How to Read Lacan

Very clear, I didn't realize Zizek could be so focused and clear. Example are on point and accessible and really help you effortlessly understand how these ideas apply to real life. This would be a great book for anyone new to psychoanalytic theory, Lancan, or Zizek. I would particularly recommend it for people who want to read theory but are intimidated. Besides being easy to read, Zizek puts definitions and clarification in parentheses so that the reader never gets too lost. There is also a helpful timeline and suggested readings in the back.

As an historian of ideas I have sought a methodology beneath and beyond ideational analysis, identifying the presuppositions of our ideas. It was not until reading a review of several books by Slavoj Zizek several months ago that I begin to realize that this task is the life work of Jacques Lacan (1901-81).Zizek's HOW TO READ LACAN is an insightful introduction to realities that escape our conscious awareness, resting deep beneath geologic layers of symbolic pretensions. With a double doctorate in both philosophy and pyschoanalysis, Zizek is especially qualified to introduce us to Lacan's work, arguably the most renowned psychoanalyst since Sigmund Freud.Not sharing Zizek's expertise in popular culture, this reviewer is not qualified to give HOW TO READ LACAN five stars. And yet, while enabling us to probe more deeply the microscopic dimensions of our daily lives, Zizek's reading of Lacan also empowers us to understand and stand under the macroscopic dimensions of geopolitics on the fragile planet that is our home.An instance of this reading is Zizek's interpretation of Donald Rumsfeld's March 2003 rendition of 1) known knowns, 2) known unknowns and 3) unknown unknowns. Zizek continutes that what Rumsfeld "forgot to add was the crucial fourth term: the 'unknown knowns,' things we don't know that we know -- which is precisely the Freudian unconscious, the 'knowledge that doesn't know itself,' as Lacan use to say, the core of which is fantasy." These 'unknown knowns,' Zizek continues, are "the disavowed beliefs and suppositions we are not even aware of adhering to ourselves, but which nonetheless determine our acts and feelings."

A short book. Well written. For the first time, I can see that there is perhaps more to psychoanalysis than the unconscious leading the conscious which given that it has been repeated many times in popular press and popular science always struck me as obvious and trivial.I work in tech. And one gem I got out the book is this: because human conversations are not only about information, but in daily life mostly about maintaining social bonds, the proliferation of chatbots will lead to normalization of sociopathic behavior, since chatbots obviously are not in the business of maintaining social bonds. (If they fake it, it's perhaps worse).This is not Zizek's statement, but an obvious consequence of his discussion of sociopathy and human to human conversation.There's much more to the book. A short, thought provoking and memorable read.

This book has so many interesting and thought provoking topics I had trouble putting it down. The part about atheism and fundamentalists was especially interesting to me.

The book is not actually digitized, it is simply a scan of the physical book, and even worse, it has 2 pages per scan, making it impossibly small and unreadable on the kindle. You can't zoom in and you can't increase the font (since it's essentially a picture of text, not actual text). You can also download the exact same pdf of the scanned book online for free

Zizek is a genius and this is truly a work of art. Perfect descriptions of Lacan's complex psychoanalytic concepts are seamlessly paired with Zizeks trademark easy-to-relate stories. Wonderful read!

You can see the other person's picture and my screenshot. This isn't an ebook, just a poorly scanned copy that is broken and unusable, and even if it wasn't stuck sideways and chopped up, EACH PAGE is missing a few lines from where the book is bound. .

Making Lacan's complex thesis relatively easy to comprehend, an intellectually stimulating read you can't leave down till it's last page

Zizek on form as always- argues for and against Alabama way of doing things and gives his own strongly opinionated and thought provoking interpretations of Lacans works. Great for starting to read Lacan or for just another perspective and explanation of some of his key ideas.

The book is simplified for a broader audience, but it is very analytical.Zizek combines his passion for movies with a true mastery on psychoanalysis, his major subject of study.It is a brilliant solution for those who wish to read something technical but also intriguing, spotting in films what's hidden beneath the surface of the simple plot.

Buy it, read it. If you're interested in psychology/philosophy Zizek is a must. He's utterly fascinating. This book is a mixture of high brow theory, and popular culture analysis. It's a very enjoyable read.

Good quality and delivered on time

Very easy to read, a bit disgusting in places