SLAVOJ ŽIŽEK on the Desert of Post-Ideology | Master Class | Higher Learning

www.tiff.net/hi...
Slavoj Žižek, the internationally renowned philosopher and cultural critic featured in the Sophie Fiennes-directed The Pervert's Guide to Ideology and The Pervert's Guide to Cinema, delivers a lecture entitled "Welcome to the Desert of Post-Ideology" for post-secondary students and faculty. This Higher Learning event was co-presented with York University and held on October 2, 2012 at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Visit the Higher Learning Digital Resource Hub to learn more about our upcoming events at TIFF Bell Lightbox and to access bibliographies, filmographies and additional resources associated with this event. www.tiff.net/hi...

[@w1ck3dz0d1ac]

I'm not talking shit but the man who did the sound deserves a fucking medal for taking the hiss out of all of Slavoj's S's. Normally I have to turn him down and use subtitles as a backup but you did it man. You fucking landed on the moon.

[@user-fv5ol4or1b]

lmao

[@nickscurvy8635]

It's not hard when you know to do it. The esh sound has a very specific frequency band. Not to discount what this sound guy did, but rather to shame all the other sound people who haven't learned how to deal with sibilance, one of the most elementary issues in human vocal recording.

[@__83rd____]

unfortunately he didnt remove the buzzing that is constant through out the video

[@moganstavs]

dude he is not joking. i love slavoj and i feel bad for not being able to understand him. he has a great grasp of english but some tooth trouble or something stops him from being picked up well. slavoj thanks you as well -Not Keanu Reeves.

[@dansmoothback9644]

A de-esser (yes, that's what it's actually called) can essentially cut the volume specifially on the "s" and "sh" sounds. Not sure if that was used in this case, but i recently learned about it so i wanted to share. Lol the more you know.

[@danieljones-tg9oe]

Slavoj historical knowledge is extraordinary. He is a living breathing library, amazing.

[@compagniaelvira]

daniel jones Breathing a lot, I might add 😂

[@thenowchurch6419]

It is funny how he thinks that his audience can follow all his allusions.

[@jacobloving6765]

Focus on football!

[@jacobloving6765]

@@thenowchurch6419 but don’t we try

[@thenowchurch6419]

@@jacobloving6765 Yeah. It is good training for the mind.

[@joingainjoingain5143]

This man is constantly like 5 to 10 years ahead of himself, like why do his speeches make more and more sense as time passes

[@RealRussianDuck]

maybe it's just you becoming smarter :D

[@Sidiciousify]

Its the proliferation of internet culture.

[@karlklosschen4544]

Maybe he is just talking crap.

[@martinjanecek4950]

@@karlklosschen4544 hardly.

[@kwawzeye632]

You're just getting used to the lisp.

[@theohuioiesin6519]

Met him the other day. And rarely have I observed a man with a lovelier way around people he was exactly as nuts with everyone talking, posing and signing while Telling jokes. He made me So happy. And of course relating very offensive jokes. So refreshing ❤️❤️❤️

[@ChiaraMorgan]

Ooh! Lucky you 🥰 did you meet him in Lubljana, somewhere around university?

[@MrMakingwavesmedia]

What are you talking about. He is repulsive. He needs speach therepy before he talks to anyone

[@patrickkelly7612]

@@MrMakingwavesmedia speach therepy?......MORON.

[@granudisimo]

@@MrMakingwavesmedia The last words you will hear in you life are: "Off down the TOILETCH you go" as he pulls from the cistern's handle. Seriously tho, grow the fuck up, don't you think he knows that? that's as good as it gets, and those who like what he has to say, including me, don't give a quarter of a heck about his irrelevant speech impediment, because that's what grown ups do.

[@epicbluerat9999]

@@MrMakingwavesmedia and with all of his flaws, the speech impediment, lisp, shudders, tics, he's far more successful than you and I. You're just acting foolish.

[@funglegunk]

So warm, funny and able to develop keen insights based upon things like his young son making him repeatedly watch Kung Fu panda. Love Zizek. Philosophy shouldn't be completely esoteric, it can be found and applied in the most mundane of every day things.

[@blakeb965]

Amen! Well said 😊

[@pauljoshy96]

Kung fu lives in everything

[@funglegunk]

@nousername2410 Yes, I watched it all. And have watched a lot of Zizek. He often uses pop culture references to explain things.

[@funglegunk]

@nousername2410 you sound like you're worth engaging with, I have no doubt a productive conversation would follow!

[@ianbanks2844]

You mean like the mundane way Communists and socialists are blood soaked tyrants ?

[@danialbrown6068]

AND SO ON!!!never thought three simple words would make me smile so much

[@youmothershouldknow4905]

Danial Brown Drinking contest fodder

[@inanedreamz673]

Danial Brown it’s nice but I love you is better imho

[@thecringesaltawardcompany1818]

actually it's 6 words "and so on and so on"

[@merteswagger]

you know

[@DepModMuffin]

41:32 - "Again, this is my link with Kung Fu Panda" I fucking lost it there!

[@axelaxel7118]

Žižek is greatest Philosophers right now, hello from Sarajevo

[@reneadams5378]

Two hours of brilliance.

[@MilingonaProject]

Zizek wears a suit when he goes to sleep and a pijama when he talks in front of a crowd.

[@Mtbzzzz]

"Moral absolutes can open up the space of freedom" what a refreshing take

[@coleride]

refreshing as Stalin

[@purplecat3723]

its called dialectics

[@purplecat3723]

caution, he means moral absolutes on some issues on a global and societal level, these moral absolutes cannot be imposed

[@RenegadeShepard69]

Yeah buddy it's the first time you heard it and now you're gonna quote it the next time you say something that pisses someone off and appears, in your baby-eyes, to be an extremist/moralist etc., did I guess right? of course I did.

[@purplecat3723]

@@RenegadeShepard69 WAS THAT A HAIKU?

[@alexandrealves598]

Zizek precisely in pijamas.

[@allendish]

Alexandre Alves zizek: the real thing

[@joeldwest]

If you have such conversation around me, you can wear your pajamas all the time

[@tobiCS_]

😂😂😂😂😂😂👍🏻

[@TeaParty1776]

Lounging clothes for the relaxed classroom.

[@ChrisOrillia]

We're so lucky to be here in the same universe as Slavoj; he makes times like these so much more tolerable.

[@northerncalifornia1969]

I mean, My God, how badly can you miss the point? *sniff* The point is not, you know, to simply make things more... tolerable, but rather, say, to give you the tools to see the fundamental nature of society, and so on and so on, simply so that you may better resist and undermine it.

[@Aphidmaniac]

@@northerncalifornia1969 so you are more aware and more comfortable in the situation, which kinda means you can tolerate it more lmao

[@50iraqidinar]

Let me tell you a racist joke I heard in Tbilisi... *sniffing intensifies*

[@deka0014]

Slavoj is an idiot. He completely lied wrt Bhagvad Gita. Then again, what else can a filthy marxist do?

[@Hardcoreforliife]

Stirner Stuff91 and so on, and so on

[@skyadriana5419]

Zizek with his message - to completely fall into reality - highly reminds me of Alan Watts

[@tenno1981]

Žižek and Alan Watts are both among my favourite thinkers /speakers. Form counts as much as content. I would add Terrence McKenna and James Hillman to my collection of great insprers. And Camile Paglia.

[@tenno1981]

Ah, and both žižek and watts admired G. K. Chesterton. There must be something special with this guy.

[@Alex-xf8pl]

It originates in the Taoist philosophy (The Secret of the Golden Flower, Tao Te Ching)

[@miilan666]

I see an overlap with zizeks words and osho aswell

[@thimobrestel1235]

The poets name is Paul Celan. He was a german-speaking jew from Rumania. He is best known for his poem "Todesfuge" (in english "death fugue") where the sentence "der Tod ist ein Meister aus Deutschland" (Death is a master from Germany) comes from.

[@coreygolphenee9633]

This dude is so smart that he's into his third language and is still more profound than I could attempt to be in my first

[@chilldude30]

It's amazing

[@MrMakingwavesmedia]

If he is so smart why cant he talk normally?

[@JoeMama-fw3xu]

Not impressive

[@KD-oy8qt]

@@MrMakingwavesmedia he probably has ocd which doesn’t make him less smart

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

@@MrMakingwavesmedia He can in Slovenian.

[@connerwilson142]

One of the few online lectures I've finished. Great and profoundly interesting guy

[@blakefre]

I found it. The book is North Korea: Another Country by Bruce Cumings.

[@jmckenzie962]

I'm adding this man to my list of professional enigmas. Ofc there's his voice but he has such a way of wording things I've never seen before

[@hrdyondrej]

Right when I was wondering why tf is he talking about Gangnam Style, he brings up Kung Fu Panda.

[@allendish]

Ondrej Hrdy Guitar you’ve been zizeked

[@Hardcoreforliife]

I agree with him, and want him to watch Shrek which did the same thing lol

[@eddy3921]

It’s ok buddy. Stupid people still rule the world.

[@aminjaguar1]

Kung Fu Panda is a very religious movie : ))))))))

[@justinaldrich1719]

So can tell that he sits on the couch a lot.

[@Steve-ob2zg]

Slavoj is a genius, always captivating

[@ThePromethianspark]

Finnally someone who can stand up and admit the human condition as i see it. Evil and beauty in all extremes coinciding in one person. Pity most ppl are scared of this truth

[@thomasjamison2050]

In relation to his comments on the grey eminence, I am reminded of the account of Richelieu and how he came to match his various emissaries to the tasks he wanted to accomplish. The story is that he would lead his various potential new employees into room with a large table. On the one end of the table were pictures of horrible things. On the other end were pictures of beautiful things. If the person in question went to look at the horrible images, he would not send them on missions that required that the do horrible things. If they went to the end of the table with the beautiful things, he would send them on the missions that required they do horrible things.

[@MrMikkyn]

This sounds like how Islamic freedom fighters think they are going to heaven after fighting the infidels. By engaging in decapitation, and by blowing themselves up they will enter heaven with 72 virgins.

[@N0p3er5]

Watching this is the only safe and engaging way I can take in a human being. It keeps me patient and not wanting to kill myself from feeling disinterested and violently incredulous nearly all of the time.

[@putopaulinho]

What a Genius . What a wonderful human being.

[@Sychonut]

Here for my daily cup of coffee without cream.

[@AS-rl5vr]

Just a cup of coffee with milk, then?

[@simonthompson27]

will you take no cream without tea or coffee sir?

[@adrian_conrad]

The Beastie Boys complicate this; "I like my sugar with coffee and cream"

[@casperdillen548]

you have come to the wrong place. this is the place where we have coffee without milk, the place with coffee without cream is over there and so on and so on.

[@QoraxAudio]

How about a coffee with a cup and sugar?

[@albertomoreno-torres7776]

I’m surprised that I’m able to follow along,and I’m impressed that he’s made it so that semi literate apes like myself can follow along.

[@457max]

Zizek was so far ahead of the ironic alt-right movement that appeared four years after this lecture.

[@allendish]

Max Pozel yes!

[@tillman6371]

The alt-right would actually be considered post-ironic

[@Rednines]

Jaco Van sande crawford is using meme-terminology, they’re not post-ironic in any other sense except in the discourse around memes

[@Rednines]

Jaco Van sande he talks about it throughout the whole thing, basically the whole lecture is about how ironic distance serves not as a critique of ideology but as a function of it. It’s worth a listen you should make the time for it, nobody is actually so busy they don’t have the ability to listen to a lecture while doing the dishes or driving or whatever. If you’re interested enough to ask I’d say give it a shot because I’m not willing to go through and write a list of timestamps of where he explicitly talks about irony because it happens a lot, it’s like the whole talk so if it’s a topic you are interested in you will probably enjoy it.

[@glof2553]

Uh the alt-right says things sincerely under the guise of being ironic, many of them oscillating between sincerity and irony with the line between the two being blurred. That's pretty post-ironic.

[@maazali8889]

I was mesmerized for complete 1 hour and 53 seconds. Love Žižek ❤️

[@victimedelamode1]

One of his best lectures online. Lucid and piercingly clear at once.

[@madinabakhtovarshoeva6368]

When this guy talks my mind goes to eternal bliss. :)

[@rocantenrocanten4150]

не смеши

[@user-et3xn2jm1u]

Holy shit I love that talk, I've watched it multiple times and every time I get a little deeper. I don't see what point Zizek is getting at, but he does tell an awful lot of jokes.

[@reviveramesh]

totally agree and so on and so on....

[@otto_jk]

The point is that irony is not a critique of ideology but a part of it

[@timothyotten8744]

I never know wtf he's talking about. His air of genius seems to rely on his weird antics and appearance of not having bathed in weeks

[@danxdanx8877]

This comment is 8 years old, the guy might not be alive anymore to see our replies lol !

[@phileiv]

@@danxdanx8877 lol !

[@tsiwt]

"Falling fully into reality and suffering" zizeks buddhist ideology

[@moralboundaries1]

what an incredible gem of a human being

[@stupidwooful]

To whoever misses the point which is intentional in all of his talks. He describes narcissism. He doesn't argue for or against it. It's a warning.

[@kuarzorossochildreneducati1941]

The point in the lecture where he says that throughout poetry it is posible to see a lead into a social movement remained me at this poem that say more or less “ Mexico I believe in you because you smell at tragedy , perhaps because you laughter too much , because you know that the laughter is the cover of a deepest sadness” So this relates also at the point that it was stablished here , that when a society had the capacity to laught at themselves in the self criticism of their politician and social believes is a healthy way to had a valve of pressure that relief that hostility perhaps that could easily fester without this efficient social mechanism .

[@TheOneG36]

this is the second talk of Zizek i hear, the first was him vs. Peterson and as a Bavarian iam astounded how often (in a Philosophical Manner) he talks about the 3. Reich, i never thought about it as an Philosophy rattern then an Ideology. i will look into that. Thanks Slavoj

[@MarxistAudiobooks]

can't believed I missed him doing a lecture a couple years back because I got my thursdays mixed up!

[@nickscurvy8635]

This is the best introduction speech I've ever seen given for a speaker.

[@webmube]

Oh yes, I've just cleaned my whole apartment to this video

[@mi9t142]

Me too lol

[@BricksIn]

Well done, comrade.

[@SiriusB88]

I can't believe it, me too lol

[@LitCast]

"It's the little things" -Jordan Peterson

[@yerdasellsavon9232]

*Jordan's eyes go red* *Robot rock plays*

[@Pyro-Moloch]

When describing Project X, saying "three nerds decide to organize a party", for some reason my first thought was a political party, lol. I know what the film is about, but I guess hearing it from him made it sound more serious in my head.

[@CrimeEnjoyer]

I like how this is before he admitted that he likes Kung Fu Panda.

[@awkwardnerd.]

What a hypocrite smh

[@MrZelnikd]

He doesn't say he likes it. He says he saw it with his son 4-5 times...

[@CrimeEnjoyer]

@@MrZelnikd He has said he likes it many times.

[@l.w.paradis2108]

1. One of the most brilliant lectures I have ever heard. 2. The vicious comments, that seem to be trying to outdo one another (in banality) while imagining they have hit their mark, taught me something I needed to face and come to terms with.

[@Deantrey]

Well that's what life is all about. Living and learning and discovering knew things you do not know. Meeting people outside your normal circle, people with different habits and behaviors and beliefs. People who do and act differently than yourself. I know the middle school child in all of us wants to make fun of anyone who acts weird or does things a little out of the norm. That's life too. I've met a few people with tics and they are not weird in any way, it's just an impulsive behavior.

[@Deantrey]

@GrapeSkoda I'm sorry you were bullied in high school. I know how that kind of thing can affect people throughout life.

[@Deantrey]

@GrapeSkoda one of the most reddit replies I have received to be honest. not even mad at the implied racism lol.

[@Deantrey]

@GrapeSkoda you're so weird go away lol

[@IzabelParis]

I love it that he talks about Medea. So few ppl even dare. wow. V good v v good lecture. TY for posting (and i'm not even done watching it all).

[@prasantbanerjee8199]

This is one of the best presentations of this great European philosopher. As he always confesses, as he did when he came and addressed a forum in Bombay, he is at his very best when discussing theory. In his facile system of referencing, professor Zizek casually brings in the thoughts of such disparate thinkers as Levinas and Lacan quite effortlessly, merging their positions seamlessly into his own presentation.

[@janosch7210]

One has to be extra crazy to try to debate this man. Zizek is an absolute madman in terms of gathering information about history, philosophy and human mind. I wonder who would really be able to debate him on a even level? The amount of references he makes, the shier variety of perspectives he unites as a person is, to my standart, unmatches. Please name me any nowadays thinkers that can withstand this. I'm interessted in learning new stuff!

[@sawtoothiandi]

i like to hear him have a discussion with economist Michael Hudson.

[@Sidiciousify]

Chomsky maybe but i think he'd have a heart attack.

[@christiantale4467]

He has anxiety issues, side effect of his mind jumping all over the place. His talent is a gift and a curse.

[@survivingBPDbreakup]

christian tale He has Tourette’s Syndrome

[@adrienelbaz8343]

@@survivingBPDbreakup I thought it was cocaine

[@eLurkr]

yes especially when you believe what you are saying is important, and easily misinterpreted

[@thefourofapocalypse7955]

Intelligent people are not anxious because they are smart. They are one and the other at the same time.

[@emzee1148]

He has Tourette's and nothing else. An anxious man does speak with such confidence publicly through that level of ticks.

[@sedeslav]

Žižek is alien! He has forgotten more knowledge than we ever have in my life.

[@ObjectiveZoomer]

35:20 What I hear when he says this is " Don't sacrifice yourself for a higher cause, sacrifice yourself for no reason whatsoever." I'd rather not sacrifice myself at all nor sacrifice anyone to myself. Thank you very much.

[@billguschwan4112]

1:37:32 he finally gets Buddhism right about falling into the world per Kojin Karatani. Buddhism deals with ideology by referring to it as “views”, embraces ideology by modeling it as stages and offers different remedies for each stage until you are able to fall into the world.

[@ayserapau]

it's a pleasure to listen to Zizek.

[@lizgichora6472]

Thank you Dr Slavoj Zizek, on Reality and Authentiicity, meaning and Buddhism.

[@JustMe-uc1lt]

This was wonderful. The moderator was a jerk at the end, though, with his “this isn’t a democracy” comment. Plus, he looked impatient when Zizek was talking. Nobody should expect short answer from Zizek.

[@safebans1369]

It was just a joke that he had to pick the questions because of time restraint

[@dethkon]

Yes, he is right. You can be an ABSOLUTELY authentic Nazi, or an authentic rapist, or an authentic murderer. This is jarring because we only experience these people, for the most part, through media. They’re hyper real to the point where if you met one in real life, you might be disappointed. “Why aren’t you acting like Darth Vader?” Or like Michael Meyers or whatever your particular favorite might be

[@kx7500]

@@PodreyJenkin138 I dont really see how you get there without literally being that embodiment of evil that youre claiming doesnt exist with them, I see that as totally hateful and disgusting.

[@irreadings]

@@kx7500 no one is "the embodiment of evil". That is akin to believe that there are people who nothing but good people. No, we're all part of an evil bunch and we sometimes do good stuff, regardless of our prejudices or our place in the political spectrum.

[@kx7500]

@@irreadings being an embodiment of evil doesn’t necessarily mean every bit of you is 100% consistently evil. I’m saying that fascism is basically as close as we can get to that. You’re pretty much right though.

[@kx7500]

@@irreadings oh and to be clear, both sides of the political spectrum simply do not do as much bad as each other lol. The right takes the crown there.

[@tserv2657]

@@PodreyJenkin138 my facebook feed on veterans day must be related to this idea. do they not see the horror in their celebrations? back to normal the day after.

[@paulvonhindenburg4727]

This guy is so fascinating to listen to

[@Xtrems]

On buddhism and magic pills: I agree with Zizek that morality is not a part of achieving enlightenment. Troughout the years I've met many people who took a lot of psychedelic drugs, namely LSD and psylocibin mushrooms, and I've read a lot about historical figures who did so as well. With all of these experiences I can say one thing - achieving an ego death and observing the world through the lens of enlightenment did not switch the moral basis of anyone who took these drugs. What happened to all these people, is that it made them more radical in these moral values. By that i mean that people who were compasionate became compasionate to the point of believing that through giving eveyone these drugs we would achieve world peace, end of poverty and so on. But conservatives were an entirely different story - they were even more dedicated to their ideas. There weren't as many of conservatives who took those drugs as progressives of course, not today (although I've met some, and I can tell you that while not most radical politicaly speaking, they were the most radical in explanations why they were right, and the most sure of it, and actually most coherent), but historically I encourage you to look into Ernst Junger - a wehrmacht officer who invented the term psychonaut, the history of neonazis taking psychedelics and in these days Joe Rogan - a conservative who's known for taking DMT. Ego-death does not ensure you will be a good person. It allows you to reinforce your beliefs with a new argument, and a very strong one at that.

[@marcbaxter5996]

There is no ethnic cleaning without poetry. What a sentence

[@coldCoders]

what do you mean by ethnic cleaning, like ethnic cleansing? b/c that is genocide

[@marcbaxter5996]

@@coldCoders obviously a citation from the video…

[@davecrupel2817]

Sid the Sloth has grown & matured into a wise elder. And the world is better for it. 😊

[@JoeCorneli]

Interesting to note that the same scene from Bhagavad Gita was quoted by J. Robert Oppenheimer (17:00 or so).

[@MrDeicide1]

Joe Corneli it's not the same scene

[@Hardcoreforliife]

MrDeicide1 okay that was epic that u could even know which scene it is or isnt. I have to read it

[@JoeCorneli]

@@MrDeicide1 "scene" in a broad sense

[@Sidiciousify]

@@JoeCorneli I have become death? I believe thats the point...

[@TomekSamcik69]

Slavoj Zizek is a great entertainer

[@Kobe29261]

Tomek Samcik AND master philosopher!

[@AR-qs4bh]

loved hearing his take on wittgenstein

[@Ewochable]

His "take"? He has no take on anything. He mentions the term "language games", then uses some phrases to link it with "I claim, this, that he became much more radical than with these language games", then he forgets where he was going, says the word "certainty" (probably alluding to "On Certainty" where W uses some metaphors to show how different notions of certainty and justification are in play and tries to show where traditional epistemology goes wrong) and he repeats that W claims "families of language games" (still without making any points) and finally goes on to say that he himself introduces the void to supplement W's language game theory. How the fuck is this ever construed as a "take on Wittgenstein"? And how did he answer the question, i.e. how he deals with W's arguments and developments of neuroscience that shows the mind to be less than nec. unified, counter to Cartensianism. Zizek is a bit... well, confused.

[@thatincidentallygeez]

Ewoch Able u sound angry and hateful

[@Ewochable]

Joe Degu I am not at all hatefull and angry. I find pleasure in watching the man, that is why I am here. And I can tell you I know weirdos that seem a bit like him. But I don't think of him as a philosopher, since he has no rigor in his reasoning, he provides no explanations, elucidations or conceptualizations of philosophical matter, and a lot of his output is, and I mean this in the most literal sense, completely meaningless and incoherent. For instance his "take" on W. The only thing I reacted to was the fact that people mistake his showmanship for philosophical thought. I believe it is wrong to accept any of that stuff as applications of any historical (or theoretical) philosophical thesis or method, and it is harmful for the subject if people start mistaking this for philosophy.

[@shanesealy]

Ewoch Able Quit being lazy and go read his books if you want a more coherent understanding of his thought. Your regurgitation of the same tired/embarrassing denunciations isn't impressing anyone but Noam Chomsky. Is that really the philosophical company you want to keep? If you've actually read his books and still have this opinion then you should probably just call it a day and take up kite flying or something, because whether you agree with him or not, you have to be an idiot to say it is incoherent.

[@Ewochable]

Lol, I don't keep philosophical company by sharing my opinion on show men on youtube. I work professionally with various topics within the field, so I hardly need an american lover of wacky gimmicks to advice me. Perhaps you should try out some coherent stuff and realize what the term means before making a judgement about the internal consistency and meaningfulness of Zizek! That his stuff is meaningless and incoherent follows directly from the mambo jumbo itself. And I have now read 5 pages in 2 of his books, and I kept the opinion intact...

[@mattsolomon3]

Not sure if this maps in psychoanalitic terms but I always saw a link between 'sentimentality' and extreme distanced 'violence' at least on a socio-cultural level. The excuse for the violence is the inner sentimental nature that values the object of sentimentality over the consequences of a distanced violence, (desensitized or whatever), or maybe a resensitivization of the that inner idealization drives the denial of external responsibility.

[@ei6728]

Se expresa con una claridad magnífica, alucinante y cristalina!

[@Monkwhispers]

a calm lesson to the mind.

[@Ingu.z]

Very nice talk. Though if he just understood the point made by the Churchlands better then I'm sure he'd like it as it is a way to reconcile the passive observer with the active agent. In essence it boils down to a question of what can constitute free will in a metaphysical sense. Either the universe is predetermined, random or both in some combination. Regardless of which of the three you pick it does not allow for a free will in a traditional sense as you either follow along a causal line of events or a random one. We use our brains to think, reason, make decisions and take action and they follow the causal events of nature. The conclusion drawn by the Churchlands and more (like Dennett) is that while we are predetermined we did develop a brain in order to become an active agent within this causal world. Retreating into passivity is not what they advocate for since our brains developed to accomodate the achivements we as humans have accomplished (good or bad). Their stance is that one should accept that one is, in a way, a passive observer because our brain is bound by the physical realm while at the same time acknowledging that being passive is not what will develop us as a species forward. In a contradicting sense it's liberating to know and to truly be able to accept that some things are outside of our control (maybe having an illness or something) while also realizing that we have the potential to try and do what we can in other regards. In this way, being aware that you are an "observer" to events that were determined before you were born arms you with the knowledge that your (brain's) potential never can be unlocked without being active. Free will is in this sense redundant rather than illusionary as we do in fact use our brain to make decisions and so on. If you accept this view which would allow you to take a step back (like how he suggests that Buddhism does) it invariably will force you to consider your next course of action as being passive is to not utilize your brain's potential.

[@tobiaszb]

Thank You prof. Zizek for those perspectives.

[@thumbwarriordx]

Someone tell this man to watch the work of Ryan Murphy. He always follows the pattern of starting a show with subversive, satirical overtones. Yet over time, his shows always become what they were satirizing, unironically. And the reality is that they were always just that. The irony is a way of trojan horsing cynical viewers into becoming invested in something they think they don't like, but actually do.

[@neilcam2001]

Made some good points. I agree with his idea (can't remember his actual words) that you can believe in something but your brain does it's best to ignore the belief if it doesn't agree with the reality it wants.

[@memegazer]

Its a cognitive bias, confirmation bias

[@Johnconno]

Everything is a joke, until people expect you to laugh at your Mother's death.

[@Sidiciousify]

This is a quote from something? If not its a good quote on its own.

[@alvaromd3203]

A thousand great ideas or more? I’m really thankful for this talk.

[@craigmadz]

ABSOLUTE BRILLIANCE. Ticks n all!

[@nicolasallen8072]

He is pointing out that one can use the concept of the greater good to justify to ones conscience ones own evil actions.

[@BrianBenedict72]

I can't believe he just said Medea was his hero. I've been saying this for years. WOOT! Love you, Slavoj.

[@rocantenrocanten4150]

медея бенджамин? ахаха....

[@damienburrello4040]

I'm Glad that you are still studying Slavoj even though you despise him. Ive seen your comments on other videos of his.

[@hugojimenezruelas5136]

From my little knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism, I see a couple of problems with his critiques: 1- Buddhism does not start just with suffering, it starts with the ignorance of that suffering too, when you’re trapped in the eternal cycle of birth and death… 2-Bodisatva is not a fully enlightenment state. The compassion to the suffering of beings is the last link to this world.

[@Xanaduum]

Then there's Therevadin Buddhism and it's critique of the Mahayana Bodhisattva concept. And the concept of the Sangha. Japanese Zen is like an off shoot cult of a previous offshoot cult of Buddhism. And even then I still have a lot of respect for Zen Buddhism.

[@josedejesusgarcia2856]

I know , One KEY for ALL - ALL is ONE Is ALL.. it’s that simple in anything and everything. Applied Transforms ALL

[@disco7379]

Slavoj is like a created ruler on CK3 who has all the intelligence traits but to balance it out has all the madness ones 😂

[@Rex2p0_]

scholar lunatic

[@Hilaire_Balrog]

🤣...true

[@Puert0ricandream]

@@Rex2p0_ was there ever a difference

[@erpthompsonqueen9130]

Thank you. Watching from Alaska.

[@peterhh369]

Yes Zizek like this hyperactive in his mind and that is being projected on his body language. Thats completely normal. Some people can only achieve this state with coke, Zizek does it nromal just like that! :-)

[@emersimpson8922]

i gave up the video, only audio now. cant´stand the nose touching

[@TheJester-ct5pi]

@@emersimpson8922 Why would anyone attempt to watch the entire video to begin with lol, he's just standing in front of a gray wall wearing a gray shirt. Best to put this one on speaker and listen in the background

[@emersimpson8922]

@@TheJester-ct5pi LOL that´s right

[@ridanann]

@@TheJester-ct5pi sexy man i ask my gay friend this is no joke lol

[@drespanol1428]

Natural pure organic grass fed non GMO no antibiotics vegan low glycemic free roaming cocaine?

[@sense_maker1816]

1:06:35 Zizek’s musings on New Age spirituality Nowadays, you could throw in Silicon Valley ayahuasca trips into the mix. Enlightenment for the purpose of increased productivity.

[@paolab4744]

Nobody: Zizek: ...however, this is my link with Kong fu panda.

[@verstrahlt1907]

нмм, should not there be(?): Everybody (without Žižek): Žižek: ...however, this is my link with Kong fu panda. * "Nobody: " ...it is irrelevant to write, that nobody says nothing; Nobody "will" always remain in "passive" or "non-doable" state; it is quite common to do nothing & be nothing, "being" nobody. Have a pleasant day, miss; and Greetings from Slovenia.

[@paolab4744]

@@verstrahlt1907 I know sir, it's a meme Have a nice day

[@tripzincluded8087]

in the Heart = Spirit Being & in the Mind = being Identified .. truth vs Lie .. Ying & Yang .. timeless & in time .. two sides of the same One Being .. (::) "Thankful for the sharing of truth"

[@arturocasu7059]

*smiles*: It's pretty horrifying

[@christiandoyle7783]

Arturo Casu a mood

[@riccardocuciniello2044]

13:13 some 20th century Italian poets are just beautiful - probably Montale is one of the few great stars of the poetic firmament of our history.

[@MeMe-wy3vr]

Tell em

[@jesusonheroine]

To pay a lot of money to watch this old man talk about the movies he has seen - this is the true ideology.

[@sebastianwardana1527]

well sometimes people havent aquanted themselves with these views and they shine through the humor. most parents find that comfortable.

[@ComradeRedBolshevik]

Slavoj Zizek is awesome.

[@ZombieDragQueen]

16:05 According to "The Master Plan. Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust" by Heather Pringle (Hyperion, 2006) Himmler kept a copy of the Bhagavad Gita on his desk, he didn't carry it around. Makes more sense from a practical and symbolic point of view for Himmler's pet project Ahnenerbe.

[@nackedgrils9302]

Please enable the subtitles! Some people don't do well with audio only, especially when the speaker has a strong accent.

[@m-bronte]

His comment about "how do we know that a religious experience in not something bad". My thought is ...we are all so singular in our life experience. To many factors play in the development of how we individually view life. We cannot even know or measure what "ONE" person would considered religious. If a person is religious or spiritual, then perhaps that person can recognize the experience as religious. If a person has no religion, then that person may consider the experience special or enlightening. I also think a bad experience can be religious, but may not be recognized as that.

[@mikewtp]

Those who believe that the scientific method, for all the good it has produced, holds a monopoly on what constitutes truth or what is truth, should really take a look at the philosophy of science. Hell, Popper himself would probably disregard Jessie N's comments as mere scientism.

[@lmf1799]

Best intro ever.

[@111bonus]

Zizek drinking game: Drink every time he says "and so on and so on", tugs on his shirt, or touches his nose.

[@nyccoyax3831]

And you are totally smashed after 1 minute ^^

[@theohuioiesin6519]

Dead after 1 hour with 2% blood alcohol level. (Minimum )

[@JavierBonillaC]

My God this guy is ill

[@roborabin7266]

I tried it the other night and *literally* died

[@cristianr.3016]

I've survived 3 alcoholic comas and I still haven't finished this video.

[@MrZelnikd]

The great spiritual loss of the fall if the Soviet Union was the loss of brilliant political jokes... I agree with him. I live in ex socialist Hungary and i haven't heard a good political joke since 1989.

[@damiandossantos5077]

i got a feeling hes gonna struggle now that we must avoid touching our faces.

[@sawtoothiandi]

he'll have to wear a pair of boxing gloves.. nah, he'd probably knock himself out

[@damiandossantos5077]

lol another theory is his adoring fans give him flowers frequently before talks even though he has hay-fever.. who knows, maybe Poland has some good coke, would make living in a snow covered socialist shit hole at least slightly bearable xDD

[@imranka]

Exactly the same thing came to my mind watching him. :D

[@damiandossantos5077]

@@imranka lol shame but on a serious note as someone at the opposite side of the spectrum, it really is refreshing to see such a strong argument from the other side that is intellectual and ethical at the same time

[@siggydj]

@@damiandossantos5077 I think you mean fascist hellhole; they have an openly far right fascist govt right now too. There is huge stigma against socialism and communism there for the last few decades, even though they have socialized healthcare and social programs borne out of those ironically :p

[@Argus625]

Na przełomie lat 1989/90 ówczesne władze rozpoczęły przygotowania do przemian własnościowych w naszym kraju. Jednym z motywów tych posunięć był jeden z niepisanych punktów układu „okrągłego stołu”, polegający na oddaniu władzy politycznej „Solidarności” w zamian za uwłaszczenie nomenklatury partyjnej. Pierwszy krok stanowiło usamodzielnienie przedsiębiorstw państwowych, co oznaczało zdjęcie gwarancji władz, natomiast państwo przejęło długi zagraniczne tych zakładów. (Wówczas tylko państwo, a nie podmioty gospodarcze było zadłużone względem zagranicy.) W tym okresie pojawiły się trzy rodzaje własności: samodzielne przedsiębiorstwa używające jeszcze przymiotnika „państwowy”, własność Skarbu Państwa i własność prywatna. Przywrócono funkcjonowanie przedwojennego Kodeksu handlowego (nota bene nigdy nie został on formalnie uchylony), który zezwalał na powstawanie nowych podmiotów gospodarczych różnego rodzaju. Na początku lat 90. wyodrębniono czwarty rodzaj własności - własność komunalną.. Za tymi gwałtownymi zmianami nie nadążało jednak ustawodawstwo gospodarcze - w praktyce obowiązywało równolegle nowe i stare prawo. Zasypywany pytaniami Sąd Najwyższy podjął uchwałę z dnia 12 grudnia 1989 roku nr III CRN 401/89 (nie publikowaną!), w której uzasadniał, że majątek państwowych zakładów jest ich własnością i nie stanowi własności Skarbu Państwa. Tym samym zakłady państwowe zostały uwłaszczone majątkiem od stycznia 1989 roku. Oznaczało to, że mogą one tworzyć spółki z innymi podmiotami gospodarczymi - głównie akcyjne i z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością, bez uzyskiwania zgody branżowych ministrów. Na podstawie nowych regulacji prawnych w latach1989 - 1990 zakłady stały się właścicielami gruntów i innych nieruchomości dotąd przez niezarządzanymi w imieniu państwa. W 1993 roku Sąd Najwyższy inną uchwałą (tym razem opublikowaną) potwierdził rozróżnienie własności, formułując termin „Skarbu Państwa”. Tak szybki proces przekształceń własnościowych stał się przyczyną majątkowego ataku na zadłużone zakłady ze strony różnych sił krajowych i zagranicznych oraz bankowych kredytodawców. Banki obejmując czy przejmując akcje lub udziały w nowych spółkach szybko zaczęły je rozparcelowywać, dzielić, likwidować i zbywać ich majątek o równowartości należności kredytowych czy akcji bądź udziałów. Częściowo również z winy banków nastąpił lawinowy proces upadłości, bankructw, likwidacji, sprzedaży i różnorodnych spekulacji majątkiem wypracowanym przez Naród w latach 1945 - 1989. Miało miejsce rażące marnotrawstwo majątku narodowego, na przy zezwoleniu władz państwowych wszystkich szczebli. Co gorsza, już na początku realizowania doktryny prywatyzacyjnej odrzucono zasadę zachowania w rękach państwa pewnej liczby przedsiębiorstw o znaczeniu strategicznym. Opisany tu bałagan wynikał nie tylko z braku doświadczenia czy też niechlujstwa. Przy braku jasnego, czytelnego prawa, nieprecyzyjnych zasadach wyceny (o czym poniżej), braku określenia, co powinno pozostać w ręku państwa lub pod jego kontrolą, można było za bezcen - ale za to za łapówki - wyprzedać zagranicznemu kapitałowi cały majątek narodowy.

[@Deantrey]

It's a nervous tick. It's actually fairly common among highly intelligent people and to my understanding studies have been done that express a possible correlation.

[@NoodlePastie]

Lol I ain't saying anything about slavoj but it's also common in retards 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@verstrahlt1907]

@1:40:24... What happens the day after? - "nocoj so dovoljene sanje, jutri je nov dan" - "tonight dreams are allowed, tommorow is a new day"

[@MrYgriffiny]

We are all addicts. The more we watch, the more we want. Now stop typing and learn something.

[@l.w.paradis2108]

Thank you. You're right. Imagine how it is now, during COVID.

[@lmf1799]

When Zizek says "wision" instead of "vision" know that it's because he's thinking of a written word in German. Even his mistakes are deep.