Slavoj Žižek: We Need Thinking | Big Think
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2012
- Slavoj Žižek: We Need Thinking
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Slavoj Zizek answers the question, "Do you think science has replaced philosophy in discovering the bigger questions of life?" Philosophy is not dying, he says -- in fact, we need it more now than ever.
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SLAVOJ ŽIŽEK:
Slavoj Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic. He is a professor at the European Graduate School, International Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, Birkbeck College, University of London, and a senior researcher at the Institute of Sociology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His books include Living in the End Times, First as Tragedy, Then as Farce, In Defense of Lost Causes, four volumes of the Essential Žižek, and Event: A Philosophical Journey Through a Concept.
Žižek received his Ph.D. in Philosophy in Ljubljana studying Psychoanalysis. He has been called the "Elvis of philosophy" and an "academic rock star." His work calls for a return to the Cartesian subject and the German Ideology, in particular the works of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling. Slavoj Žižek's work draws on the works of Jacques Lacan, moving his theory towards modern political and philosophical issues, finding the potential for liberatory politics within his work. But in all his turns to these thinkers and strands of thought, he hopes to call forth new potentials in thinking and self-reflexivity. He also calls for a return to the spirit of the revolutionary potential of Lenin and Karl Marx.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Slavoj Zizek: More than ever we need philosophy today. Even the most speculative (in the sense of reflecting on itself) science has to rely on a set of automatic presuppositions, like a scientist simply presupposes in his or her very approach to nature a set of implications of how the nature functions, what's the causality in nature and so on and so on. And philosophy teaches us that. Philosophy teaches us what we have to know without knowing it in order to function, even in science -- the silent presuppositions.
I claim that what is happening, for example, in quantum physics in the last 100 of years -- these things which are so daring, incredible, that we cannot include into our conscious view of reality -- that Hegel’s philosophy, with all it’s dialectical paradoxes, can be of some help here. I claim that reading quantum physics through Hegel and vice versa is very productive.
What I really want do is rehabilitate classical philosophy today. That is to say, Hegel was a child of his time. We are 200 years later. How to repeat Hegel, not to do the same things as he did but repeat in new circumstances the same gesture? And even here more for Hegel than for Marx. I think we should even return from Marx back to Hegel. So this is the focus of my work. Then come all the things for which I’m unfortunately better known, for example, my dealings with critique of capitalism, analysis of popular culture and so on and so on. But frankly, to use the not very appropriate metaphor known from today’s military adventures, all this, my writings on politics, on analysis of Hollywood and so on, is more or less collateral damage of my basic work.
I think this is also what has to be done today. The danger today is precisely a kind of a bland, pragmatic activism. You know, like when people tell you, oh my God, children in Africa are starving and you have time for your stupid philosophical debates. Let’s do something. I always hear in this call there are people starving. Let’s do something. I always discern in this a more ominous injunction. Do it and don't think too much. Today, we need thinking.
Interviewed by Megan Erickson
Directed / Produced by Jonathan Fowler & Elizabeth Rodd
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He never said we need less science. He meant we could be better scientists if we had more philosophy. I totally agree with him, more perspectives is always a better thing.
Finally someone reached a rational conclusion!!!
A: What did you do you today?
B: I thought I'd read some quantum physics trough Hegel.
A: Oh that sounds like fun! Never tried it trough Hegel. You should definitely try reading Joyce backwards, absolutely delightful!
Reading quantum physics through Joyce sounds daring
I read quite a lot Zizek's essays while studying literature and sociology - the guy is very intelligent and should be integrated in school's curriculum. Quality stuff.
careful there - wouldn’t want some “violent liberal communist” ideology in the schools curriculum unless you’re ready to get taken to court by some floridians
I love hish acceshent
And so on and so on..
Omg haha
😂😂
Ha ha ha
Thllllll
Žižek for world dictator!
NYESSS
i would love that!
@@uncannyhumanoid lmao
Proud to be Slovenian at this point :)
Sorry, but nothing to do with any other Slovenians.
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it."
-Henry Ford (1863-1947)
I love this youtube channel because like Slavoj said, keep thinking on how can be done better, how can we change something from bad to good or improve the good. Thank you Slavoj!
Very true, all too often you have folk simply saying "Let's do something!", never defining what that something is. And that defining is only ever reached by thought.
i love this guy lol
I'm falling in love with zizek
Here I violently disagree... We don't need more philosophy... We need more Zizek!
+Ionut Pascal I like the irony.Well done
and so on and so on
he is so unusual, i would love a conversation with him.
Repeat this phrase "reading quantum physics through Hegel is productive" in the meeting room in any corporation and your career will be limited effectively 😁
I doubt that
I doubt anyone will care
I doubt anyone studying quantum physics wants to work in a corp
From Hobbes and Schopenhauer, all the way to Heidegger Derrida and Lyotard, I may have spent more time over the years reading writers I don't agree with than writers I do agree with. And I admire the thinking of many of them, even if not their conclusions.
excellent speaker, much easier to understand than half my university profs.
love his accent
I love the idea of a philosophical renaissance, but we live in society that praises the kardashians.......so fuck
back in the golden age of greek philosophy I think you'll find the layman was less educated than the kardashians. Keeping up with the kardashians is certainly more intellectual than shepherding the goats.
***** new philosophy: "anti-kardashianism". It just sounds right somehow.
***** Fucking dumbass.
John Constantine ad hominem : )
gxlorp
ad hominem : )
i could go on and on about this and rebut points, but that would counterproductive...you have a decent point and i respect your opinion...hope you have a nice day today
This man is awesome!
... and so on and so on ... :D - I do agree with him. It is all a matter perspective and how to obtain it, which allows you to examine anything from different angles.
Brilliant!
Great!
powerhouse of a thinker!!
:D this man has my approval. more please.
Is there a full video for this?
If so can somebody please reply with the link to it.
This is my hero.
Same here in Norway :)
And relating to my previous statement, "You could philosophise from different views", you have showed that we, from different circumstances, had different views of the statement of "philosophy can be compatible with theology".
As religions have major differences, people from those religions would certainly have different views, and hence, those views should all be considered.
This is exactly what Big Think is about.
Perfect.
Science stems from philosophy. We need philosophy in physics, especially the ethics.
haha no i got your point...i was just emphasizing mine so you knew what i actually meant if i wasn't so clear in my first comment
but you are correct..its good to know there are still smart people who can have intellectual discussions with others on youtube...you're ok in my book :)
People are fucking dumb. Instead of listening to others and really trying see things the way they do BEFORE deciding what we believe, we'd rather disagree for the sake of its affect on those around us. Everyone gets to share their opinion and we think AN opinion is a reflection of our value and not a well-thought opinion.
SO mature!
I like this guy.
if one wants to look into a serious scientific/mathematical exposition of hegelian themes, look up category theory and the science of logic.
I agree here. Political theory is too focused on working towards the application of structures, frequently with an arrogant over estimation of the quality of their own construction. It would be a nice change to see more thought applied to the navigation of political turmoil and the possibility of turmoil as a positive force. Of course as I've just read back that last sentence I see what an affront that would be to the love of the current, or longing for a new, status quo which is so rife.
This is what Zizek is really about. I like it.
Everytime he makes a "sh"-sound to assert his dominance, do 1 shot.
Oh i wish we would do the same in Australia
“Philosophy begins where religion ends, just as by analogy chemistry begins where alchemy runs out, and astronomy takes the place of astrology.” -Christopher Hitchens
I hope 9 years later you're no longer this edgy
@@XaliberDeathlock I hope he got edgier
@@thekingoffailure9967 why?
We need to think about doing something, not just what to do. Philosophy is like a compass within the torn map of nature. Knowing that you have to go in a certain direction to get to where u think is the right destination is not enough. Sure it is important, but what you do with that compass is what matters. So we better get going.
I've heard this man before, totally brilliant. We all, especially crazy religious people, politicians and entrepeneurs, some who have diluted from reality, need new thinking (bigthink, if you will!) I'm glad that philosophy is thought in Finland. Not being religios doesn't mean you cannot be spiritual and stuff, just look at Howard Bloom or Robert Anton Wilson. ps. Recently the whole country of Norway separated it's state from church!
He really made a great point and I got his idea. People who cant understand should eider thy harder, try to improve their thinking or keep quiet and not say its stupid or miningless!
Ohai! I see you're new to CZcams!
legend
The greatest living political and social philosopher of our time, bar none.
I thought I was paying attention, but at the end of the video I realized I had no idea what just happened...
Muwhahaha! Brilliant! How could I not hear Roman before?!
very intriguing video and i agree more philosophy is good a thing, i harken how i feel to simple thing i came to conclusion of when i was younger, some may not get the correlation but hear me out, when we are taught math we are taught 2+2 is four and so on and so on but we expect this outcome because we memorized it that way and we hardly know why or even ask why this is we never progress beyond the so called clear explanation. thinking should be questions of why and not dry thoughts...i ramble
I agree with his criticism of acting before thinking; the whole Kony 2012 debate proves that one should stop and think, be careful and critical, before acting on anything especially if someone else tells you to do something.
After decades of running away from him, Zizek is circling back to Heidegger.
definetely, philosophy ( classical, antique and modern, ethics, logics, metaphysics) should be an essential part of our educational system since elementary school: it is a very human activity and even would have positive societal benefits; if specifically a hegelian logic would be the place to start or focus, that can be debatable but Zizek has make great intellectual contributions that will serve to clear the way...
haha slavoj kralju na bigthinku :DD
Needs to be subed
Sometimes paradoxically not acting is also an action like if you were to make choices refusing to choose is also a choice. In a very certain way there is always a denouement of taking or not taking action coz there is no certain thing as better result.. As zizek puts it First as Tragedy then as farce
this is absolute gold!! terence mckenna alan watts will help get your head vibrating in the right frequency
Agreed.
I do believe he knows the key the the meaning of life but was sucked into an alien device that confused the language processing compnents of his brain, now we need to communicate with him through hand motions and strange noises in order to uncover the revolutionary intelligence he possesses.
The importance of philosophy before action
Some people attack what they do not understand to make themselves feel less insecure.
Reading quantom physics through hegel....Zizek for you
"...how to repeat Hegel. Not to do the same things as he did, but repeat, in new circumstances, the same gesture."
Think, but also listen.
By reading books I mean the book representing different perspectives, not only the ones you feel your ideas resonating.
You talking about quantum physic in relation to Hegel or what?
we can use new technologies to allow us to redesign societies, but whenever you design something you need to first ask what the goal is
"Today we need thinking"
That's absolutely true
Hello friend, I am from another language and I am writing with a translator, so could you please give me a summary or analysis of this, it is for an assignment.
nice ending
Wish there was a "love" button
Inteligence :D
just out of my curiosity...can you give some example(s)
I love his Slavic accent! :)
Speaking in a religious way, we need a some sort of binding between the self and community, from that civic mind will flourish, including philosophy, right now everyone is pursuing business or they want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg and just gain and sell other peoples Facebook accounts.
so,from marx back to hegel and then hegel, mendel, mendeleiev, stalin, human genom projet?
Haha kr Žižek na bigthink :)
Slovoj Žižek, the man who popularised Ž
O M G (In the most existencial meaning of the expression)
yesh i love hish ashent
Here In Bosnia and Herzegovina we have religion untill 3rd grade of high school and philosophy only in 4th grade, but just in Gymnasium, most of the other school do not have philosophy at all.
we had both in my school
why would he hurt himself? as controversial as his ideas are they do make sense and i believe that a philosophical approach to any problem is a good start. Even if you dont know the problem itself.
I think that the social triggers used to mobilize the public, such as violent rioting or starving children, act on an emotional level and bypass much of our cognitive reasoning.
It could be that emotions are closer to the action process, than philosophy or reasoning. Perhaps it is the difference between a mature person's response to phenomena, and an immature person's reaction.
Well, these are only short, sort of, promotional videos to his thinking. There's plenty of material out there if you wish to understand his dialectical thinking further, I assure you.
Zizek seems like good company
I did mix up my terms, sorry about that. However, what I did want to purport would be that Philosophy in itself it's very large and complex subject just like Religion and I think that replacing it with Religion is about useful as replacing Algebra with Calculus. (I don't know if that is an accurate representation) What I mean is that Philosophy and Religion are two vast and deep topics and I think it would be a shame if EITHER got eliminated from school curriculum. I agree, teach all or none.
Clearly you are the limiting factor!
"Prrrresishly!"... *Frantically touches nose and shirt*
Zizek is the exact person we need to get people thinking. he's charismatic, entertaining, interesting, etc. although Zizek might consider his ideas around capitalism and pop-culture as "collateral damage" of his work - it's the exact thing we need to get young people interested and excited. this opens doors to further opening people's minds up. no one is thinking anymore - we don't need to agree with everything Zizek says, but at least start thinking.
Basic philosophy and anthropology are needed in schools.
Actually our current contemporary philosophy diverges from the goal of classical, or ancient philosophy. As opposed to scientifically unfounded thought (as rational as it may be) contemporary philosophy seeks to professionalize the area. With this comes the introduction of analytic philosophy which is both new and objective (not interchangeably so). The use of the word new is temporarily necessary so as not to signal the regression of philosophy but to propose a new rational philosophical era.
Žižek⭐
Zizek is right - we need to think of how to get out of this mess, and philosophy has long been the tonic to a science that doesn't consider its own meaning. Both are absolutely necessary. Search material indeterminism on google and start thinking!!
True, Theo assumes the existence of divinity, which is why its not a science, but can be compared to Philo. Both use reason to argue the often unanswerable Whys of life. Science covers the far more certain Hows. BTW, science itself makes a few assumptions of its own about our reality. No system is beyond reproach and each of these three has a place.
res je :)
Is there a name for being addicted to bigthink videos?
theesh wush very intereshhhhteeng
GPS could not exist today it it hadn't been for the last 100 years work within quantum physics. Special relativity is, in this way, included in out reality. I agree that you cannot "common sence" special relativity - but does that mean that we shouldn't broaden our horizon with the help of sience?
The more surprising "assertion" would be that they are not compatible. Both fields try to address topics that science doesn't or can't answer.
More thinking that's what I ask for.