20 quotes by Slavoj Žižek that will make you think.

Famous quotes from one of the greatest contemporary Marxist philosophers.

Slavoj Žižek (Ljubljana, 1949) is one of the best known and most commented philosophers of today.

His reflections and essays not only cover an analysis of the political movements and social problems that are emerging today, but also talk about ideologies, belief systems and symbols that we use to interpret what is happening and set goals.

• Discover the best books by Slavoj Žižek

• Another selection of 75 philosophical phrases

A selection of Žižek's phrases to reflect upon

Below you can see a selection of phrases of Žižek to reflect and initiate you in his philosophy.

1. If you have reasons to love a person, you don't love them

Žižek is referring here to the irrational and private character of love.something that cannot be explained in words.

2. Political correctness is modern totalitarianism

The idea behind this reflection is that political correctness forces us to adhere to rules of etiquette regardless of what we think, and that these rules, at the same time, can be interpreted as an expression of what we think.The idea behind this reflection is that political correctness forces us to adhere to certain rules of protocol regardless of what we think, and that these rules can be interpreted as an expression of what we sincerely believe when, in the end, it is not so.

3. I secretly think that reality exists so that we can speculate about it.

Žižek is strongly influenced by Hegel's idealist philosophy, and therefore relativizes the relativity of reality.and therefore relativizes the importance of believing that the real exists independently of the ideas that may arise about it.

4. Formal freedom precedes real freedom

Freedom based on the use of laws that do not distinguish between collectives is not the ultimate form of freedom.according to Žižek, whose Marxist ideas lead him to think that our quality of life is very much determined by the historical context in which we live.

5. You can't change people, but you can change the system so that people are not pushed to do certain things.

Another example of Marxist thinkingAnother example of Marxist thinking, more focused on changing the environment in which people live than on changing ways of thinking directly.

6. No one is serious about democracy or justice.

This is one of Žižek's sentences in which his critical stance his critical stance on contemporary ideals is clear..

7. True power doesn't need arrogance, a long beard or aggressive voice, but wraps you in silk ribbons, charm and intelligence

For Žižek, the most potent form of power works not through force but through seduction..

8. We don't really want to get what we think we want.

For this philosopher the true motives for our actions are beyond our direct and individual understanding..

9. We live in strange times in which we are induced to act as if we were free

This sentence by Žižek can be interpreted as thinking that freedom is more of a mirage than an illusion. freedom is more of a mirage than a situation in which we can choose from a multitude of options.

10. Experts are, by definition, the servants of those in power: they do not really think, they only apply their knowledge to problems defined by the powerful

The authorities in certain matters are, for this Slovenian philosopher, mere technicians executing orders from superiors.

11. I know it is a lie, but I still allow myself to be emotionally affected by it.

One of Žižek's sentences focused on the importance of the the importance of the way in which one interprets what one perceives.

12. The experience we have of our lives from the inside is basically a lie: the truth resides on the outside, in what we do.

Another of Žižek's phrases in which he implies that the subjective implies that the subjective account of our lives is biased.o.

13. Doing nothing is not empty, it has a meaning: to say yes to the existing relations of domination.

One of Slavoj Žižek's famous quotations with the most social and political content.

14. The ultimate source of evil is compassion itself

For Žižek, compassion limits our freedom, even when it comes to love..

15. Eating organic apples does not solve anything

Žižek believes that collective problems, such as environmental degradation, demand collective actions. In this sense, changing our consumption habits cannot be the solution, because it is a response focused on what each person does individually and at the same time it serves to purge feelings of guilt.

16. To understand today's world, we need cinema

For this philosopher, cinema reproduces the way of thinking of the society in which it was made..

17. Words are never just words: they matter because they define the contours of what we can do

Žižek points out that the way things are explained predisposes us to perform certain actions and to ignore the possibility of doing others.

18. What if the way we perceive a problem is part of the problem?

A reminder of the importance of examining the discourses and ideologies behind our actions.

19. Love is experienced as a great misfortune, a monstrous parasite, a permanent state of emergency that ruins the small pleasures.

One of Žižek's phrases in which he is most critical of the concept of love is most critical of the concept of love.

20. We feel free because we lack the language necessary to articulate our lack of freedom.

The Slovenian philosopher is referring here to the difficulties in explaining the mechanisms by which freedom is deprived of us..