Can a Slovenian philosopher help save the left?

First published 21 July 2009

Slavoj Žižek: I should imagine that anybody watching him give his opinions on Robespierre the other week on a production made for BBC2 will be rather scared by him and his theories on violence (a kind of do evil that good may result for French Republicanism), but actually he talks a lot of sense, and isn’t scared of touching upon certain issues that may offend (may even raise eyebrows from those on the left, to which he identifies himself). (Continue)

Cornel West: The Modern Day Griot

First posted March 12 2009

2009 marked the 100th year anniversary of the birth of Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, and January the 18th marked the date in which he was executed 14 years ago. Taha was a Sudanese liberal reform figure and believer in a version of progressive Islam. His vision of Islam – one in which maintained the equality of women and was dedicated to socialist republicanism – along with his protests regarding the imposition of sharia law stirred Sudan’s dictator Jaafer al-Nimeiri in the 1970’s and 80’s to the point that he, after efforts to curb his influence and ban his lectures, called for Taha’s blood. (continue)

Towards a Violent Absolute: Some Reflections on Žižekian Theology and Violence

First published March 5 2009

“Life” of course as Kierkegaard told us “can only be understood backwards; but it

must be lived forwards.” Obviously the intended observation was on the way human

individuals are confronted with an abyss of nauseating freedom from which the only

likely emotional reaction is anxiety. However, on the other hand, it does speculate on

how privileged an analysis is in hindsight. This form of analysis seems to be the only

appropriate one in which to ascertain the evolution of thought, and analysing Slavoj

Žižek’s evolution of thought will be no different. By way of an introduction to this

essay I will briefly familiarise and put into context the current issues that concern

Žižek’s thought, before placing them in their wider context both in his repertoire and

modern philosophical paradigms as a whole. I will then discuss what I want to

achieve in this essay and how Žižek’s commentary on violence might interact with

other domains such as religion, popular culture and political economy.

“Life” of course as Kierkegaard told us “can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Obviously the intended observation was on the way human individuals are confronted with an abyss of nauseating freedom from which the only likely emotional reaction is anxiety. However, on the other hand, it does speculate on how privileged an analysis is in hindsight. This form of analysis seems to be the only appropriate one in which to ascertain the evolution of thought, and analysing Slavoj Žižek’s evolution of thought will be no different. By way of an introduction to this essay I will briefly familiarise and put into context the current issues that concern Žižek’s thought, before placing them in their wider context both in his repertoire and modern philosophical paradigms as a whole. I will then discuss what I want to achieve in this essay and how Žižek’s commentary on violence might interact with other domains such as religion, popular culture and political economy. (continue)

The New Radical Establishment

First posted January 14 2009

In a statement that buttresses so-called Tory “modernisation,” David Cameron recently called for the ‘day of reckoning’ against bankers who triggered the economic crisis, saying that the nation’s modest earners – “nurses and cleaners and [sic] teachers” – should not have to fund the “multi-billion pound taxpayer bail-out of the banks” adding “[t]here cannot be one law for the rich and another for everyone else.” (continue)