Zizek and the Rhetorical Unconscious: Global Politics, Philosophy, and Subjectivity

by Robert Samuels

Overview

This book builds on a critique of Slavoj Zizek’s work to outline a new theory of psychoanalytic rhetoric. It turns to Zizek because not only is he one of the most popular intellectuals in the world, but, this book argues, his discourse is shaped by a set of unconscious rhetorical processes that also determine much of contemporary politics, culture, and subjectivity. Just as Aristotle argued that the three main forms of persuasion are logos (reason), pathos (emotion), and ethos (authority), Samuels describes each one of these aspects of communication as related to a fundamental psychoanalytic concept. He also turns to Aristotle’s work on theater to introduce a fourth form of rhetoric, catharsis, which is the purging of feelings of fear and pity.

Adding a strong voice to current psychoanalytic debate, this book will be of value to all scholars and students interested in both the history and modern developments of psychoanalytic theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030509095
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	08/07/2020
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	99
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Robert Samuels has doctorates in Psychoanalysis and English. He teaches advanced writing and rhetoric at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA. He is the author of fifteen books, including Freud for the Twenty-First Century.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- 2. Catharsis: The Politics of Enjoyment.- 3. Pathos, Hysteria, and the Left.- 4. Ethos, Transference, and Liberal Cynicism.- 5. Logos, Global Justice, and the Reality Principle.- 6. Conclusion: Communism or Commonism.