Enjoying What We Don't Have The Political Project of Psychoanalysis

"Psychoanalysis does not provide new positive political programs; it just discerns the contours of a 'negativity, ' of a disruptive force--the death drive--which poses a threat to every stable collective link. Based on this insight, different psychoanalysts advocated views which were revolutionary, liberal, or conservative. But is this all that is to be said? McGowan's book introduces order into this mess by way of drawing a radically new line of separation: the true lesson of psychoanalysis is that emancipatory politics should not be based on any notion of the common Good, but on the negativity of the death drive itself. The consequences of this idea are shattering, taking us far beyond all the standard versions of Freudo-Marxism--nothing remains the same along the axis psychoanalysis-politics after "Enjoying What We Don't Have"." --Slavoj Zizek, author of "Living in the End Times"--Slavoj Zizek (03/25/2013)