The Revolt of the Salaried Bourgeoisie

How did Bill Gates become the richest man in America? His wealth has nothing to do with Microsoft producing good software at lower prices than its competitors, or ‘exploiting’ its workers more successfully (Microsoft pays its intellectual workers a relatively high salary). Millions of people still buy Microsoft software because Microsoft has imposed itself as… Continue reading The Revolt of the Salaried Bourgeoisie

Slavoj Žižek: interview, with Sean O’Hagan

  The large lecture hall of the French Institute in Barcelona is full to overflowing. People line the walls, sit in the aisles and stand three-deep at the back. There are a few middle-aged, smartly dressed people in attendance as well as a handful of old leftists with long hair and caps, but the majority… Continue reading Slavoj Žižek: interview, with Sean O’Hagan

New Statesman interview, with Jonathan Derbyshire

Question: What relationship, if any, do you think your work has to the mainstream, normative, liberal political philosophy done in English and American universities? Zizek: I noticed something — maybe I’m just generalising this; I don’t know to what extent this is a rule– I noticed how many of the people who consider themselves to… Continue reading New Statesman interview, with Jonathan Derbyshire

Humanism is not enough, Interview with Michael Hauser

[Appeared in 2009, International Journal of Zizek Studies, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 1-20; Interview held in November 2007. (pdf)] On a large scale you draw from Lacan and you show his potential usable to found a new direction of thought, sometimes called a post-deconstruction. Could you outline this new thought? First, I should clarify… Continue reading Humanism is not enough, Interview with Michael Hauser

The Parallax View

[Extract. Appeared in New Left Review 25, January-February 2004] Abstract: The philosophical basis for social action, as recast in Kojin Karatani’s striking Transcritique. On Kant and Marx. Slavoj Žižek investigates the irreducible antinomies of production and circulation—or economics and politics—as envisioned from the gap in between. In today’s English, ‘pig’ refers to the animals with which… Continue reading The Parallax View

The Superego and the Act

I want to begin with Coca-cola. It’s no surprise that Coca-cola was first introduced as a medicine. Its strange taste seems to provide no particular satisfaction. It is not directly pleasing, however, it is as such, as transcending any use-value, like water, beer or wine, which definitely do quench our thirst, that Coke functions as… Continue reading The Superego and the Act