by Gertrudis Van de Vijver | Vol 41 (2) 2023
Summary: This paper articulates the idea that the drive to know is the key to sexuality, and that sexuality is the key to subjectivation. It approaches Lacan’s formulae of sexuation starting from the background of Frege’s distinction between function (predicate) and object (argument) on the one hand, and propositional function and quantifier on the other hand. On this basis, the two sides of the Lacanian formulae are interpreted as ‘the all predicative’, le tout prédicat on the one hand, and the courage of the indecision on the other. That a radically escaping point is not without subjective effect, and does make a difference, epistemologically, ontologically and ethically, is what these formulae are seen to illustrate. Where possible, a comparison is being made with Kant’s transcendental philosophy and logics.
by Ben Muratovic and Elena Petrovska | Vol 40 (4) 2022
Summary: This paper aims to discuss substance use and abuse as falling beyond the pleasure principal and the deficiencies of CBT in the treatment of substance use disorders. As we continue to ponder the beginning and ending of a pandemic, lurking close behind, is the epidemic of overdoses and substance abuse. This epidemic occurred prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only to be exacerbated by it. Rather than viewing substance use as mere mechanical activity of our bodies in functions, what we can aim to understand better is how our repetitions and behavior express some sort of desire, wish, or fantasy. In the movie Another Round (2020), it is presented that according to Norwegian psychiatrist, Finn Skårderud, human beings are born with a blood alcohol content that is 0.05% too low. This concept would add further nuance to the terms ‘substance use,’ ‘misuse,’ and ‘abuse.’ In the Critique of Practical Reason, Kant explains the thought experiment of the Gallows Man (1998, 5:30), to convey his understanding of people’s prioritization of life over lust. He also explains that a cost-benefit analysis is not enough to prioritize life. Yet, other therapeutic modalities for substance treatment encourage the use of decisional balance worksheets and cost/benefit analyses. A psychoanalytic understanding of substance use and abuse would help unveil the desire and meaning of this activity. It is not just about controlling our brain’s biochemistry or ‘self-medicating,’ but rather, an exploration of what the substance and its use really provides for the individual. In other words, substance use, misuse, or abuse, and the language used to describe the patterns and rituals of the individual are not simply cognitive and behavioral, but more so, fantastical, emotional, and dream-like.
by Liza De Maertelaere | Vol 40 (3) 2022
Samenvatting: In dit artikel bespreken we Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker. We vertrekken van Žižeks The Thing from Inner Space, maar vullen aan met een interpretatie van de Kamer als het Ding. We spitsen ons toe op hoe we het Ding begrensd zien in Stalker. Na een overzicht van de film contrasteren we die, in navolging van Žižek, met Solaris. Uit dit contrast blijkt de noodzaak tot begrenzing van het Ding. Daarna bespreken we Žižeks begrip van de grens, zoals hij die in Stalker ontwaart tussen de buitenwereld en de Zone. In een derde deel schuiven we op in de diëgetische ruimte en behandelen we de grens met de Kamer. Deze grens vraagt om een andere karakterisering dan die aangereikt door Žižek. We beroepen ons op Kants notie van begrenzing en incorporeren enkele žižekiaanse en lacaniaanse interpretaties. In een laatste deel laten we de opdeling van de film in afzonderlijke ruimtes achterwege, wanneer blijkt dat ze met elkaar verknoopt zijn en de grens niet plaatsgebonden is.
by Emiliano Acosta & Gertrudis Van de Vijver | Vol 40 (2) 2022
In dit artikel willen we een alternatieve lezing voorstellen van KantsNaar de eeuwige vrede, waarin de nadruk wordt gelegd op het ideologische moment van zijn discours over kosmopolitisme en eeuwige vrede. Op basis van onze lezing concluderen we dat i) volgens Kant elk humanitair en/of kosmopolitisch discours een groot verhaal (ideologie) nodig heeft om mensen te overtuigen en te mobiliseren, en ii) hedendaagse kosmopolitische en humanitaire discoursen juist dit grootse verhaal ontberen en dus ook de overtuigingskracht die elk politiek project volgens Kant vereist.
by Alain Pringels | Vol 33 (1) 2015
In 2010 I was invited to take part in a cartel with Filip Geerardyn, Wim Matthys and Elisabeth Van Dam for a close reading of Lacan’s text “Kant with Sade”. In the aftermath of this I wrote this text, which is neither a record of the cartel, nor an attempt to interpret or to summarize Lacan’s text. It is the result of following the tracks that Lacan sets out, more a Deleuzian Rhizome than a logical or critical argument. Following these tracks leads to a dramatic discovery. Lacan’s act of writing is an invitation to work through some crucial questions on ethics (Kant and Freud) rather than to consume Sade’s literature or to consider the case of the French libertine.
