This was quite a life affirming episode

free palestine 🇵🇸

Bravo!!

I mean yeah, I can create some grandiose new definition of "god". Hegels or spinoza or other deists of sorts do that often. And as you said god is a place holder for emotions/feelings and ideas. But impersonal god is no different than say something like "energy and mass is god" or "entropy is god". Impersonal god is of no use. He is causally inert.

A reason why the atheist still choose science over religion is because the scientific method, by definition, embraces and encourages scrutiny and change. The moment the scrutiny of facts stops when new evidence comes, it becomes a religion.

you really are wonderful, thank you

Hi, great episode. I wondered whether you think Zizek's take on meaning coming from the struggle (e.g. finding something to fail at again and again) has any similarity at all to Camus Sisyphus? "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart..."

Running and jogging and all other forma of healthism or fighting style is also a form of escapism

I wrote my final using this to question 10 minute cities, police sidewalk cameras and the current state of online hegemony

It's difficult to look at Marx's philosophy in a capitalist society but he made some very valid criticism. It's best not to be narrow-minded, especially now.

Just started watching you on KZfaq love the content as always, you made me start loving philosophy

The echos of Plato's _Phaedrus_ are here. The lovers of Beauty. Bravo West!! Bravo!!!

No one has fun playing Monopoly, a broken, horrible game...

West, can you do an episode on George Bataille?

Religion without philosophy is emotional and erratic, and leads to division and warfare, especially within the individual. The need to be right is antithetical to the need to understand. When you no longer feel a division between outside your body and inside your body, you're paying attention.

Love your show, but this is one of the worst takes on postmodernism I've ever heard. No postmodernist is donning a Coexistence bumpersticker because anyone sympathetic to PM knows it is a reductionist plea for a universal. PMs don't do self-help, meditation, identity politics or such things because these acts reduce the mind to universals. Postmodernism is about creative interpretation. That's it in a nutshell. It's why it's best practiced in the arts and poetry. PM is not seeking simple solutions, it's unearthing the historical contexts of presumed simple solutions--by pointing out differences! Arg, so frustrating to miss the point so badly. Your critiques are all salient, except that you keep using that word "postmodernism" where it doesn't belong. The only decent critique you levied at PM is that there isn't much constructive action in it. Very fair. A sad day for PT! I'm not sure if this is Zizek or you doing a poor reading of him. I know Zizek's work, I haven't found this kind of banal reductionism with him, so I wonder. Anyway, I appreciate what you do and look forward to a better next episode.

These Zizek episodes are awesome! Love this podcast!

"Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love. Where this active concern is lacking, there is no love."

As I listen to this one thought from Byung Chul Han comes up that I wish I could ask Zizek about. Without awareness (vita contemplativa in Han) this pursuit of becoming a "true master" in our current economy can easily become a commodification of the self, an optimization of the marketability of the ego in performance-based capitalism, perhaps just another way that we make ourselves into objectified little corporations. Han expands on this in The Burnout Society.

Feels like this podcast hit another level

Why you gotta hate on the long time patreon subscribing Ravens fan bruh… Low blow man low blow, we shoulda beat the chiefs if we just ran the ball ughh….. I’mma go read some kierkegard and watch the 2019 ravens dolphins game…

I swear I was waiting the "I prefer not to" stuff. Cheers.

This episode was fantastic!! I cant wait for Mark Fisher, he is one of my favs!

Good stuff but didn't the existentialists say all of this in spades?

Conveniently, Zizek forgot "Door #5": to surrender--from one's ivory tower--to that irresistible urge to pontificate about "Doors 1 to 3" (and the "suckers" who choose them) and feeling quite smug about choosing "Door #4," neglecting, in the meantime, to admit he has actually chosen "Door #5." That's Zizek all right.

Burnout can cause some ADHD symptoms in those without it, but ADHD isn't caused by burnout. _People are born with ADHD_ ADHD makes people _more prone_ to burnout, and considering the increasing pace of modern life, it shouldn't be surprising that more than ever people with ADHD are seeking medication just to be able to keep up with the "neurotypical" standard. If ADHD is caused by burnout, why don't philosophers like BCH say that autism is caused by burnout?

❤

Amazing episode, I remember the time when zizek was seen as an online charlatan! I think doing the work to reach a point where you can choose what to struggle with for the rest of your life is something everyone has to find for themselves, but anyone who does makes life better for those close to them.

So... Zizek is unaware of the existence of progressives in the US? Fair, they don't hold a lot of political power yet, but claiming "people aren't trying to resolve the underlying issues " and claiming "people on the left want a watered down version of capitalism" are falsehoods. It's pretty tiring to see people believing 'center left' is 'left'.

This episode really hit the nail on the head about how I think and perceive the world and my own experience with art. The craft itself has taught me so much, in terms of discipline, failure, consistency, and growth. While being able to see the world in terms of light/forms and perspective is cool and all, somehow it always seems to be connected with other aspects of life and larger truths that never seem to change. I've noticed that even something like teaching, cleaning, horsemanship, or any other form of art unlocks these connections and perspectives as well. I don't know how this happens, but it's fascinating.

I am so confused by the end of the episode. If the 4th door is "find something you love and become the best at it" sounds to me exactly like what the capitalism hustle is. You mean to tell me I need to find a hobby, not commodify it, and become a master at it in my spare time while still paying for rent somehow? What if my thing IS videogames, how do I participate in that community without empowering capitalism?

I’m gonna tell my partner they make me less capitalist!!!

I guess I'll be listening to the Zizek episodes a couple times over to kind of understand it properly. I won't pretend to be clever enough to understand it all in a single run. But what I can say is, that buying art supplies gives me a short pleasure. Using them shows me failure. But somewhere within i can feel something building up. That thing is what keeps me going. I had the same feeling with learning to dance. And with language learning. And with learning to play an instrument. And learning to write software. All of those things I needed money for. And plenty of it. But still I despise the idea that I didn't follow my dreams but rather paying for someone elses fullfilment of their corporate dreams. Yeh, I obviously didn't understand, hence I shall listen to it all again.

I was struck by similarities to the work of Erich Fromm especially his To Have or to Be and The Art of Loving. Great work, love the pod. 0:02

Purely out of circumstance, I switched from following Pholosophize This! on podcast rather than KZfaq. However, I do miss having the opportunity to show my appreciation by leaving you a 'like' (which I did every time)... Just wanted to thank you for your amazing work, and being the most enthusiastic guide to the immense world of philosophy!

2 mins in....WOW!!! THIS IS GOLD!!!! Thankyou so much good sir. I've been battling severe anxiety and depression originated at toxic workplace (people/company) and have been taking medications and therapy. I'm on 3 months Loss of Pay leaves. Its been rough few months lately. People think IT/Corporate is white collar, AC, cushiony job where you just sit on your rolling chair, stare at your laptop for some time, take a few calls and enjoy your weekends doing whatever you want. I wish it was like that, perhaps it is for some? But its actually opposite. People here have no lives, no thought of their own. We're all sheeps being cornered and abused en mass by the wolves. People work 24/7, they have no time to take care of themselves, let alone their families or loved ones. The so called Earned leaves are just a mirage. If corporate chooses, they won't APPROVE your leaves even when you had notified them 3 months prior, cause....priorities have changed. They run your life. Ofc, people get paid, and they do get time off, only when the management gets what they out of them. Its a system of abuse and exploitation, modern slavery if you will. Saddest part is, this still IS better than most jobs out there where people work equally hard if not more and get paid even worse and abused as well. What a disgusting world we live in, and they say, its the best time we're living in the history of mankind. I can only imagine the horrors our ancestors went through in past, surviving every day, from nature, man and beasts. God save us.

I can't stop to think what kind o Zizek would come out of a heroic dose of mushrooms. How it would shape and reshape his ideas...

So edging is the way?! 🥲

This is so rad. Thank you

Yah yah, authenticity is the goal Of course, of course. People need money though. It’s the monies. It’s not about Bora Bora. Bora Bora is the oasis that gives the desert walker the motivation to keep walking. And not everyone is after authenticity. I think Zizek overestimates the purity of human motivations sometimes. Status, power, wealth, things: these are the factors that motivate most humans. He thinks too highly of our species at times. But yes, for people who listen to this podcast for example, authenticity and genuine connections are probably what will make for happy lives. Most people are on Tik Tok and not listening to this brilliant podcast though. That’s where I disagree with Zizek. He overestimates our desires.

I was itching for this new episode. Love this podcast.

You also addressed failure when speaking about Emil Cioran, and then you instantly got to the issue and it was all clear as a high mountain lake. But even discussing this guy makes me feel like I've had a stroke,. Not your fault, but I simply can't see the point.

I like reading A. Adler nowadays - he disses Freud on every god damn ocassion.

As a long time listener let me just say, your work is extremely valuable Stephen. I'm sure I'm not the only one that began my love for philosophy here. Keep up the good work!

i wish you ware more calm when you give this mirecole of a podcast like you did back than , your voice is started stressing me, you are agitated when you speak, but man oh man , this is "the video thing that " that is happening in the world write now

30:50 surely to some extent Simone Weil was giving her attention to this depressing dehumanization.

Cant wait to be home so i can listen this one 🎉🎉🎉

Ah, the good old "surrogate activities" from Ted K. On another note, I wonder if philosophy has ever existed in times when people were happy with their condition. Did people ever question why their society was so successful and others weren't? The closest I've seen would be the ancients, but even then, they always had a bone to pick with the way things were, taking on that gadfly role

it's awesome you are still doing this after all these years

Born 2E. I just knew it. After quitting my old job now I have spend the right time to think about my inner child and let him go, unleashed him and embrace the way he is. Also in search of a better way of living. Comic books saved my life as a seven year old and then force to join a soccer team. Zizek must be pushing me...