Bücher von Slavoj (Birkbeck Institute for Humanities Zizek

"We are all afraid that new dangers pose a threat to our hard-won freedoms, so what deserves attention is precisely the notion of freedom." The concept of freedom is deceptively simple - we think we understand it, but the moment we try and define it we encounter contradictions. In this new philosophical exploration, Slavoj Zizek argues that the experience of true, radical freedom is transient and fragile. Countering the idea of libertarian individualism, Zizek draws on philosophers including Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Timothy Morton, as well as the work of Kandinsky, Agatha Christie and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to examine the many facets of freedom and what we can learn from each of them. Tracing its connection to a variety of issues, including environmental breakdown, capitalism, and war, he shows through this entertaining and illuminating journey how a deeper understanding of freedom can offer hope in dark times.

Contemporary life is defined by excess. There must always be more, there is never enough. We need a surplus to what we need to be able to truly enjoy what we have. Slavoj Zizek's guide to surplus (and why it's enjoyable) begins by arguing that what is surplus to our needs is by its very nature unsubstantial and unnecessary. But, perversely, without this surplus, we wouldn't be able to enjoy, what is substantial and necessary. Indeed, without the surplus we wouldn't be able to identify what was the perfect amount. Is there any escape from the vicious cycle of surplus enjoyment or are we forever doomed to simply want more? Engaging with everything from The Joker film to pop songs and Thomas Aquinas to the history of pandemics, Zizek argues that recognising the society of enjoyment we live in for what it is can provide an explanation for the political impasses in which we find ourselves today. And if we begin, even a little bit, to recognise that the nuggets of 'enjoyment' we find in excess are as flimsy and futile, might we find a way out?