Quotessence
Home / Authors / Slavoj Žižek

Slavoj Žižek Quotes

Philosopher

Filter quotes by topic

AllPhilosophyIfsThinkingRealityWayIdeologyTodayPeopleProblemStatesCapitalismIdeologicalDesireHumansKindLacanPoliticsSocialStillsKnows

Famous Slavoj Žižek Quotes

“Obama has already demonstrated an extraordinary ability to change the limits of what one can say publicly. His greatest achievement up to now is that, in his refined non-provocative way, he has introduced into public speech topics which had hitherto been de facto unsayable: the continuing importance of race in politics, the positive role of atheists in public life, the necessity to talk with "enemies" like Iran or Hamas, and so on. This is just what US politics needs today more than anything, if it is to break out of its gridlock: new words which will change the way we think and act.”

IfsThinkingWayNeedsTodayAbilityRaceEnemyRolesBreakLimitsSpeechAchievementImportanceExtraordinaryAtheistIranContinuingTopicsPublic LifeRefinedProvocativeBreak OutHamasGreatest AchievementNew WordsAbility To ChangeGridlock
Author:Slavoj Žižek
Create image

“Think about the strangeness of today's situation. Thirty, forty years ago, we were still debating about what the future will be: communist, fascist, capitalist, whatever. Today, nobody even debates these issues. We all silently accept global capitalism is here to stay. On the other hand, we are obsessed with cosmic catastrophes: the whole life on earth disintegrating, because of some virus, because of an asteroid hitting the earth, and so on. So the paradox is, that it's much easier to imagine the end of all life on earth than a much more modest radical change in capitalism.”

ThinkingYearsStillsEndsWholeHandsTodayEarthSituationAcceptingIssuesImagineEasierCapitalismYears AgoWhole LifeDebateRadicalObsessedThirtyFortyParadoxCommunistCosmicCapitalistHittingModestCatastropheVirusesFascistsStrangenessAsteroidsRadical Change
Author:Slavoj Žižek
Create image

“[T]aking the Third into account does not bring us into the position of pragmatic consideration, of comparing different Others; the task is rather to learn to distinguish between false conflicts and the true conflict. For example, today's conflict between Western liberalism and religious fundamentalism is a false one, since it is based on the exclusion of the third term which is its truth: the Leftist emancipatory position.”

DoeDifferentTodayTermReligiousExamplePositionConflictTasksThirdsAccountsWesternCompareLiberalismConsiderationFundamentalismExclusionPragmaticLeftistsReligious Fundamentalism
Author:Slavoj Žižek
Create image

“There is a contradiction between market liberalism and political liberalism. The market liberals (e.g., social conservatives) of today want family values, less government, and maintain the traditions of society (at least in America's case). However, we must face the cultural contradiction of capitalism: the progress of capitalism, which necessitates a consumer culture, undermines the values which render capitalism possible”

WantGovernmentTodayAmericaFacesPoliticalValuesCultureSocialCasesProgressCapitalismTraditionConsumersLiberalismContradictionFamily ValuesConsumer Culture
Author:Slavoj Žižek
Create image