The Monthly Digestif Presents: Slavoj Žižek on Christian Atheism

[@JapanDriver]

Guys, this was clearly not intended as a serious debate or lecture, it's a pop culture show happy to remain at the surface. And that's fine. If you're looking for serious Zizek, read the Sublime Object of Ideology.

[@Kid_Ikaris]

Well said. I'd add that this is true of most Zizek videos. I remember the first time I saw him give a serious lecture on Hegel. It became very clear that he's taking his pop philosophy far less seriously, and such is the virtue of his public commentary.

[@jamir0n]

Zizek might be a crazy cultural critic philosopher, but he's certainly the most original, involved, and endearing kind of crazy there is.

[@MrMajsterixx]

I like him, he is certanly smart but its obvious that he kinda plays exactly into this role. "He knows his role"

[@rudeusgreyrat32]

I’ve never seen anyone other than Sydney match zizek's energy so well.

[@VYBEKAT]

Amazing... Slavoj's wisdom continues to grow ..

[@jodawgsup]

wisdom 🤢

[@misskwannie]

Ironic bc he’s talked about how wisdom is conformity

[@princegobi5992]

@@jodawgsupwhat word would you use?

[@mehdimehdikhani5899]

Congrats for starting your YT channel with such a guest!

[@Betweentheatoms]

Sidney and Slavoj is a perfect combo. Better combo than Slavoj has with the mic

[@ViceChief]

the words that come to mind... thought couture . a new fav in zizek interviews

[@nexusyang4832]

Happy Birthday!!! Zizek must have been on good spirits because he was cursing more than usual. :) :) 😊😊😊

[@Bhuyakasha]

Not putting any pop filter in front of Zizek's mic is a crime haha

[@noahhorlacher1149]

I love you and your team for giving him a birthday cake

[@GrammarAnarchist]

Good talk. Looking forward to reading the new book :)

[@IvoMaropo]

Having the world's greatest living intellectual as your first guest is a very impressive feat.

[@cockschelle3847]

Id not put Zizek above Chomsky but sure

[@ArchOrigin]

Chomsky is a stiff ideologue

[@IvoMaropo]

​​​​​​​​​ You've got to be kidding. With all my respect to Chomsky, he is not even close to Zizek. The latter is a true madman who has published close to a hundred books on everything you can imagine. His knowledge of German Idealism alone already makes him more interesting than Chomsky could ever hope to be. Slavoj is a MADMAN. Believe me. I've been studying him since 2012. Most of Chomsky's books are quite boring (mostly about politics and linguistics). He's not even remotely close. I'd exchange Chomsky's entire oeuvre for Zizek's Less Than Nothing alone (or maybe even his Absolute Recoil). And I'm not even kidding. Literally. I still respect Chomsky though (it's just that Zizek is a lot more interesting as an intellectual). Even his personality is much more amusing than Chomsky's.

[@jodawgsup]

@@IvoMaropo You've been studying him how exactly?

[@IvoMaropo]

​@@jodawgsup By reading his books. Zizek is a very complicated guy. Any authentic dialectician is like that. He uses Lacan to read German Idealism. But not simply Lacan "the way he was", but a version of him that would be strange to Lacan himself (whereas Lacan was increasingly anti-hegelian, Zizek reads him as a hegelian par excellence). Not to mention Zizek's materialist reversal of Hegel (yes, for him, Hegel was more materialist than Marx himself). And I agree. Whenever I read Hegel's Logic, all I can think of is how insanely materialistic his thought looks. But, back to Zizek, the only person I know of to have successfully articulated his ontology is Adrian Johnston.

[@bigzed7908]

I really want to talk to this man over a few bottles of rachiu. He's just the loveliest person.

[@sedeslav]

1:17:00 Ideology is that soda cans on the Žižek's desk. You must realize that and then you can liberate your self from ideology. That subtle subliminal messages in everydays life. Learn to recognize the messages that pollute your mind. It will be difficult at first, but you will get better with practice.

[@Saunajallu]

She is so pretty

[@JapanDriver]

Is that a poor attempt at a subtle jibe or just a straightforward statement of opinion?

[@rumz345]

@@JapanDriveru don’t have to be a non literalist so unsubtly

[@theonewithoutidentity]

Yes but she's interviewing Žižek, which is better.

[@amanisnoone3233]

Sydney should make more interview/podcast like to this with other philosophers

[@carmbru]

“This is the beginning of a beautiful hatred” 😂

[@petartumbov1214]

14:40, The face of the girl says it all: What have we signed up for? One of the greatest philosophers that this century will ever see!

[@IvoMaropo]

Exactly. True Philosophers are never afraid of not looking politically correct. Some things simply have to be uttered.

[@thomascromwell6840]

​@@IvoMaropo What are you even talking about?

[@yaboydolphin]

@@thomascromwell6840 i had a stroke trying to understand

[@fernandocl4788]

I. love thissss. Nice mix fo you two. You got my subscription lol

[@hatsumomo5067]

thank you!

[@arnonsha1]

38:09 I highly recommend reading Stephen Cope's "The Great Work of your Life". It is about the Gita and I believe you will see it differently. It can be interpreted badly but so could almost any text. Should we condemn the new testament because of the Inquisition?

[@princegobi5992]

Yes

[@schmetterling4477]

Why would you try to put a good spin on something evil? Are you an apologist, or something?

[@arnonsha1]

@schmetterling4477 Hi, no, I don't think the Gita is evil at all. The fact that it could be interpreted in such a way does not make it necessarily so. Jesus (we can assume) preached to "give the other cheek" and it was interpreted into the Spanish Inquisition later on. The fact that the book gave inspiration to a Nazi to do whatever it was he believed he aught to is very different than actually saying that someone, the Jews for instance, have to be destroyed which it most definitely does not. Indeed it justifies war if it is just and war is sadly sometimes just.

[@animus355]

@@schmetterling4477 I am pretty sure he disagrees with the premise that it is "evil"

[@schmetterling4477]

@@animus355 The NT is evil. It would be nice if it wasn't, but it it.

[@nowar73]

Very intresting ❤

[@Babassecretchannel]

Whoever is the sound guy, get another for next time. What's the point with the mic half a meter away from the speaker...

[@arnonsha1]

39:12 that is one way to interpret it, but it seems to be a wrong interpretation of this specific point which has to do more about rewards or self praise.

[@maroelbahkeri8639]

what is the name of the movie guys? i didn't hear it quite well

[@throathook]

The Rapture (1991) with Mimi Rogers (and David Duchovny!)

[@josephkemler4488]

'Comrades '...with that accent 😂...exotic!

[@drkndlght019]

But know that the tactic changed, yet I withhold my rights to power (only if extremely necessary) which means very rarely. I'd influence others, and everyone has a right to a cause

[@chaosmos24]

Why should we privilege Hegel's reading if Christianity? Would luke to see Zizek have a dialogue with an Orthodox priest.

[@arnonsha1]

24:03 instead of waiting for the next disaster I suggest arguing, debating as much as possible with whoever thinks differently from you. Do it publicly, go against everyone...

[@schmetterling4477]

You can't debate with pigeons. They can't hear you.

[@arnonsha1]

@schmetterling4477 Do you mean the birds? If so, how are they relevant here?

[@schmetterling4477]

@@arnonsha1 I mean people who weren't paying any attention in K-12. They simply can't hear you. They can only hear things that support their already made up minds. It is not possible to get through to the left side of these people's brains. It is completely cut off from reality.

[@mcosu1]

I wish he would say something different and new about Christianity. He has been repeating the same ideas and anecdotes for 20 years

[@CrazyLinguiniLegs]

Has Christianity changed significantly in the last 20 years?

[@mcosu1]

Perhaps not, but by that logic he has no business writing a fourth book on the topic that recycles the same tired Hegel and Chesterton lines.

[@CrazyLinguiniLegs]

@@mcosu1 what logic? I didn’t say Zizek has no business reiterating the same ideas over and over again. He’s free to write whatever he wants, and you’re free to consume it or not. And he would be the first to tell you that he has been saying the same thing in every book since _The Sublime Object of Ideology._

[@mcosu1]

@CrazyLinguiniLegs I really like Zizeks work on Christianity and I was hoping he would put some new ideas out with this book. From the interview, it sounds like more of the same.

[@CrazyLinguiniLegs]

@@mcosu1 yeah, I can sympathize with that. Even if he doesn’t bring any new ideas about it, it’d be interesting to hear him develop the old ones more in depth rather than repeating the same hot takes over and over.

[@letdaseinlive]

The "why have you forsaken" is wrong. He actually said fulfilled. Not forsaken

[@tehdii]

Gary and Zizek :)

[@bigweld4328]

wtf is that mic placement

[@exodohd5]

also, it seems to be a beta 58A, it isn't a good mic if you are not in front

[@StratsRUs]

It's Zizek.If the mic annoyed you then it's a good thing.

[@nightoftheworld]

40:07 *X-files*

[@TheSutov]

Finally fiction became true at 28.minute!

[@matureyoungman]

wow. that girl has that something something

[@arnonsha1]

6:17 maybe morality in itself. There is a Jewish interpretation of the Bible which sees God as a mentor for people to govern themselves justly.

[@schmetterling4477]

A guy who destroyed an entire planet once can, at best, be a mentor to the mentally insane.

[@arnonsha1]

@schmetterling4477 Hi butterfly, Can you please explain your point? Do you mean God destroyed the world once?

[@schmetterling4477]

@@arnonsha1 According to Jewish and Christian mythology god sent a flood that destroyed the entire planet because his children (aka angels) couldn't keep it in their pants and fornicated with human women. He decided to rectify the resulting chaos by drowning everything (except for the fish and the whales, dolphins etc.) instead of just picking up the folks that he was actually targeting. That is the behavior of a completely crazy person who goes postal at work because he doesn't like one or two of his colleagues. Yes, religion is THAT crazy. ;-)

[@jeremytan739]

Lmao "We got enough coke to keep you going"

[@toomanysymbols]

i can't help but think about that clip of slavoj where he calls his son "narcissistically amused".

[@tannergilliland3257]

that was the most zizek entrance ever 😂

[@josephkemler4488]

'Slavojist'🎉?

[@gumis123PL]

zizek's audience really doesn't deserve him

[@ElectricityTaster]

but can I be a satanist atheist?

[@IvoMaropo]

No.

[@ElectricityTaster]

@@IvoMaropo pure ideology, mein gott.

[@farrider3339]

😂😂😂 DEAL make it so !

[@chaotickreg7024]

I think that's the point. A satanic atheist is still an atheist in negation of the Christian God. I don't think I agree though.

[@IvoMaropo]

​@@ElectricityTasterLOL. "But seriously", the truth of satanism is not that it's too radical, but that it's not radical enough. Yeah, Zizek's clichés are never too much. Lol. What I like about satanism is that what it fights against is already in the very core of Christianity. Take Black Metal, for instance. The problem is not Christ per se, but the fake institutional mistification of his scandalous core. Nietzsche was right: there was only one Christian, and he died on the cross. Christ still remains too traumatic a figure for Christians themselves.

[@truxoxo_HEA7EN11]

Slavoj needs to look into alternative healthier cola! smh

[@alexverdigris9939]

The young lady is up there for decorative purposes? Could had been another one on the other side too, for symmetry.

[@oliverpiers6603]

What a horrible comment

[@Thinker814]

And your comment is up here for ignorant purposes? Could had been another misogynistic sad guy in the comments for symmetry.

[@claytoncoffman2951]

Zizek is sponsored by Coca-Cola? Nice!

[@ivansevo427]

I'm not a big fan of this us vs them left Vs right that he is playing in his last couple of interviews . Peterson is also doing it more and more as well but ofc he is right wing and Zizek is left wing. I liked it more when both of them were critical of all political ideology

[@princegobi5992]

Lmao show me when zizek wasn’t firmly on the left. The difference is materialism is about critique.

[@nnnimroddd]

Digestible

[@villevanttinen908]

Man lives always "dangerous and strange times", there´s nothing new in this sense. Secondly , every "thinker" is too "bourgeous" these days, drinking coca -cola at the same time when trying to be "wise" man, come on! I´m not buying this. At least Zizek is better than JP , but that is not much.

[@princegobi5992]

What’s wrong with drinking pop? What kind of critique is this?

[@diogenes2550]

The Piers Morgan of cultural theory.

[@cherihausmann]

If Jesus became an atheist, then he would not have cried out to Father for he would not have believed in him. As we see that he offers his spirit directly after. In that moment, Jesus is showing a human the travails of humanness as an act of compassion. That although we may question God in our suffering, our soul is redeemed through the trials we face.

[@msilvama1990]

That's not the point, he was making reference to the sentence "god why have you forsaken me" that's an atheist move for Jesus

[@princegobi5992]

Why?

[@tavo6496]

⁠@@princegobi5992 It’s an interesting question. Even earlier, prior to his crucifixion, Christ is already seen doubting in the Agony of the Garden. Twice this doubt is shown in God himself toward himself (this argument is still sound even in the Trinitarian sense). And after Christ moves through that doubt and still takes on the sin of man, the final moments of his “life” are mired in the ultimate sense of total doubt and “betrayal” through his phrase “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”. Literally, they are his last words. Fundamentalists will say that this is the completion of prophecy established in Psalms 22, but an argument can be made that for God Himself to say these very words is strange as they inherently denote a separation between God and Himself which is theologically impossible. I’m not saying Zizek is on solid footing with his argument, but it’s a very radical (and in my opinion, more correct than not) view of the finality of the Christian message of total salvation - that is, a salvation from the deterministic construct of human subjugation under God.

[@garrusn7702]

@@msilvama1990No it isn’t. Also that is a recitation of a psalm. Look it up and read the whole thing.

[@schmetterling4477]

It's not clear that Jesus was ever anything other than an atheist. Only an atheist doesn't fear god's wrath when he pretends to speak for him.

[@MikeFuller-ok6ok]

That interviewer seems like a very nice and attractive young woman!

[@pavlestajdohar4377]

And her twin sister sitting in the first row...? Yess, one can easily feel resurrected again throwing brilliant ideas to the audience with ease and pleasure!

[@MikeFuller-ok6ok]

@@pavlestajdohar4377 Agreed!

[@Chris-Humblest]

mai wafu

[@Wekkari]

what if AI made this

[@pff1974]

I think Zizek's sniffs would throw the training data off.

[@denissilajdzic1973]

Radical positon?! C’mon! It’s narcissism of victim. Pure defiance toward existance of others. She’s her private god.

[@Comradeden]

what in gods name is that cake

[@NaturalDutchSpirit]

If you talk for 7 hours straight, you need a full bucket of Coke cans.

[@sergiosatelite467]

Poor Christians, 17,000 years of misinterpreting the original message. Many interesting words. Fascinating self-dialogue. Not sure what’s been said. But it was all in good fun.

[@bensonchannel8676]

What's the original message? I don't think we've discovered it to be honest

[@sergiosatelite467]

@@bensonchannel8676 what if the message is nothing deeper than whatever sources were available to educated 1st century Jews-mostly Paul and the writers of the gospels-plus the rest of the traditions that developed over the next three centuries and then the next 17? What if the “original” message is Neoplatonism plus Judaism + give or take a few more influences (Stocicism, for instance, and a reaction against atheistic Epicureanism?) What I find funny - honestly - is the need of intellectuals to keep rescuing Christianity as if it was special beyond its impressive capacity to keep the European world institutionally controlled for 17 centuries. As if they knew no history prior to Christianity. Honestly, why, in your opinion is Christianity so alluring that some want it even without its presumed central advantage: a god who assures it’ll all be good in the end? Why keep Christianity if it can’t even offer that? Why not just be committed humanistic naturalists without materialism-reductionism? We’ve got plenty of historical sources - including Christianity - and science. Why keep beating a historically dead horse?

[@letdaseinlive]

This is wrong. "With a sword" means Christ has mystically fulfilled what Paul later spells out in his saying that there is no male or female, rich or poor, jew or gentile in Christ. It's a radical liberation from the story of material existence.

[@schmetterling4477]

Paul was a used cart salesman. He treated everybody equal enough to extract money from everybody, man, woman, rich, poor. Having said that, the Pauline authors are neither feminists nor egalitarians. I think you are projecting there.

[@letdaseinlive]

@schmetterling4477 ​@schmetterling4477 That's dishonest. You know full well that you're superimposing a non-Christian coloring. Or, the dread of Paul's self understanding as a Convert. ❤😂

[@schmetterling4477]

@@letdaseinlive I am simply calling a scam artist a scam artist. ;-)

[@letdaseinlive]

​@@schmetterling4477 Absurd. ❤😂🎉

[@schmetterling4477]

@@letdaseinlive I see a scam artist, I call a scam artist. Paul was a very good scam artist. He was also an alcoholic. He even admits it himself. Why do I have to believe in the nonsense of alcoholic scam artists? ;-)

[@robertcarpenter8077]

Zizek's zschtick seems to be 'look I'm so inscrutable I must therefore be a major intellectual'.

[@duckbringr]

The second part is implied by you, which means maybe he is succeeding, no?

[@Tom_Tom_Klondike]

When he gives talks it's always with all these detours which can make it had to follow. He never seems to "get to the point" of what he wanted to say. His written work also has a lot of different ideas, but it's a lot more "scrutable".

[@IvoMaropo]

Moral majority = American Christian right and the Republican Party. A paradox indeed.

[@prkp7248]

Republicans are not in any shape or form a majority in US. They are still in power thanks to gerrymandering, Indirect elections of president and unequal power of voters (every state have 2 senators, no matter how many people live there.

[@farrider3339]

Zizek quite has something to say to which I can fully agree. However Don't buy his moralistic pseudo universalism when it comes to Germany. Not even radically pro Palestinian protesting students get an exmatriculation for their more than disturbing protest and antisemitic acts inside universities ! Who then wants to believe, that jews losing their jobs in germany due to a too Palestinian friendly attitude. Sometimes even Zizek isn't Zizekian enough.

[@jesuswept7408]

Zionism and genocide apologists are the prime drivers of anti semitism today. Stop slaughtering children and maybe you will be seen differently.

[@princegobi5992]

What’s a “more than disturbing protest” to you, and how can one be “radically pro Palestinian”?

[@mateorojas4297]

worst stand-up ever

[@Booogieman]

Same jokes

[@Abzuhuzwn]

He is 75. You'll get there eventually...

[@ishmamshahir9707]

Communist Jesus!

[@jesuswept7408]

The Coke really? Tasteless.

[@JesusChristWayTruthLife777]

Please read the Gospels before you buy what Zizek is selling about the teaching of Christ (on His second coming and the role of the Holy Spirit).

[@Jomchen]

What is Zizek teaching about Christ?

[@JesusChristWayTruthLife777]

@@Jomchen if you’re a Christian, you’ll know the things that he says are false. If you’re not a Christian, just do some googling about the doctrine of Christ’s second coming and what the Gospel is about. It’s not what Zizek is describing.

[@jarretpaul]

So far, I've been looking for a reference in the bible that describes what he is saying, "Where there is love between two people, I will be there"... I have not found anything yet that is similar to this. Is he maybe referring to a non-canon reference?

[@JesusChristWayTruthLife777]

@@jarretpaul he's making stuff up based on Matthew 18:20, in that instance.

[@jarretpaul]

@@JesusChristWayTruthLife777 Thanks for that! Wow, talk about cherry picking a quote and using it wrongly. I was under the impression that Slavoj was some great philosopher but this type of thing makes me question everything he says, so why even listen to the man, right?

[@zurc_bot]

Christian Atheism......whut?

[@rovic2hacking505]

Yeah if you read his book about it you will understand

[@DylanRoth1860]

This has just become a carnival barker act where a bunch of zoomers get high and say "let's see what the crazy old guy with the funny accent (in a lunatic asylum in a healthy society) pulls out of his face"

[@LennyCash777]

Those Zoomers should lay off the ganja and this guy, and instead go watch *Zoomer Historian's* content.

[@DylanRoth1860]

Holy shit, you read my mind. I fuckin' love that guy. @@LennyCash777

[@Stinkbug08]

What makes you say that

[@TribuneAquila]

​​@@LennyCash777I agree! When I need my fix for Holocaust denial fascist apologia Zoomer Historian does it best!

[@lilnoir4213]

@@DylanRoth1860 Yeah a unqualified guy, who didnt study with a Nazi Obsession. Thats what the youth needs lol....

[@EarthboundTraveller]

Sorry, but Slavoj is only a few points ahead of Jordan Peterson these days .. oh how the mighty have fallen... I think he should start working on his quantum physics book because i heard all his current talking points almost a decade ago

[@Jomchen]

A few points ahead of Peterson? Maybe if you're talking about ability to entertain an audience, but in terms of philosophy and an understanding of religion Peterson doesn't even come close. Peterson's rambling about the "biblical corpus" is a shallow attempt to branch out to and use religion to justify conservative dogma. There is no comparison.

[@princegobi5992]

In what world do they exist in the same category? Do you read his work?

[@miniroundaboutinbrum7915]

The hypocrisy of sitting there obviously sponsored by Coke. Total fraud

[@pff1974]

It is reference to one of his documentaries, but he very well might have a Coke sponsorship.

[@Dermaa]

Possibly sponsored by coke, but highlighting the sordid history of the company as soon as he possibly could.

[@Tom_Tom_Klondike]

It's just a stupid kind of inside joke. There is no way coca cola thinks Zizek is a great way to move product. He's famous for a philosopher but only for a philosopher.

[@princegobi5992]

Tell me you have no idea what you are talking about without telling me just that.

[@gyorgygorgenyi9957]

What a load of simplistic bullshit.

[@drewpy14]

expand on this please

[@princegobi5992]

@@drewpy14he won’t

[@vinayakdahiya4050]

arundhati roy mentioned💅💅💅💅💅💅💅🏞🏞🏞🏞🏞🏞🦖🦖🦖🦖🦧🦧🦧🦧🦧💜💜💜💜💜💜💜