Paradoxien der Mehrlust

Alexander Roesler in conversation with Slavoj Žižek about his new book.

Paradoxien der Mehrlust (»Surplus of enjoyment«) is a figure of thought that the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek puts together from Marx's concept of \"surplus value\" and Freud's concept of \"pleasure gain\". It is based on Lacan's insight that we always need a surplus of what we need: otherwise, we cannot enjoy what we have. With this figure of thought, Žižek analyses the current political situation and its paradoxes: from Corona politics to cancel culture, from capitalism to the possibilities of a left politics today. With the help of jokes, Hollywood blockbusters and psychoanalysis, the conversation aims to explore where we stand politically today and what needs to be done.