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Questioning multiculturalism: The critique of Slavoj Žižek in political philosophical perspective

by | Vol 30 (4) 2012

Nowadays, multiculturalism is the target of a lot of criticism. One prominent critic is the Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Žižek and this article will focus on the main points of his critique. The author examines the extent to which his arguments are valid when considered in the context of the full background of the multiculturalism debate. It will be argued that Žižek does not have a complete understanding of the vision of humanity underpinning the defence of multiculturalism. It will also be argued that Žižek’s plea for a revolutionary politics does not account for the importance of recognition.

Ethics in a Time of Norms and Values. About the Ethics of the Real

by | Vol 28 (1/2) 2010

This text aims to clarify the possibility of an ethics of the real. First, we define an ethics of desire, the kind of ethics this article wants to argue against. Next, we highlight the ethics of the real by indicating why the real is a crucial dimension for ethics (the real gives space to the free will) and by illustrating how modern society neglects the importance of dealing with the real. We unravel the ethics of the real by pointing to the ethics of Lacanian psychoanalysis and to the ethics of truth as conceptualized by the French philosopher Alain Badiou. Finally, we question whether the ethics of the real gives rise to evil.