People who are not too familiar with contemporary philosophy sometimes get the impression that Slavoj Zizek is widely respected among philosophers. This isn’t the case. The comments underneath this Crooked Timber post contain some of the reasons why not. Zizek’s style of philosophy — if “philosophy” is the right name for what Zizek does — is pretty far from the mainstream, and I believe that even those who like the kind of thing Zizek does will admit that Zizek is mainly known as a provocateur, not a particularly careful or serious thinker. Which isn’t to say that he can’t be entertaining and thought-provoking. His Pervert’s Guide to Cinema is fun.
Anyway, what I really want to do in this post is nitpick something John Holbo says in the comments to that CT post: Continue reading “The ethics of beating up on Slavoj Zizek”
The Philosopher's Eye 