Zizek's Ontology: A Transcendental Materialist Theory of Subjectivity (Studies in Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy)

ISBN: 0810124564

Author: Johnston, Adrian

Condition: New

Slavoj iek is one of the most interesting and important philosophers working today, known chiefly for his theoretical explorations of popular culture and contemporary politics. This book focuses on the generally neglected and often overshadowed philosophical core of ieks work-an essential component in any true appreciation of this unique thinkers accomplishment. His central concern, iek has proclaimed, is to use psychoanalysis (especially the teachings of Jacques Lacan) to redeploy the insights of late-modern German philosophy, in particular, the thought of Kant, Schelling, and Hegel.By taking this avowal seriously, Adrian Johnston finally clarifies the philosophical project underlying ieks efforts. His book charts the interlinked ontology and theory of subjectivity constructed by iek at the intersection of German idealism and Lacanian theory. Johnston also uses ieks combination of philosophy and psychoanalysis to address two perennial philosophical problems: the relationship of mind and body, and the nature of human freedom. By bringing together the past two centuries of European philosophy, psychoanalytic metapsychology, and cutting-edge work in the natural sciences, Johnston develops a transcendental materialist theory of subjectivity-in short, an account of how more-than-material forms of subjectivity can emerge from a corporeal being. His work shows how an engagement with ieks philosophy can produce compelling answers to todays most vexing and urgent questions as inherited from the history of ideas.