Full lecture: The Master Signifier (Žižek/Lacan explained)

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#zizek #slavojzizek #hegel #lacan #philosophy #psychoanalysis

[@monkeymanque]

Great video as always. All of this ties in with Žižek's/Pfallers's concept of Interpassivity, no? At least that's what I thought when I was constantly reminded of the chicken joke in the early stages of the pandemic: Around where I live some commodities such as toilet paper were sold out for a while. And while most people I talked to knew what I knew, namely that there wasn't any reason to fear tp shortages, all of us simply couldn't be sure that the rest of the people knew this. So, of course, all of us bought more than usual, thus aggravating, probably creating, the shortage in the first place.

[@QuixEnd]

Wow.. I remember struggling with these problems for sooo many years and had no clue it could be answered philosophically. Its crazy how simply asking questions can have such real consequences, especially if they're left unanswered

[@FG-fc1yz]

12:14 das sublime Element 13:09 die sublime Lücke: das Reale: die Lücke zwischen Imaginärem!!! (dem Konstatierendem) und Symbolischem!!! (der Sprechhandlung / dem Performativem / Ausdruck der Bezeichnung); Bsp: Demokratie 10:20 13:40 when u fall into the Real während Verfassen der eigenen Doktorarbeit; diese Lücke die hier angesprochen wird, ist in jedem wirtschaftlichen Phänomen vorhanden und konstituiert es erst! 18:38 enjoyable relationship between the constative and the performative 20:56 HERRSCHAFTSSIGNIFIKANT: eine symbolische Repräsentation einer Sprechhandlung, z.B. die Note, die für sich selbst genommen NICHTS bedeutet (ohne Bezug zum Rest der Signifikantenkette, z.B. für Ureinwohner oder Alien), weil rein zufällig ausgewählter Marker, aber gleichzeitig ALLES bedeutet !!!: formt soziale Hierarchie, Konstellation, Interaktion und die Identität der Individuen: Note spiegelt soziale Struktur, gibt sie wieder (infuses everything else with meaning); andere Beispiele: Pokal, Trauring, Gold, Geld (?!), Titel, Gott, Zentralbank! siehe 22:45 supreme court; das Reale, die Lücke konstituiert den Genuss in der (jeder) Tätigkeit!, die retroaktive Zurückwirkung der symbolischen Struktur auf das Imaginäre konkretisiert das Imaginäre und konstituiert damit einhergehend die Art des Genusses (entscheidet über das Vorzeichen des Genusses!!!; deshalb ist die Symbolstruktur entscheidend für die Gesamtheit des Sein; ohne die virtuelle Symbolstruktur keine Faktizität, kein konkretes Erleben, kein konkretes Sein!) performative Handlung durch Herrensignifikant gibt (ex ante imaginärer) Handlung retroaktiv eine konkrete Bedeutung 31:41 dadurch dass die Katholiken die Determinierung (Sanktionierung) durch Gott fürchten, können sie in der nicht-Determinierung durch ihn (also so gut wie immer) frei sein (die Lücke zwischen zwischen Imaginären und Symbolischem wird durch Gott gefüllt, greift dieses höher Wesen nicht in die Freiheit der niederen Wesen ein, sind die niederen Wesen völlig frei); der Protestant dagegen fürchtet Gott nicht, sondern liebt ihn, er wartet also nicht auf die potentielle Determinierung durch Gott, sondern muss sich selbst determinieren, sanktionieren (siehe z.B. Arbeitsethos und Konsumentsagung der Calvinisten): Beispiel für die Selbst-Spaltung der Freiheit in Determinismus et vice versa?, siehe 35:35 wir warten auf den Lückenfüller Gott bzw. die Repräsentation: Wer hatte von Grund auf Recht?, siehe 38:40 Vorsicht, wenn so eine Retterfigur / Schicksalsfigur gefunden ist 45:32 all knowledge rests on unbewusstem Glauben 49:25 knowledge lies on the filling in of the Herrensignifikant 50:45 das Wissen des großen Anderen hängt vom Glauben daran ab (den Glauben an das Wissen des Anderen); mein Wissen hängt damit von der Absenz der Nachricht ab (da es vom Glauben abhängt und ich kann nur an den großen Anderen unbewusst glauben, wenn dieser keinen konkreten Kontakt mit mir durch das Senden einer Nachricht eingeht; denn er ist ja virtuell; ein konkreter Kontakt zerstört diese Virtualität und damit auch die Konstitution von konkretem Wissen!!!, s.o.) ab 52:00 der Glaube in die symbolische Struktur, gestützt durch den Herrensignifikant konstituiert retroaktiv das Konkrete / Konstatierende / Imaginäre (?!!!!!) 55:30 eliminate the empty space (the real), alles fällt in sich zusammen + was Hysterie bedeutet

[@pritch481]

The UK bureaucracy is an exotic beast. The phone is used instead of written communication in order to weaken the position of the applicant, who rarely indeed is granted a document to guarantee their rights (other than property rights). British citizens are really subjects: my first passport actually declared that I was a "subject". Only when the UK joined the EU did I become a "citizen"; but - having lived in EU countries for years - I know I am a subject for in the UK state. It starts with the lack of a written constitution, resulting in such outlandish things as a 120 page booklet explaining residency (which can only, in the case of a dispute, be decided by a judge). It aims to allow the privileged to slip through nets, and enjoy their wealth and power. Foreigners who have Settled, or Pre-settled (!) Status are not given a document, so that the immigration official at the border has the discretion to refuse entry.

[@albertcullellcano480]

Great video, I really understood the master-signifier during the 5 minutes out of 60 where you actually explained what the master-signifier is. Thanks.

[@noahwaiwaiole7888]

Great work man:) definitely made this much more chewable.

[@SonnyTheJoker]

Love example of The Simpsons you have made it so clear why I have so much guilt eating donuts😂

[@maryreilly5102]

Well that was beautiful

[@sdfghyuiop7750]

Your face is a master signifier.

[@pritch481]

Great, but if beginners look up the extremely rare English word "constatative" , they will only find it in the title of a paper on something completely different. I recommend using "constative", online definitions of which can be found.

[@TacticalMetalJoegaming]

Could u elaborate a bit on what you mean by constatative and performative?

[@ariklein100]

I think it may be constitutive. From "To create" - constitute. just doing it.

[@yazanasad7811]

Lacan master signifier Bureaucracy - hinges on gap between measurement and formalisation of hte outcome. (constative and performative). Objective not being measured, you are being measured. And bureaucracy needs to hold onto this gap. Power of bureaucracy rests on interpretation on behalf of instuition. Tension between deciding whether you have submitted enough and then finding out. Whole point of bureaucracy - they don’t answer explaining how to do it. The whole point is to maintan performance relationship to the utterance ( what do i need to do to prove i am a person). There needs to be a gap between your petition and stress of whether approved or not. Exam no longer an exam without waiting for result. The sublime gap here = is the real. Between imaginary and symbolic (imaginary take on performance and symbolic order that uphold why you did the exam visa in the first place). Whats worse than this = fall into the real, only up to you. (there is no test, you need to work independently). An enjoyable version of this is in sports - don’t know outcome (cos can be irrational - not just about objective performance, anxiety and tension comes into play). Anything could happen, when happens, fit narrative to fit into whole narrative of the season. Sports team - bad team, can enjoy supporting loss, pain with pleasure. Sports trophy = like exam. Both symbolic. (customs, entering country and waiting to be let in) But important because symbolic. Facilitator of social hierarchy with grades. (person who doesn’t try hard in exams is part of the hierarchy as well lol). Olden times = master signifier came from king (honours to uphold social structures). (us - supreme court, could ratify types of social participation). (in theory, now actually its becomes politicised under guise of non-political actions). Election as well - gap again (not rational process). Same with a king too (made king and then waiting for his rule). Moment of indeterminacy between vote cast and results (purely speculative situation, no story told, exciting and terrifying). Answer of the real = when we see gap, we have to embrace emptiness of faith (a silence) Homer donut lol. Catholic fear god so love the devil. Fear vengeful god so can eat the donut. Fear god so much can love the devil (opposite to protestants). Protestant (fear devil love god, so now up to you to live up to that by which perform to god that you are worthy to god). Wagner = choice between paganism and early Christianity. Isitutuion of marriage = pagan ceremony. But then Christian vow. Holy union (bourgeioise unity). Liberal marriage = make sure okay, take steps to fit. Its not about knowing god, its about faith of god (early Christian) - believe in god, if you knew god, god wouldn’t be god. If you knew what to do with exam, it wouldn’t be an exam. Engage with exam to test reason, you have to believe in the exam. You uphold symbolic of the exam in the master signifier of the grade. I don’t know x but i have faith he will be mine (for a Wagnerian marriage). Cannot participate in the exam or the bureaucracy unless you believe the exam matter or you believe the bueracracy has the power and agency in the world. Minimal element of faith needed between constutituve participation and the ratification retroactively on the level of the performance (grade for master signifier). Adorno: enlightenment as myth because doesn’t take above into account, that needs minimal faith. Knowledge is its own form of faith (not a binary). Knowledge in relation to answer of the real. Filling in of hte master signifier. Knowledge of the other - realm of faith (dialectic of presence and absence - homer donut again, knowledge predicated not on message but absence of message, leading to freedom being based on faith on message not being received). I know im free but does the bureaucrat know. I prepared for exam but does examiner know. Stuck in performative aspect (gaze) of the other and ionly n knowledge of other we are stuck is our truth retroactively formalised. Trap caught in - real between constituitive and performative (imaginary/symbolic) the real contraining the truth that upholds the imaginary/symbolic. Truth that we are Doesnt matter you can see through commodity fetish. Doesn’t exempt you from succumbing to it sicne it structures your participation to the world (the other). Our knowing symbolic as symbolic doesn’t make it less truth (the trophy doesn’t mean its worthless). The grade worth nothing, means something. God is not there is there. Ideology is not grip of master figure, the uncanny realisation is that ideology is because no overarching master figure (emptiness = master signifier stands in to allow for subjective agency for unfold). Eliminate empty space = prove it = our own ideological support would collapse = nihilistic abyss. Participants in eternal exam, Wish told how to live = we can live. Our failure becomes presuppsotion for success. (ie cannot remove it)

[@dennisfrancisblewett6480]

I'm watching your video, and I don't like it. It's not very straight to the point. I would suggest you review how to make a definitional argument. I have been reading other materials in an effort to resolve how a master signifier is defined; but maybe there is a paradox to all of this: If there is no master signifier, what hope do I have to make sense of your video through the language you use? Personally, I am very concerned about the concept of a master signifier (as it's non-existence may be described relative to Derrida's deconstructionism) because an absence of its actual existence appears to be grounding for denying that a reasonable person can ever read criminal law in order to know how to follow a criminal law in order to follow said criminal law in order to not violated said criminal law. I think that in American criminal law, the rule of lenity should always be applying because there is "grievous ambiguity" to be found in all American criminal statutes that cannot be resolved for interpretation by a reasonable person. I think through the postmodern philosophy of language, society might be able to argue that no one can make sense of any law and is left to conjecturing about what a law says if but managing to know via a matter of luck. I'm still watching your video, but I thought I'd mentioned something: If there is no recipe for success in a class you're teaching, then it seems you have no framework with which you're teaching your class for there to be success. In other words, if there is a paradigm you have for mastery of the class to occur, then there is a way to succeed in the class to be had. I think... and I've been out of university for a while, but weeding out people seems to be more on higher-education-person's minds rather than that act of teaching because of competition to be had for higher socio-economic positions that fruition from excellent work in academia.