Let's be glad that we still have political philosophers like Zizek, he shows that the very essence of marxist thought is still here whilst proven to be falsifiable. Marxism can and should be reformed according to different times. Let's preserve what basis marx has laid out for us and use it wisely. If we are to ignore marxist thought then as he points out, we are simply capitalists with a human face.
***** let me guess, you hate foreigners, don't you? you believe people should stay put where they are born, right? different skin colors shouldn't mix, according to you, right? also it quite so happens that marxism is mostly famous for trying to bring an end to state and capitalism. One more thing: we love culture, but you are right about the rest, we do believe all these things (religion, patriotism, distinct races, nations…) belong to the dustbin of history…
farrelliux So tell me, what reforms does Marxism need? I'm not trying to imply Marxism has all the answers, I'm genuinely interested! While I'm wary of revisionism (which is something entirely different than trying to further Marxist theory, revisionism is to marxism like intelligent design is to darwinism), Marxism can never fall into dogmatism.
***** "Marxism is a state capitalistic ideology that sees culture, religion, patriotism and ethnicity as a source of perversity" What are you talking about?
***** He's merely drawing attention to the fact that you are so mistaken that your statement appears ridiculous. I don't know why news hasn't broken to you yet, but Marxism is out to abolish the state and capitalism, not join the two. You are sort of right about religion and patriotism. Marxists are not intolerant to religion in general, sometimes they fight their worldly representatives, but Marxists are mostly people which hope that in free societies, people will see through religion on themselves. What they see as a perversity is the popularized version of religion so widely disseminated, which is merely an ideology full of lies keeping the people down and presenting them with a pie and the sky. Patriotism in the sense of putting one nation above the rest is merely a perversity to Marxists. However, Marxists love culture, people like Adorno, Benjamin or indeed Zizek can't stop talking about it. They are critical of many aspects of mainstream and elite culture, but that is just because they want to save it from becoming an instrument of subjection. And by Marxists, I mean people like myself.
***** oh, so you're not a conservative? this is exciting, what are you? you're against democracy, both major bourgeois political philosophies (conservatism and liberalism) and you hate capitalism but love Jesus, so my guess is: fascist? Or are you some other kind of anti-modern reactionary? Oh, and you're right, I'm a demon from hell and I do want world domination, no catching me by surprise that way, buddy. But how on earth I'm a sectarian?
zizek's ability to present his arguments in a practical method is like awesome, he provides meaningful, simple examples which easily explains his ideas without insulting the listener which says more about where he comes from rather then a school of thought he practices, I guess this is more for Slovenians, whatever you teach your children to produce this guy, the world needs more of it.
This is one of the most impressive of presentations by the Slovenian polymath on Marxism and Communism in the present international context. Also, Dr Zizek is quite strongly emphatic here on the historical importance of Europe and the concept of modernization. Compared to this lecture, again, almost all his later talks are much more Hegelian and Lacanian, with less and less emphasis made on the role of Marxism and Communism in the process of the emancipatory changes that are, as he yet underscores, quite inevitable.
Its been only once I have seen zizek live. He was reading a book while waiting on a pedestrian crossing for a green light. When the pedestrian light actually turned green this huge mass of people crossed the street, but zizek didn't move. He stood there dwelling in that book as he would be in the comfort of his living room. The light turned red again, and i just said to myself, well thats a man that doesn't allow himself to be bothered.
the question once and again is what it is to be re-volucionary, how we embrace such a word and how we are constraint by ideological right forces, always towards a better world
This is really restorative laughter upon laughter that somehow the universal can still shine through the particular for being singular. Well done Zizek.
Zizek is a wonderful speaker and an certainly an accomplished politician and philosopher. One thing he is not, however, is a hope-bringer. I would very much like to hear your rebuttal on this.
Can somebody help me? I'm translating this entire speech into spanish to share it with some friends who were extremely interested to understand it. But I just want to know what does he say at the beggining, it is really hard to understand for me. Until the part where he says "I would like to begin with Adorno..." Well.. THANKS A LOT to all of you in advance, and thanks @adycousins for sharing this amazing stuff!
Here's a sincere question: What is one specific idea from Zizek that you can explain which has led you to some new action or some clear understanding about an issue? ... I've never heard Zizek mention anything specific about technology, so I assume he doesn't program, but I could be wrong.
I, for one, am really interested in some of Slavoj's ideas but one particular and general feature about him really stands out to me: He is a typical continental phisolopher in the almost same sense and breath as Nietzsche was: He has many creative solutions and interesting ideas but he never (or rarely) goes rigidly skin-deep into the distinctive nature of these abstract categories the same way someone like Spinoza or Kant would.
In the sense that he helped change the way we see ourselves yes. I dare say many of Freud's ideas where silly, but the basic Idea that all people have drives and impulses that they dont have conscious awareness of or full control over is still valid and relevant (and not sufficiently acknowledged in this speech).
A simple task to unveil this distinction: Ask a Philosophy student to unveil Nietzsche’s arguments then ask him the same for Hegel’s or Kant’s... At that split-second difference, many difficulties may “spontaneously” appear.
It seems I can't post links here. Check out: Rasmus Elling 'Who is a reformist' Hamid Dabashi 'Looking in the wrong places' Hamid Dabashi 'Left is wrong on Iran' Reese Erlich 'Iran and Leftist confusion'
29:30 I haven't heard Zizek explicitly criticize anarchists like Noam Chomsky their communes, and historical events like the Spanish Revolution. Is there any clip where he is less vague about the subject?
@Klllakmet My problem with that is that asking the right questions and stating the obvious can be awfully close to one another. All war is started with the hope that things will change and ended with the bitter realization that they haven't. At this point
Interesting observation. Apparently, during Greco-Roman antiquity the beard was that which defined philosophers against 'normal' folk - maybe it has something to do with that. I know that I feel more special when I have a beard.
The historic evolution of PRIVATE PROPERTY RELATIONSHIP of alienation,exploitation,suffering and the emergence of CLASS,STATE,FAMILY as the template of control and suppression for MINORITY RULE is the fractal nature of our limited mode of interacttion.
@mistarcraw: Thanks for replying, it's a shame people are downvoting me instead of engaging, after all, this is a Zizek video... I am saying this because of the way he answered some questions. For example, Tariq Ali sees opportunities in the new movements in Latin America, I don't entirely agree with him either (I don't see many positive things in Chavez) but then Zizek mocks him directly. He's also been known to provoke only to get people to listen.
Please does anyone know the scholar Alex who Slavoj made constant reference to during his lecture? (I get the impression that Alex must have spoken before Slavoj).
@AnotherWayFilms How exactly is capitalism, "anti-democratic"? I would love to hear you explain this :) Btw, how do you think capital is formed? I would love to hear you explain this,too :)
Alguien podria traducir al español el discurso completo, por favor, lo agradeceria mucho. hay una traducción por allí pero es de un fragmento solamente y con este tipo hay que escuchar de donde para entender a donde quiere llegar, Gracias. Somebady could plis translate the full speech to Spanish, I'll be really thanksful. There's a translate fragment but with this guy you have to now where he start to know where he's going. My english is good but with he's accent a can't understand fully this!
@rockit353 I don't consider myself a communist, but conservative what concerns culture, identity, nature,... and progressive what concerns economy. With our feet in our own roots, and with our eyes towards the future and growth.
He hinted briefly at maybe the small reforms will lead to the castration but apart from that does he have any other concrete ideas. He says at other points lately that no one really knows how to do this. Any ideas anyone?
"take things into their own hands" Well, yes, but, the more you delve into the reality of Iranian life & Iranian politics, the more you see how the U.S. exacerbates problems. Stephen Kinzer's book on the '53 coup against Mossadegh is particularly revealing in this respect. Hell, the introduction alone is worth reading. In it, Akbar Ganji (imprisoned for 6 yrs by the gov for criticising it) states US military threats give the gov "a freer hand in repressing Iran's budding civil society."
@truevoice08 I'll try again, it seems I'm being unclear. The part of Bohm-Bawerk's theories that are deemed correct is that he said that workers cannot be paid the full future values of their labours given that their earnings from working are payment, not investment. However, some of the people who supposedly exploit workers really ARE workers, because they increase the value of the products developed by conventional workers. A new "line" between exploiter and exploited must thusly be drawn.
Moussavi is not a free-market supporter, he is for some privatization with strong government regulation. In the eighties he was an outspoken proponent of a collectivistic economy.
@iwpoe i'm also an eastern european XD but from different country. since english is my 3rd language, following him becomes a bit diffecult when he talks fast. then i'm not sure if i actually hear everything. it's a shame to miss out on things. i guess i'll just watch this again after awhile.
@checkmeta I concur completely, though with the caveat that unregulated capitalism leaves the rest of us at the mercy of the rich. We ought therefore to place social concerns at the heart of government and the most vulnerable as our highest priority. Democracy isn't about protecting vested interest and wealth, it's about representing people. Our society has many flaws and we need novel, innovative solutions to them, not tired and failed ideas from past centuries. That's what we should debate.
@IiiERT 500 BILLION Dinar notes. I once felt as you do - that the inequities of unrestrained capitalism could be corrected by Marxist governance. Now I feel we'd merely be replacing one curruptable system with another. I was an activist for a long time before I realised that no-one was listening and that is we really want change we must operate within democratic systems. The swing towards the right in my country sickens me, but merely enforces my belief we failed to make our case.
Zizek appeals to those who want words and not evidence ... Zizek would make a great programmer and could probably be contributing to a field of knowledge that is actually making a difference in this world, versus trying to read the world through a fixed system of Lacanian and Hegelian analysis. In my youthful 20s, this seemed enticing. Now, it's so painfully clear how lacking in substance and any real facts about the world he wants to change ...
he talks about his eurocentrism and he's dead on. there are universalities, but as far as rational progress goes it doesn't matter whether it springs forth from the dead heart of capital or some bourgeois liberal capital democracy, it's relevant and should be integrated when fully developed. such as the zero, paper, etc. it's innovation. perhaps zizek would answer this in a different, more satisfactory way. i don't recall where he addressed this issue however.
I wonder whether a struggle will get people anywhere. If you have any links of Zizek explaining why he is a Marxist more clearly and not by telling us the problems with capitalism I would be very interested.
The reform is the enlightenment of the working class. The flash of insight that comes with the realization of one's own alienation. Once this insight occurs, everything else follows.
@Tfrne It's either you contradict yourself or do not fully understand Bohm-Bawerk's argument which you admittedly agree with. Wages are discounted from their 'full value' not by the discretion of the employer but by differences in time preference. There is nothing stopping the worker from waiting for the realization of proceeds in which time he receives his full value. If I am wrong and capital investment lowers wages then you should be happy that capital is leaving the US for China.
Thank you, for the article. without falling into support for this brutal regime, one has to acknowledge the facts, iranians, like any other people, will have to take things in their own hands.
@synchronium24 dude, I don't know why you even bothered replying. Can you at least put thought into what you're saying? Don't reply, i won't. You'll only bring me down to your level and beat me with experience.
(...) in the way that, although not strictly logical in its thought sequences, their assertions usually go deep enough into the matter, mixing the word play habilities and erudition of the continental humor and expressivity with the will to delve skin-deep into the abstraction and unveil more its philosophical potential per se than its privileged lireracy through the eruption of erudite metaphors and jokes with a somehow accessible content underneath.
@Intelectual95 I concur - the man is indeed a pseudo intellectual of the vaguest variety. I recall also that he has somewhat elastic ideals and was a fervent convert to democracy and free market economies when the balkan communist dream fell apart in the early 90's. Marxism today is a fashion accessory, it's hard to take its advocates seriously.
he's one of the rare theoreticians in academy who still thinks politics are class based and proves them so. in a land of apathy and postmodern masturbatory anti intelligance (and mis-understanding of poststructuralism as anti activism) he is important. i think his position can be helpful in movements.
I also don't get what exactly he proposes as an alternative. This is the problem with Zizek, he isn't clear about how another ideological system would improve things. He is VERY clear with his criticism of the American left which is easy to agree with but what current ideology comes closer to whatnhe believes?
I haven't read through your entire exchange here, but you should know that Ahmedinejad comes from the countryside of Iran where he was born into poverty. He has enormous support amongst Iran's less-well-to-do. Phil Wilayto's 14 June 2009 AlterNet article "Iran's 'Stolen' Election" reveals that the protests broadcast around the world took place in the wealthier parts of Tehran, during which time there were no protests in the poorer parts of Tehran. The media: guilty by ommission.
@Tfrne "labourers generally have a greater need to be paid immediately, they can't afford to speculate on their earnings" Again, this is because of differences in time preference. You need to get comfortable with the reality of natural inequality. I don't see how being greedy makes one undeserving of profit nor do I see any qualifier for exceptions in the discounting of marginal revenue product. I believe in the freedom of the investor NOT to reinvest his profits. Do you?
@EITrollo He is not Bulgarian marxist, he is from Slovenia. And second thing, he is one of the living 10 smartest people in the world, just google it. And like all very very inteligent people, he is special in his own way and that is great about him. If you want to know what he is talking about, you really need to listen him closely.
@GlobalAlternateMedia I think that you will find that not all Communists are Marxist. The communism of the Soviet Union was Leninist-Marxist, and not Communist in the strictly Engels-Marx sense. That being said, it is indeed true that most of the ideals of Lenin and Trotsky did not come into being in the real USSR. My point about the Soviet Union to Johnny75416 was simply that it did see many industrial and technological innovations throughout its existence.
@1826TJ I mean for instance, describing a problem (alienation) and why it is a problem, and how to combat it. That is certainly not the same thing as giving a formula, and would exactly lead to a motivational invitation to action. I just fail to see this in zizek. In essence your answer leads me no where... I still fail to see how he does this :(
I love how he always starts his conclusions at the middle of the talks.
One of the signs that he doesn't know what he is talking about.
Let's be glad that we still have political philosophers like Zizek, he shows that the very essence of marxist thought is still here whilst proven to be falsifiable. Marxism can and should be reformed according to different times. Let's preserve what basis marx has laid out for us and use it wisely. If we are to ignore marxist thought then as he points out, we are simply capitalists with a human face.
***** let me guess, you hate foreigners, don't you? you believe people should stay put where they are born, right? different skin colors shouldn't mix, according to you, right? also it quite so happens that marxism is mostly famous for trying to bring an end to state and capitalism. One more thing: we love culture, but you are right about the rest, we do believe all these things (religion, patriotism, distinct races, nations…) belong to the dustbin of history…
farrelliux So tell me, what reforms does Marxism need? I'm not trying to imply Marxism has all the answers, I'm genuinely interested! While I'm wary of revisionism (which is something entirely different than trying to further Marxist theory, revisionism is to marxism like intelligent design is to darwinism), Marxism can never fall into dogmatism.
***** "Marxism is a state capitalistic ideology that sees culture, religion, patriotism and ethnicity as a source of perversity"
What are you talking about?
***** He's merely drawing attention to the fact that you are so mistaken that your statement appears ridiculous. I don't know why news hasn't broken to you yet, but Marxism is out to abolish the state and capitalism, not join the two. You are sort of right about religion and patriotism. Marxists are not intolerant to religion in general, sometimes they fight their worldly representatives, but Marxists are mostly people which hope that in free societies, people will see through religion on themselves. What they see as a perversity is the popularized version of religion so widely disseminated, which is merely an ideology full of lies keeping the people down and presenting them with a pie and the sky. Patriotism in the sense of putting one nation above the rest is merely a perversity to Marxists. However, Marxists love culture, people like Adorno, Benjamin or indeed Zizek can't stop talking about it. They are critical of many aspects of mainstream and elite culture, but that is just because they want to save it from becoming an instrument of subjection. And by Marxists, I mean people like myself.
***** oh, so you're not a conservative? this is exciting, what are you? you're against democracy, both major bourgeois political philosophies (conservatism and liberalism) and you hate capitalism but love Jesus, so my guess is: fascist? Or are you some other kind of anti-modern reactionary? Oh, and you're right, I'm a demon from hell and I do want world domination, no catching me by surprise that way, buddy. But how on earth I'm a sectarian?
the delivery on that joke was quality
2024 and this speech is still one of my favorites.
i've listened to this lecture like a zillion times and it always owns
“How can you be a revolutionary today” - at the core of what motivates someone
zizek's ability to present his arguments in a practical method is like awesome, he provides meaningful, simple examples which easily explains his ideas without insulting the listener which says more about where he comes from rather then a school of thought he practices, I guess this is more for Slovenians, whatever you teach your children to produce this guy, the world needs more of it.
Years later, and this is still relevant and insightful analysis into ideology and its function in global capitalism.
one of my favourite speeches by now. srsly
This is one of the most impressive of presentations by the Slovenian polymath on Marxism and Communism in the present international context. Also, Dr Zizek is quite strongly emphatic here on the historical importance of Europe and the concept of modernization. Compared to this lecture, again, almost all his later talks are much more Hegelian and Lacanian, with less and less emphasis made on the role of Marxism and Communism in the process of the emancipatory changes that are, as he yet underscores, quite inevitable.
This video made my day. Thank you!
38:10 never seen Zizek this sincerely emotional and vulnerable
I love Slavoj Žižek thank yopu so much for the post
i love him as well
His ball analogy has officially made him the coolest philosopher ever.
Its been only once I have seen zizek live.
He was reading a book while waiting on a pedestrian crossing for a green light.
When the pedestrian light actually turned green this huge mass of people crossed the street, but zizek didn't move. He stood there dwelling in that book as he would be in the comfort of his living room. The light turned red again, and i just said to myself, well thats a man that doesn't allow himself to be bothered.
I'm spending my new year's watching this Slavoj Zizek speech lol!
Splendid speech especially towards the end. Bravo.
the question once and again is what it is to be re-volucionary, how we embrace such a word and how we are constraint by ideological right forces, always towards a better world
This is really restorative laughter upon laughter that somehow the universal can still shine through the particular for being singular. Well done Zizek.
Excellent: "...an ominous moment of awareness." Thanks for uploading.
I may not agree with him about everything, but I do love this man. "His voice will get suddenly higher" Hahah, bless you Zizek!
Zizek is a wonderful speaker and an certainly an accomplished politician and philosopher. One thing he is not, however, is a hope-bringer. I would very much like to hear your rebuttal on this.
Can somebody help me? I'm translating this entire speech into spanish to share it with some friends who were extremely interested to understand it.
But I just want to know what does he say at the beggining, it is really hard to understand for me. Until the part where he says "I would like to begin with Adorno..."
Well.. THANKS A LOT to all of you in advance, and thanks @adycousins for sharing this amazing stuff!
He deserves his spontaneous applause. Delightfully insightful and original is the Zizek!
Very few people can do what Zizek does. i am constantly blown away. he is an animal
The amount of views this video has makes me happy.
I've never seen Zizek speak with this kind of conviction before.
note to self: take action
Go Slavoj! Glad not everyone has switched off yet..
it's a shame that the vid is not subtitled. he talks very fast >
Here's a sincere question: What is one specific idea from Zizek that you can explain which has led you to some new action or some clear understanding about an issue? ... I've never heard Zizek mention anything specific about technology, so I assume he doesn't program, but I could be wrong.
I, for one, am really interested in some of Slavoj's ideas but one particular and general feature about him really stands out to me: He is a typical continental phisolopher in the almost same sense and breath as Nietzsche was: He has many creative solutions and interesting ideas but he never (or rarely) goes rigidly skin-deep into the distinctive nature of these abstract categories the same way someone like Spinoza or Kant would.
In the sense that he helped change the way we see ourselves yes. I dare say many of Freud's ideas where silly, but the basic Idea that all people have drives and impulses that they dont have conscious awareness of or full control over is still valid and relevant (and not sufficiently acknowledged in this speech).
I love this man.
we love you
i had a debate with Slavoj about the future of europe and Slovenia and there were many point that we agree to!
wow just gotta love this man!
damn you comrade. I was hoping no one would ever notice my mistake :(
What happened ? Was it a natural FORCE coming over me ?
Yes, my friend. Twas an early Zizek lecture.
Great stuff 🤓💪🥇
Zizek! It is so inspiring to hear him speak.
A simple task to unveil this distinction: Ask a Philosophy student to unveil Nietzsche’s arguments then ask him the same for Hegel’s or Kant’s... At that split-second difference, many difficulties may “spontaneously” appear.
thanx for the video!
but what happened to the homepage? why is it "closed"?
It seems I can't post links here.
Check out:
Rasmus Elling 'Who is a reformist'
Hamid Dabashi 'Looking in the wrong places'
Hamid Dabashi 'Left is wrong on Iran'
Reese Erlich 'Iran and Leftist confusion'
29:30 I haven't heard Zizek explicitly criticize anarchists like Noam Chomsky their communes, and historical events like the Spanish Revolution. Is there any clip where he is less vague about the subject?
@Klllakmet My problem with that is that asking the right questions and stating the obvious can be awfully close to one another. All war is started with the hope that things will change and ended with the bitter realization that they haven't. At this point
a fiery speech by a fiery speaker... top class.
According to the video's description, his namee is Alex Callinicos :)
Interesting observation. Apparently, during Greco-Roman antiquity the beard was that which defined philosophers against 'normal' folk - maybe it has something to do with that. I know that I feel more special when I have a beard.
The historic evolution of PRIVATE PROPERTY RELATIONSHIP of alienation,exploitation,suffering and the emergence of CLASS,STATE,FAMILY as the template of control and suppression for MINORITY RULE is the fractal nature of our limited mode of interacttion.
@mistarcraw: Thanks for replying, it's a shame people are downvoting me instead of engaging, after all, this is a Zizek video...
I am saying this because of the way he answered some questions. For example, Tariq Ali sees opportunities in the new movements in Latin America, I don't entirely agree with him either (I don't see many positive things in Chavez) but then Zizek mocks him directly.
He's also been known to provoke only to get people to listen.
Existe una versión subtitulada al castellano????
Por favor, si alguien lo sabe ruego lo comunique.... Gracias.
Please does anyone know the scholar Alex who Slavoj made constant reference to during his lecture? (I get the impression that Alex must have spoken before Slavoj).
If it's genuine enlightenment, it doesn't matter who realizes it.
When one seeks emancipation, one seeks it on behalf of everyone who is oppressed.
I hope there could be an English subtitle for people like me who are not native speakers of English.
@AnotherWayFilms How exactly is capitalism, "anti-democratic"? I would love to hear you explain this :)
Btw, how do you think capital is formed? I would love to hear you explain this,too :)
Alguien podria traducir al español el discurso completo, por favor, lo agradeceria mucho. hay una traducción por allí pero es de un fragmento solamente y con este tipo hay que escuchar de donde para entender a donde quiere llegar, Gracias.
Somebady could plis translate the full speech to Spanish, I'll be really thanksful. There's a translate fragment but with this guy you have to now where he start to know where he's going. My english is good but with he's accent a can't understand fully this!
@jacobscamell please can you explain what you mean ?thank you for your post also
@oihhow
"Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again." - Andre Gide ;)
Where is the other half of this?
*clapping*
"-now comes my point."
Priceless! :D
thanks for this up
@rockit353 I don't consider myself a communist, but conservative what concerns culture, identity, nature,... and progressive what concerns economy. With our feet in our own roots, and with our eyes towards the future and growth.
Nigga's on fire! Thx for uploading!
wow blog of this article is very nice and wonderful . seriously i like that post
He hinted briefly at maybe the small reforms will lead to the castration but apart from that does he have any other concrete ideas. He says at other points lately that no one really knows how to do this. Any ideas anyone?
From my perspective
My guess is that, power struggles will continue.
Darwin and Freud where not mentioned once.
Test, please ignore
test
*Test, please ignore*
test
"take things into their own hands"
Well, yes, but, the more you delve into the reality of Iranian life & Iranian politics, the more you see how the U.S. exacerbates problems. Stephen Kinzer's book on the '53 coup against Mossadegh is particularly revealing in this respect. Hell, the introduction alone is worth reading. In it, Akbar Ganji (imprisoned for 6 yrs by the gov for criticising it) states US military threats give the gov "a freer hand in repressing Iran's budding civil society."
@truevoice08 I'll try again, it seems I'm being unclear. The part of Bohm-Bawerk's theories that are deemed correct is that he said that workers cannot be paid the full future values of their labours given that their earnings from working are payment, not investment. However, some of the people who supposedly exploit workers really ARE workers, because they increase the value of the products developed by conventional workers. A new "line" between exploiter and exploited must thusly be drawn.
Moussavi is not a free-market supporter, he is for some privatization with strong government regulation. In the eighties he was an outspoken proponent of a collectivistic economy.
@iwpoe i'm also an eastern european XD but from different country. since english is my 3rd language, following him becomes a bit diffecult when he talks fast. then i'm not sure if i actually hear everything. it's a shame to miss out on things. i guess i'll just watch this again after awhile.
this is gold
Can anyone please recommend a book by Slavoj Zizek that explains his philosophy and his ideas?
Thanks!
@checkmeta I concur completely, though with the caveat that unregulated capitalism leaves the rest of us at the mercy of the rich. We ought therefore to place social concerns at the heart of government and the most vulnerable as our highest priority. Democracy isn't about protecting vested interest and wealth, it's about representing people. Our society has many flaws and we need novel, innovative solutions to them, not tired and failed ideas from past centuries. That's what we should debate.
@IiiERT 500 BILLION Dinar notes. I once felt as you do - that the inequities of unrestrained capitalism could be corrected by Marxist governance. Now I feel we'd merely be replacing one curruptable system with another. I was an activist for a long time before I realised that no-one was listening and that is we really want change we must operate within democratic systems. The swing towards the right in my country sickens me, but merely enforces my belief we failed to make our case.
Zizek appeals to those who want words and not evidence ... Zizek would make a great programmer and could probably be contributing to a field of knowledge that is actually making a difference in this world, versus trying to read the world through a fixed system of Lacanian and Hegelian analysis. In my youthful 20s, this seemed enticing. Now, it's so painfully clear how lacking in substance and any real facts about the world he wants to change ...
he talks about his eurocentrism and he's dead on. there are universalities, but as far as rational progress goes it doesn't matter whether it springs forth from the dead heart of capital or some bourgeois liberal capital democracy, it's relevant and should be integrated when fully developed. such as the zero, paper, etc. it's innovation.
perhaps zizek would answer this in a different, more satisfactory way. i don't recall where he addressed this issue however.
I wonder whether a struggle will get people anywhere. If you have any links of Zizek explaining why he is a Marxist more clearly and not by telling us the problems with capitalism I would be very interested.
The reform is the enlightenment of the working class. The flash of insight that comes with the realization of one's own alienation.
Once this insight occurs, everything else follows.
The level of commentary in the comments, considering how sharp the lecture is, is quite low. There's a lot of work to be done.
@Tfrne It's either you contradict yourself or do not fully understand Bohm-Bawerk's argument which you admittedly agree with. Wages are discounted from their 'full value' not by the discretion of the employer but by differences in time preference. There is nothing stopping the worker from waiting for the realization of proceeds in which time he receives his full value. If I am wrong and capital investment lowers wages then you should be happy that capital is leaving the US for China.
Thank you, for the article.
without falling into support for this brutal regime, one has to acknowledge the facts, iranians, like any other people, will have to take things in their own hands.
@synchronium24 dude, I don't know why you even bothered replying. Can you at least put thought into what you're saying? Don't reply, i won't. You'll only bring me down to your level and beat me with experience.
Callinicos made a hell of lot more sense to me.
(...) in the way that, although not strictly logical in its thought sequences, their assertions usually go deep enough into the matter, mixing the word play habilities and erudition of the continental humor and expressivity with the will to delve skin-deep into the abstraction and unveil more its philosophical potential per se than its privileged lireracy through the eruption of erudite metaphors and jokes with a somehow accessible content underneath.
this guy is on wikipedia's list of western philosophers....i think they need to raise a few bars
@Intelectual95 I concur - the man is indeed a pseudo intellectual of the vaguest variety. I recall also that he has somewhat elastic ideals and was a fervent convert to democracy and free market economies when the balkan communist dream fell apart in the early 90's. Marxism today is a fashion accessory, it's hard to take its advocates seriously.
Only so much more obviously correct now than it was then.
he's one of the rare theoreticians in academy who still thinks politics are class based and proves them so. in a land of apathy and postmodern masturbatory anti intelligance (and mis-understanding of poststructuralism as anti activism) he is important. i think his position can be helpful in movements.
My God, i luv his constant 'howshouldiputit'
zizek gives me hope. reading comments section here kills it.
I also don't get what exactly he proposes as an alternative. This is the problem with Zizek, he isn't clear about how another ideological system would improve things. He is VERY clear with his criticism of the American left which is easy to agree with but what current ideology comes closer to whatnhe believes?
@NetworkHuman
It is a proposal of a society that very few people would enjoy living in.
I haven't read through your entire exchange here, but you should know that Ahmedinejad comes from the countryside of Iran where he was born into poverty. He has enormous support amongst Iran's less-well-to-do.
Phil Wilayto's 14 June 2009 AlterNet article "Iran's 'Stolen' Election" reveals that the protests broadcast around the world took place in the wealthier parts of Tehran, during which time there were no protests in the poorer parts of Tehran. The media: guilty by ommission.
@Tfrne "labourers generally have a greater need to be paid immediately, they can't afford to speculate on their earnings" Again, this is because of differences in time preference. You need to get comfortable with the reality of natural inequality. I don't see how being greedy makes one undeserving of profit nor do I see any qualifier for exceptions in the discounting of marginal revenue product. I believe in the freedom of the investor NOT to reinvest his profits. Do you?
@EITrollo He is not Bulgarian marxist, he is from Slovenia. And second thing, he is one of the living 10 smartest people in the world, just google it. And like all very very inteligent people, he is special in his own way and that is great about him. If you want to know what he is talking about, you really need to listen him closely.
@GlobalAlternateMedia I think that you will find that not all Communists are Marxist. The communism of the Soviet Union was Leninist-Marxist, and not Communist in the strictly Engels-Marx sense.
That being said, it is indeed true that most of the ideals of Lenin and Trotsky did not come into being in the real USSR. My point about the Soviet Union to Johnny75416 was simply that it did see many industrial and technological innovations throughout its existence.
@1826TJ I mean for instance, describing a problem (alienation) and why it is a problem, and how to combat it. That is certainly not the same thing as giving a formula, and would exactly lead to a motivational invitation to action. I just fail to see this in zizek. In essence your answer leads me no where... I still fail to see how he does this :(
I never understood cult leaders until I listened to Zizek. He could lead me off a cliff and I would probably think I was bringing down capitalism.