In defense of lost causes
Zizek, Slavoj (2009) In defense of lost causes. London, UK: Verso. ISBN 9781844674299.
Abstract
Book synopsis: In this combative major new work, philosophical sharpshooter Slavoj Zizek looks for the kernel of truth in the totalitarian politics of the past. Examining Heidegger's seduction by fascism and Foucault's flirtation with the Iranian Revolution, he suggests that these were the 'right steps in the wrong direction.' On the revolutionary terror of Robespierre, Mao and the bolsheviks, Zizek argues that while these struggles ended in historic failure and horror, there was a valuable core of idealism lost beneath the bloodshed. A redemptive vision has been obscured by the soft, decentralized politics of the liberal-democratic consensus. Faced with the coming ecological crisis, Zizekk argues the case for revolutionary terror and the dictatorship of the proletariat. A return to past ideals is needed despite the risks. In the words of Samuel Beckett: 'Try again. Fail again. Fail better.'
Metadata
Item Type: | Book |
---|---|
School: | School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy > Philosophy |
Research Centres and Institutes: | Humanities, Birkbeck Institute for the (BIH) |
Depositing User: | Administrator |
Date Deposited: | 17 May 2013 10:46 |
Last Modified: | 05 Dec 2016 16:31 |
URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/6844 |
Statistics
Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.