievements of Lacan, one we should consider among the greatest in the tradition of the Enlightenment.

Genres: Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Nonfiction

483 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Mattias Desmet is Professor in Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at Ghent University, Belgium. Desmet is also the author of Lacan's Logic of Subjectivity. A Walk on the Graph of Desire (2019)

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lacanian theory is known to be fairly inaccessible to those unfamiliar with psychoanalytic theory. This book is a great starting point for those wishing to immerse themselves in Lacanian theory as Mattias Desmet is capable of untangling the writings of Lacan in a clear and comprehensive manner.

That being said, I have 2 main critical comments regarding this book. (1) In one of the first chapters, Desmet aims to illustrate the shortcomings of the dominant mechanistic world view by drawing on quantum mechanics. These examples are needlessly complex, and might give the reader the impression that the remainder of book will be as hard and challenging to understand (which it is not). The same shortcomings can also be illustrated with examples directly related to the field of psychology. For example, the inability of research to find a unequivocal, biological cause of psychological disorders. The needless complexity of this chapter might scare potential readers away. (2) The author fails to shed a more modern light on psychoanalytic theory. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when gender and gender roles were addressed in this book in the most stereotypical manner. It is true that Freud and Lacan had old fashioned ideas about the matter, but psychoanalytic theory has grown since then. Nevertheless, this book fails to show this and adds to the impression that psychoanalytic theory is still nothing more than the ideas of 2 old, white men, which is a shame.

Overall, I liked this book and would definitely recommend it to those looking for an introduction in psychoanalytic theory.

[Don Christian]

Excellent book on philosophy, rationality, reason, and religion. Desmet gained some notoreity during the COVID pandemic for applying Lacan's Logic to current events, and to knowing the unknowable. This is relevant because COVID forced so many people to confront the possibility of a premature death. What then is the meaning of their life up to this point? Is that all? This serious moment of reflection caused deeply-held beliefs to conflict with their rational knowledge as they "followed the science" toward unpleasant conclusions. This is highly relevant even today.

[Ambreros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Examen voor binnen twee weken maar de psyche en werking van de psychoanalytische therapie was goed uitgelegd 😝.

[Odamé · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!! Lacan heeft gans mijn visie rond het subjectieve (mensen, relaties en interacties in het algemeen) verandert <3

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The next best thing to spending twenty years of your life untangling the impossible writings and seminars of Lacan himself.

[Marth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zeer interessante en bruikbare theorie

[Eden Lekens · Rating 3 out of 5]

17/20 voor gehaald dus big fan