Philosophical Dictionary

Slavoj Žižek is the Slovenian philosopher who explains Hegel with dirty jokes, Hollywood films and toilets. Behind the sniffing and the “and so on, and so on” there is one big idea: ideology is not what you believe, it is what you keep doing even when you know better. Here is Žižek in plain English: his life, Lacan for beginners, the big Other, the order to enjoy, Starbucks, Titanic, violence, his fights with Peterson and Chomsky, and where to start reading.

We discuss what Immanuel Kant called his "dogmatic slumber," how he woke from it to write his essential works in philosophy, sparking a revolution in thought that would shake the Western world.

Explore Mark Fisher's critique of capitalism, focusing on his concept of capitalist realism—the idea that it's easier to imagine global catastrophe than an alternative to capitalism. Tied to Slavoj Žižek's notion of surplus-enjoyment, Fisher argues that capitalism traps us in cycles of unfulfilling desire. While this may seem bleak, I offer ways to navigate capitalism's demands without falling into exploitation, emphasizing the importance of a personal philosophy of life for resisting distractions and finding meaning. For more, subscribe to our Memesletter for digestible philosophical insights.