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Žižek Responds!
Responses to the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek have been, like Žižek himself, extreme. Critics have accused him of charlatanism on the one hand, while others have lauded his genius, especially as a public intellectual, on the other. This makes it difficult to find any kind of nuanced or interesting critical appraisal of his work.
At its best Žižek's work provides a new foundation of dialectical philosophy, beyond the glitz of stardom or oversimplified sinister disdain. Žižek Responds! combines philosophers and theorists engaging with Žižek's philosophy in order to explore its unnoticed implications, its conceptual problems, or its unrealized potential. With detailed and lively responses from Žižek himself, this book offers an unique insight into how this thinker might explain, clarify and hone some of his most controversial and misunderstood ideas. At once an introduction to Žižek's most important concepts and a rare and novel insight into his thoughts on the criticisms of his work, this is indispensible reading for both Žižekians and their critics.
At its best Žižek's work provides a new foundation of dialectical philosophy, beyond the glitz of stardom or oversimplified sinister disdain. Žižek Responds! combines philosophers and theorists engaging with Žižek's philosophy in order to explore its unnoticed implications, its conceptual problems, or its unrealized potential. With detailed and lively responses from Žižek himself, this book offers an unique insight into how this thinker might explain, clarify and hone some of his most controversial and misunderstood ideas. At once an introduction to Žižek's most important concepts and a rare and novel insight into his thoughts on the criticisms of his work, this is indispensible reading for both Žižekians and their critics.
352 pages, Paperback
Published February 23, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 27, 2023
Este libro es uno de los mejores ejercicios de discusión filosófica que haya leído hasta el momento (e incluso de otras ramas del conocimiento). Cuando la obra de algún autor es amplia y ha generado mucha discusión entre diferentes autores es común que surjan libros que resuman diversos aspectos de su obra o hacen una lectura crítica de los mismos, escritos a varias manos. Generalmente se acompañan con algún capítulo inédito del autor.
Aquí, la formula es parecida, cada capítulo es un ensayo en donde se realiza una crítica u observación puntual algún aspecto de la obra de Žižek. Cada capítulo es escrito por diferentes autores con los que ha trabajado o discutido, por lo que reúne a grandes filósofos y psicoanalistas en esta obra, en los cuales además lanzan algún tipo de provocación sobre la obra de Žižek. La gran novedad es que a cada a cada capítulo hay una respuesta de Žižek a las críticas, provocaciones o puntualizaciones que se le realizan.
La manera de realizar las críticas es de alto nivel teórico y Žižek lo reconoce y responde también en términos teóricos, aclarando muchos puntos que suele no estar claro en sus escritos.Un ejercicio de civilidad y de discusión brillante.
En este sentido, este libro también es un gran homenaje a la obra de Žižek. Los temas pasan desde su lectura de Hegel, su ontología basada en Scehlling, su materialismo, la idea de violencia, su crítica a la ideología, su noción de sujeto, la lectura que hace de Kant con Sade, su interpretación que hace del deseo y la pulsión, hasta sus intervenciones políticas en genero, migración y la guerra de Ucrania, entre otros temas.
El libro esta escrito con lenguaje técnico y académico, muy recomendable para los que les interese la filosofía.
Aquí, la formula es parecida, cada capítulo es un ensayo en donde se realiza una crítica u observación puntual algún aspecto de la obra de Žižek. Cada capítulo es escrito por diferentes autores con los que ha trabajado o discutido, por lo que reúne a grandes filósofos y psicoanalistas en esta obra, en los cuales además lanzan algún tipo de provocación sobre la obra de Žižek. La gran novedad es que a cada a cada capítulo hay una respuesta de Žižek a las críticas, provocaciones o puntualizaciones que se le realizan.
La manera de realizar las críticas es de alto nivel teórico y Žižek lo reconoce y responde también en términos teóricos, aclarando muchos puntos que suele no estar claro en sus escritos.Un ejercicio de civilidad y de discusión brillante.
En este sentido, este libro también es un gran homenaje a la obra de Žižek. Los temas pasan desde su lectura de Hegel, su ontología basada en Scehlling, su materialismo, la idea de violencia, su crítica a la ideología, su noción de sujeto, la lectura que hace de Kant con Sade, su interpretación que hace del deseo y la pulsión, hasta sus intervenciones políticas en genero, migración y la guerra de Ucrania, entre otros temas.
El libro esta escrito con lenguaje técnico y académico, muy recomendable para los que les interese la filosofía.
July 25, 2023
A fascinating book, to say the least. Fourteen critiques of Zizek and his responses. How often do you get to see Zizek engage directly with Pippin, Harman, etc., on Hegel, or clarify his stance on politics, ideology, and psychoanalysis in the most accessible language possible? It seems that Zizek, despite his jokes, cynicism, frequent repetition and so on and so on, has a pretty decent grasp of Hegel when he gets serious (what am I saying to one of the most famous contemporary Hegelians.....) There are times when I think he evades the point and equivocates a bit, but overall fascinating for any Zizek fans.
May 9, 2024
Excellent book for people struggling to understand Zizek and related ideas.
August 9, 2025
Short replies of Žižek but stimulating!
Fascinating collection of academic responses to Žižek, from fellow 'academic' philosophers, each offering their own critical take on his work. What becomes clear is how much interpretative disagreement exists in the world of Hegel, Lacan, and psychoanalysis in general. But that’s also what makes it so rewarding.
Some of the critiques are justified and help clarify certain tensions in Žižek’s thinking. But it’s really Žižek’s replies short and sharp, that brings depth to the whole exchange.
I also appreciated being pointed back to references and passages in Žižek’s own books that I had overlooked or forgotten, giving me a reason to revisit them with new eyes.
Not always easy to follow: Academic philosophers writing about their peer-philosophers often favour dense and abstract academic prose, but in this book the essays are overall understandable.
- I found Marie Ruti’s contribution inspiring (she challenges Zizek/Lacan that Desire and Jouissance are antogonistic where she wants to show that sublimation is the shared space, they are not incompatible... fyi) even if Žižek pushes back against it.
- Graham Harman (OOO) made many references to Less then Nothing in his essay and contains interesting points of view as are the answers of Žižek
- ....
Fascinating collection of academic responses to Žižek, from fellow 'academic' philosophers, each offering their own critical take on his work. What becomes clear is how much interpretative disagreement exists in the world of Hegel, Lacan, and psychoanalysis in general. But that’s also what makes it so rewarding.
Some of the critiques are justified and help clarify certain tensions in Žižek’s thinking. But it’s really Žižek’s replies short and sharp, that brings depth to the whole exchange.
I also appreciated being pointed back to references and passages in Žižek’s own books that I had overlooked or forgotten, giving me a reason to revisit them with new eyes.
Not always easy to follow: Academic philosophers writing about their peer-philosophers often favour dense and abstract academic prose, but in this book the essays are overall understandable.
- I found Marie Ruti’s contribution inspiring (she challenges Zizek/Lacan that Desire and Jouissance are antogonistic where she wants to show that sublimation is the shared space, they are not incompatible... fyi) even if Žižek pushes back against it.
- Graham Harman (OOO) made many references to Less then Nothing in his essay and contains interesting points of view as are the answers of Žižek
- ....
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews