Spelade
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In this special episode, Ryan and Todd debate two different conceptions of universality. Ryan locates universality in the quilting point, whereas Todd conceives of universality in terms of constitutive absence. They explore these different ideas alongside Slavoj Zizek's conception of universality as antagonism.
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In this special episode, Ryan and Todd comment on the recent attempted coup in the United States. They address the significance of this act of domestic terrorism for the actuality of Right and Left on the political scene.
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In this episode, Ryan and Todd analyze the new Christopher Nolan film Tenet. They discuss the film in terms of the concept of Nachtraglickeit or retroactivity, as well as exploring the conflicted politics that Nolan proposes in the film.
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In this episode, Ryan and Todd examine the conception of the symbolic order, as developed by Jacques Lacan and those who follow him. They discuss how the symbolic order is structured and look at it in terms of its relationship to the real. They think through the everyday events that reveal the omnipresence of the symbolic structure.
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In this episode, Ryan and Todd explore Lacan's famous concept of the mirror stage. They discuss the role that this concept has in the popular understanding of Lacan's thought in contrast with the part that it plays in the theory itself, while also working through a detailed reading of Lacan's essay on this topic.
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In the third of a series of three special episodes featuring Slavoj Zizek, Ryan and Todd respond to Todd's interview with Slavoj concerning his relationship to Hegel. Slavoj brings up questions about Todd's interpretation of Hegel in his new book, specifically the claim about the end of history and the idea that Hegel argues for political freedom. Building on the interview, Ryan and Todd ponder how we might think of progress in Hegelian terms.
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Session 2: The Unconscious and the Psychopathology of Everyday Life
David Tuckett - Conviction Narrative Theory: Bringing Modern Psychoanalysis into the Heart of Economics and Decision Science -
This special episode includes Todd's discussion with Slavoj Zizek about Marxism, conducted just before his debate with Jordan Peterson. Todd and Slavoj discuss why one might insist on the moniker "Marxist" today and why one might call it into question. Ryan and Todd then delve into the issues raised by Slavoj's responses. They focus Marx's relationship with Hegel and the implications of this relationship for politics.
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Ryan and Todd discuss the encounter between psychoanalytic theory and the problem of racism. They focus on the role that enjoyment plays in racism and why racism is necessary for the survival of capitalist society. They also address the problem of white privilege as a signifier. During this discussion, they deal with two outstanding books on racism, Racecraft by Barbara and Karen Fields, and Trauma and Race by Sheldon George.
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In this episode, Ryan and Todd debate the political viability of the term "Neoliberalism." They explore what neoliberalism signifies and whether or not this signifier can function as a building block for the contemporary Left. The episode also delves into the terms used for leftism--like progressivism and emancipatory politics--in order to understand which might be most appropriate.
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On this episode, Todd and I discuss the interrelated terms of surveillance, punishment, and crime. We try to work through these terms from psychoanalytic theory (focusing on enjoyment, of course) against the more common Foucauldian understanding of these terms (which is always through a notion of power). Thanks so much for listening! We hope you enjoy the conversation.
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In this episode, Todd and I work through two of psychoanalytic theory's most fundamental terms: desire and drive. Despite how fundamental these terms are there exists a fair amount of disagreement. Far from being generally agreed upon first principles, desire and drive are consistent sites for some of psychoanalysis's most interesting interventions (e.g. Alenka Zupancic's What is Sex? and Lee Edelman's No Future, both discussed in this episode). As always: thanks so much for listening! We very much appreciate it.
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On this episode, Todd and I discuss enjoyment in contemporary politics. Working through enjoyment as a psychoanalytic idea, this episode focuses on the appeal of Trump, the lack of enjoyment in the Democratic party position, and how constricting secular morality is for the left, as opposed to the paradoxically less dogmatic religious morality of the right.
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Thanks for tuning in to Why Theory. On this episode, Todd and I discuss three interrelated terms: the master signifier, the quilting point, and the universal. Our conversation starts with a discussion of Lacan’s development of the master signifier and his curious abandonment of the quilting point. In the middle portion of the episode, we get stuck in to the different ways the master signifier has been articulated as a political term before concluding with a discussion about the universal that harkens back to our previous episode. Lots of moving parts in this episode but I think it’s our most comprehensive to date. As always, thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy the conversation.
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Just in time for the World Cup to have already started comes this episode of Why Theory on Sports, Ideology, Enjoyment, and Contradiction. Todd and I are huge sports fans and teased an episode on sports and theory all the way back in our first episode on theories of comedy. We hope this conversation is worth the wait. As always, thanks so much for listening.
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Discussed in this episode: Hegel, Marx, Fanon, Deleuze, FoucaultRecommended in this episode:HegelPreface to Phenomenology of Spirit; Lesser Logic; Introduction to History of PhilosophyMarx"The Commodity" from Capital vol. 1; Grundrisse; The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte FanonBlack Skin, White Mask; The Wretched of the EarthDeleuze"The Death Instinct" from Coldness and Cruelty; Difference & Repetition; Spinoza: Practical PhilosophyFoucaultDiscipline & PunishListen to hear what is NOT recommended!
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Thanks for joining us on Why Theory. In this episode, Todd and I give a few recommendations on where to start and where not start introductory readings from six psychoanalytic theorists: Freud, Lacan, Slavoj Zizek, Joan Copjec, Alenka Zupancic, and Mari Ruti. This is the first iteration of what will hopefully be a mini series on where to start and where not to start with different thinkers. We both think this is a fine start but who are we to judge. Thanks for listening, as always. We hope you enjoy the conversation.
Recommended in this episode:
Freud: "A Note Upon the Mystic Writing Pad," "Negation," "Fetishism," The Interpretation of Dreams
Lacan: The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis, Anxiety
Zizek: Looking Awry, The Plague of Fantasies, The Fright of Real Tears, The Parallax View, Less Than Nothing
Copjec: "The Orthopsychic Subject," "Sex and the Euthanasia of Reason"
Zupancic: The Odd One In, Ethics of the Real
Ruti: The Call of Character: Living a Life Worth Living; Between Levinas and Lacan: Self, Other, Ethics; The Ethics of Opting Out -
On this episode, Todd and Ryan discuss ideology and ideology critique. They begin with basic definitions and move on to cultural political analyses of ideology today. They end with a brief discussion of race and racism and a full throated endorsement of Karen and Barbara Fields’ 2014 book Racecraft. In fact, don’t listen to this podcast. Buy that book instead. Thanks for listening. We hope you all enjoy the conversation.
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In this first episode, Todd and Ryan stamp out a provisional definition of theory (as we'll be employing it) and discuss Todd's new book, Only A Joke Can Save Us: A Theory of Comedy.
