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The Singularity of Being: Lacan and the Immortal Within
The Singularity of Being presents a Lacanian vision of what makes each of us an inimitable and irreplaceable creature. It argues that, unlike the “subject� (who comes into existence as a result of symbolic prohibition) or the “person� (who is aligned with the narcissistic conceits of the imaginary), the singular self emerges in response to a galvanizing directive arising from the real. This directive carries the force of an obligation that cannot be resisted and that summons the individual to a “character� beyond his or her social investments. Consequently, singularity expresses something about the individual’s non-negotiable distinctiveness, eccentricity, or idiosyncrasy at the same time it prevents both symbolic and imaginary closure. It opens to layers of rebelliousness, indicating that there are components of human life exceeding the realm of normative sociality.
Written with an unusual blend of rigor and clarity, The Singularity of Being combines incisive readings of Lacan with the best insights of recent Lacanian theory to reach beyond the dogmas of the field. Moving from what, thanks in part to Slavoj Žižek, has come to be known as the “ethics of the act� to a nuanced interpretation of Lacan’s “ethics of sublimation,� the book offers a sweeping overview of Lacan’s thought while making an original contribution to contemporary theory and ethics. Aimed at specialists and nonspecialists alike, the book manages to educate at the same time as it intervenes in current debates about subjectivity, agency, resistance, creativity, the self–other relationship, and effective political and ethical action. By focusing on the Lacanian real, Ruti honors the uniqueness of subjective experience without losing sight of the social and intersubjective components of human life.
Written with an unusual blend of rigor and clarity, The Singularity of Being combines incisive readings of Lacan with the best insights of recent Lacanian theory to reach beyond the dogmas of the field. Moving from what, thanks in part to Slavoj Žižek, has come to be known as the “ethics of the act� to a nuanced interpretation of Lacan’s “ethics of sublimation,� the book offers a sweeping overview of Lacan’s thought while making an original contribution to contemporary theory and ethics. Aimed at specialists and nonspecialists alike, the book manages to educate at the same time as it intervenes in current debates about subjectivity, agency, resistance, creativity, the self–other relationship, and effective political and ethical action. By focusing on the Lacanian real, Ruti honors the uniqueness of subjective experience without losing sight of the social and intersubjective components of human life.
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2012
19 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
About the author
Mari Ruti
49Ìýbooks121ÌýfollowersMari Ruti is Distinguished Professor of critical theory and of gender and sexuality studies at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. She is an interdisciplinary scholar within the theoretical humanities working at the intersection of contemporary theory, continental philosophy, psychoanalytic theory, cultural studies, trauma theory, posthumanist ethics, and gender and sexuality studies.
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December 12, 2021
With Lacan at the core, Ruti focuses how what makes our lives so completely unintelligible and uncanny as we attempt combine our singularity with our need to live with others Departing from the positions held by Zizek and Edelman, she considers Badiou’s event and his call for universalism, and finally arrives at a confrontation of the Levinas’s ‘other as face� with the Lacanian face. Obviously not recommended for anyone who has no grounding in the area or the philosophers, but even with my basic understanding in the area, I was knocked out and stimulated beyond belief. Lots to think about and some to critique, but isn’t that what it’s about?
August 19, 2023
what is singularity for the subject?
the act or the event.
the ethics of sublimation by honoring das Ding.
side note - I recommend the Barbie movie strangely enough to be watched along side it.
This may be the best piece of Lacaniana I have ever read.
RIP Mari Ruti.
the act or the event.
the ethics of sublimation by honoring das Ding.
side note - I recommend the Barbie movie strangely enough to be watched along side it.
This may be the best piece of Lacaniana I have ever read.
RIP Mari Ruti.
July 3, 2022
The singularity of the individual’s realization of the act from being mortal to immortal in deed and thought appears through acquiring the divine echo of the things. The author even comments on how her shopping experiences gravitate towards the vibrations of the things that call her and that those vibrations lead her to the exact right items.
The author does prominently feature my favorite fictional book, Finnegans Wake and its special use of language that uniquely creates beyond the death drive that otherwise keeps us entrapped in the world of the other as it enslaves us and takes away out authenticate selves.
She mentions Dr. Phil and his lack of understanding and his absurd belief that our authentic self is that which remains after we take away all of our roles that we play in society. She wisely puts him in the swamp of nonsense that he belongs in.
The presence of the absence gives the void that gives us our ultimate nature of being and the Nazis only left the German Volk after removing the other identities (similar to Dr. Phil, imo) leaving the simulacra blank and void of meaning. She expands this argument into identity self-hood more generally within the book, and she had strong opinions on being’s identity in specific.
I really enjoyed Lacan’s Ecrits. Lacan, for me, is enjoyable only when I realized that he really does believe the things he talks about. For him, the gateway to human psychology is realizing that there is an unknowable unconscious that is hidden from us and there is a real self in there and it takes a psychoanalyst to reveal it. Ruti doesn’t rely on the psychoanalyst but she does emphasize Lacan’s presence of the absence through the discovery of the void.
Ruti expands on Lacan and the trick to enjoying this book is just to pretend what she is saying is making sense and realize that she really believes what she is saying. By doing just that, I found this book highly readable and entertaining even though the concept of vibrations (echoes) coming divinely from things while shopping doesn’t gel with me. Though, for Ruti things would also include humans and love and that’s a different story entirely.
The author does prominently feature my favorite fictional book, Finnegans Wake and its special use of language that uniquely creates beyond the death drive that otherwise keeps us entrapped in the world of the other as it enslaves us and takes away out authenticate selves.
She mentions Dr. Phil and his lack of understanding and his absurd belief that our authentic self is that which remains after we take away all of our roles that we play in society. She wisely puts him in the swamp of nonsense that he belongs in.
The presence of the absence gives the void that gives us our ultimate nature of being and the Nazis only left the German Volk after removing the other identities (similar to Dr. Phil, imo) leaving the simulacra blank and void of meaning. She expands this argument into identity self-hood more generally within the book, and she had strong opinions on being’s identity in specific.
I really enjoyed Lacan’s Ecrits. Lacan, for me, is enjoyable only when I realized that he really does believe the things he talks about. For him, the gateway to human psychology is realizing that there is an unknowable unconscious that is hidden from us and there is a real self in there and it takes a psychoanalyst to reveal it. Ruti doesn’t rely on the psychoanalyst but she does emphasize Lacan’s presence of the absence through the discovery of the void.
Ruti expands on Lacan and the trick to enjoying this book is just to pretend what she is saying is making sense and realize that she really believes what she is saying. By doing just that, I found this book highly readable and entertaining even though the concept of vibrations (echoes) coming divinely from things while shopping doesn’t gel with me. Though, for Ruti things would also include humans and love and that’s a different story entirely.
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October 4, 2021Mari Ruti (suomalaissyntyinen psykoanalyyttinen tutkija Torontossa, torille jne.) on kyllä juuri se lacanisti, josta kannattaa aloittaa Jaques Lacanin mielenkiintoiseen maailmaan tutustuminen. Ruti pystyy hyvin arkikielisesti tuomaan esille suuren kuvan Lacanin teoriasta.
Teoksen pääajatus perustuu singulariteettiin, poikkeavuuteen. Singulariteetti kuvaa sitä sfääriä, missä identiteetti ja "todellinen minä" sijoittuu. Yleisesti määritämmä itsemme sosiosymbolisesti kielen avulla. Muodostamme tietynlaisen merkitsijöiden kentän, jossa jokainen merkitsijä viittaa toiseen ja lopulta "herramerkitsijään". Esimerkiksi: "kuka on Miksu?" kysymykseen minulla on valmiiksi opetultu kaava: opiskelija (1. merkitsijä ja täten herramerkitsijä) eli kiinnostunut psykoanalyysista (2. merkitsijä) jne. Kuitenkin ei-arkisessa tilanteessa meidän pitää miettiä, mitä tarkoittaa olla opiskelija (herramerkitsijä). Opiskelija on täten minulla ikään kuin "viimeinen Wikipedia -sivu", joka kuvastaa sitä tyhjyyttä, että ei ole enää merkitsijää (Wikipedia -sivua), joka selittäisi identiteettini. Olemme täten hukassa.
Kielemme on siis kuollutta. Merkitsijät eli sanat peittävät vain sen tyhjyyden, jossa elämme ja todellinen nautinto ("minun oikea tahto", singulariteetti) ei pääse sanojen läpi osoittamaan "Tämä on Miksu!". Kuitenkin freudilaisittain kielemme lipsaukset, traumaattiset kohtaamiset, koko järjestelmää muuttavat poliittiset teot ja paradigmaa murtava taide voi tuoda esiin sen herramerkitsijän takana piilevän singulariteetin, joka on minussa "enemmän kuin minä itse" eli Reaalinen. Reaalisen esiintuomisessa on kaksi vaihtoehtoa: Slavoj Zizekin mukaisesti murtaa koko kielellinen järjestelmä ja luoda "Feeniksin kaltaisesti tuhkasta jotain uutta" tai Alan Badioun mukaan Reaalisen, oikean singulariteetin kohtaaminen voi sublimoida eli muovata kielellistä järjestelmäämme siten, että singulariteettimme pääsee paremmin esille. Joku voisi jopa väittää, että kyseessä on psykoanalyyttisten kommunistien ja sosiaalidemokraattien välinen kamppailu!
Lopuksi kirjassa käsitellään rakkautta. Rakkaus on monesti Lacanin mukaan narsistista rakkautta. Tällöin toinen on vain meidän oman fantasiamme "leikkikenttä" ja täyttää sosiosymboliset kriteerit rakkaudelle (vrt. listat piirteistä, joiden toteutuessa meidän "rakkaus" voi ainoastaan toteuta). Todellinen rakkaus on Zizekiä lainaten: "rakkautta, jota ei voi selittää". Kun rakastuneelta kysytään: "Miksi rakastuit henkilöön X?" todellisesti rakastunut ei osaa vastata. Koska rakkaus karkaa kaikkia sosiosymbolisia määritelmiä, on sen kohtaaminen täysin pysäyttävää, jopa traumaattista, eikä kielemme osaa käsitellä sitä. Näin ollen todellinen rakkaus, todellinen politiikka ja todellinen taide menee Nietzschen mukaisesti "hyvän ja pahan tuolle puolen".
Teoksen pääajatus perustuu singulariteettiin, poikkeavuuteen. Singulariteetti kuvaa sitä sfääriä, missä identiteetti ja "todellinen minä" sijoittuu. Yleisesti määritämmä itsemme sosiosymbolisesti kielen avulla. Muodostamme tietynlaisen merkitsijöiden kentän, jossa jokainen merkitsijä viittaa toiseen ja lopulta "herramerkitsijään". Esimerkiksi: "kuka on Miksu?" kysymykseen minulla on valmiiksi opetultu kaava: opiskelija (1. merkitsijä ja täten herramerkitsijä) eli kiinnostunut psykoanalyysista (2. merkitsijä) jne. Kuitenkin ei-arkisessa tilanteessa meidän pitää miettiä, mitä tarkoittaa olla opiskelija (herramerkitsijä). Opiskelija on täten minulla ikään kuin "viimeinen Wikipedia -sivu", joka kuvastaa sitä tyhjyyttä, että ei ole enää merkitsijää (Wikipedia -sivua), joka selittäisi identiteettini. Olemme täten hukassa.
Kielemme on siis kuollutta. Merkitsijät eli sanat peittävät vain sen tyhjyyden, jossa elämme ja todellinen nautinto ("minun oikea tahto", singulariteetti) ei pääse sanojen läpi osoittamaan "Tämä on Miksu!". Kuitenkin freudilaisittain kielemme lipsaukset, traumaattiset kohtaamiset, koko järjestelmää muuttavat poliittiset teot ja paradigmaa murtava taide voi tuoda esiin sen herramerkitsijän takana piilevän singulariteetin, joka on minussa "enemmän kuin minä itse" eli Reaalinen. Reaalisen esiintuomisessa on kaksi vaihtoehtoa: Slavoj Zizekin mukaisesti murtaa koko kielellinen järjestelmä ja luoda "Feeniksin kaltaisesti tuhkasta jotain uutta" tai Alan Badioun mukaan Reaalisen, oikean singulariteetin kohtaaminen voi sublimoida eli muovata kielellistä järjestelmäämme siten, että singulariteettimme pääsee paremmin esille. Joku voisi jopa väittää, että kyseessä on psykoanalyyttisten kommunistien ja sosiaalidemokraattien välinen kamppailu!
Lopuksi kirjassa käsitellään rakkautta. Rakkaus on monesti Lacanin mukaan narsistista rakkautta. Tällöin toinen on vain meidän oman fantasiamme "leikkikenttä" ja täyttää sosiosymboliset kriteerit rakkaudelle (vrt. listat piirteistä, joiden toteutuessa meidän "rakkaus" voi ainoastaan toteuta). Todellinen rakkaus on Zizekiä lainaten: "rakkautta, jota ei voi selittää". Kun rakastuneelta kysytään: "Miksi rakastuit henkilöön X?" todellisesti rakastunut ei osaa vastata. Koska rakkaus karkaa kaikkia sosiosymbolisia määritelmiä, on sen kohtaaminen täysin pysäyttävää, jopa traumaattista, eikä kielemme osaa käsitellä sitä. Näin ollen todellinen rakkaus, todellinen politiikka ja todellinen taide menee Nietzschen mukaisesti "hyvän ja pahan tuolle puolen".
August 3, 2020
Probably my favorite Mari Ruti book. Here she takes her unique combination of academic rigor and practical accessibility to the upmost limit. Although it may be more theoretically dense than other of her books, this allows her to cover depths that would otherwise be impossible, without ever losing the sense that these abstract theories are relevant to any human life. Non-academic readers who have some experiene with psychoanalysis (both as theory and practice) will find this absolutely illuminating.
There's something else that struck me about this work. Ruti actively engages in dialogue with several other philosophers in the post-structuralist and psychoanalytic traditions (most notably to me, Eric Santner), which the book benefits a lot from. Although she maintains her usual civil distance, the final chapter features an all-out challenge to Slavoj Zizek and Alain Badiou, particularily on their theory of universality and their complicity in upholding white hetero-patriarchy. And while it is shocking to see two of my biggest influences brought to trial, I must say Ruti's critique is quite convincing.
However while I do not have the knowledge (nor the nerve) to "disagree with her", something tells me she is not free from a more abstract version of her own critique. Namely, that she might also be operating under the blind spots of her subjective and theoretical position, one that probably has become more infected with the virus of hegemony since she wrote this book.
But this is not something bad in the slightest. What it tells us is that the dicussion around universality and hegemony is still alive in continental philosophy even 20 years after Zizek's dialogue with Butler and Laclau. I'm looking forward to hearing the voices of Mari Ruti and other anti-identitarian multiculturalists in hopes that we can reach a better universality without abandoning it.
There's something else that struck me about this work. Ruti actively engages in dialogue with several other philosophers in the post-structuralist and psychoanalytic traditions (most notably to me, Eric Santner), which the book benefits a lot from. Although she maintains her usual civil distance, the final chapter features an all-out challenge to Slavoj Zizek and Alain Badiou, particularily on their theory of universality and their complicity in upholding white hetero-patriarchy. And while it is shocking to see two of my biggest influences brought to trial, I must say Ruti's critique is quite convincing.
However while I do not have the knowledge (nor the nerve) to "disagree with her", something tells me she is not free from a more abstract version of her own critique. Namely, that she might also be operating under the blind spots of her subjective and theoretical position, one that probably has become more infected with the virus of hegemony since she wrote this book.
But this is not something bad in the slightest. What it tells us is that the dicussion around universality and hegemony is still alive in continental philosophy even 20 years after Zizek's dialogue with Butler and Laclau. I'm looking forward to hearing the voices of Mari Ruti and other anti-identitarian multiculturalists in hopes that we can reach a better universality without abandoning it.
January 27, 2013
finally, someone unpacks Lacanian theory for me - thank you, Mari
April 28, 2017
Mari Ruti’s The Singularity of Being is a breath of fresh air in a crowded field of post-Lacanian scholarship. Against those who would read Lacan as a pessimist of the social world, conceiving it as a violent arena which simply binds and coerces those who dwell amongst it, Ruti's Lacan is one who holds out for the revivifying powers of the social, its capacity to cultivate and nourish the 'immortal' seed of singularity that each life harbors within. A Lacan returned to the clinic: less concerned with the ‘monstrous� and ‘inhuman� dimensions of human existence for the sake of radical politics, than with the everyday concerns of quotidian being.
All of which is not to say that Ruti doesn’t recognize the value in a ‘revolutionary� Lacan, in which - to put it in properly Lacanian terms - the deracinating energies of 'the Real' are pitted against the hegemonic and normative ensnarements of 'the Symbolic�. Only that such stances are not altogether always sustainable for the day to day living of flesh and blood subjects. Not everyone can so simply throw to the wind their deep rooted investments in their particular modes of existence. Instead Ruti argues, one should recognize, as Lacan did, the emancipatory potentials of those investments themselves, a resource by which to carve out a distinct figure of singularity in and amongst the pressures to conformity and social resignation.
To this end, she attempts to develop and outline an 'ethics of sublimity� wherein moments and elements of the everyday can be 'raised to dignity of the sublime�, offering us way to work with, rather than against, the milieu in which we reside. Although moving in a largely positive register, Ruti’s targets here are the works of Slavoj Zizek and Alain Badiou, both of whom inflect Lacan’s teachings in the direction of an ‘ethics of the Act� (or the Event), for which only a total interruption of reigning order can afford us a measure of freedom. One gets the feeling that at stake here is ultimately a (strong) difference of emphasis, although given the massive influence of both Zizek and Badiou in the field, it’s an emphasis that ought to be welcomed by anyone trying to think through the issues in question.
Philosophers like Eric Santner, Alenka Zupancic, Judith Butler and Emmanuel Levinas also make their appearance here as interlocutors, but Ruti uses them to shore up her already excellently argued points, rather than as crutches to advance an argument. Indeed, one of the joys of reading The Singularity of Being is for the wonderfully flowing discussions, which tackle complex points in clear and passionate language. You'll be hard pressed to find a better articulation of the psychoanalytic relationship between desire and drive which is presented here, for instance. Couple all of this with some interventions on love and the politics of multiculturalism, and it's a book to return to, time and time again.
All of which is not to say that Ruti doesn’t recognize the value in a ‘revolutionary� Lacan, in which - to put it in properly Lacanian terms - the deracinating energies of 'the Real' are pitted against the hegemonic and normative ensnarements of 'the Symbolic�. Only that such stances are not altogether always sustainable for the day to day living of flesh and blood subjects. Not everyone can so simply throw to the wind their deep rooted investments in their particular modes of existence. Instead Ruti argues, one should recognize, as Lacan did, the emancipatory potentials of those investments themselves, a resource by which to carve out a distinct figure of singularity in and amongst the pressures to conformity and social resignation.
To this end, she attempts to develop and outline an 'ethics of sublimity� wherein moments and elements of the everyday can be 'raised to dignity of the sublime�, offering us way to work with, rather than against, the milieu in which we reside. Although moving in a largely positive register, Ruti’s targets here are the works of Slavoj Zizek and Alain Badiou, both of whom inflect Lacan’s teachings in the direction of an ‘ethics of the Act� (or the Event), for which only a total interruption of reigning order can afford us a measure of freedom. One gets the feeling that at stake here is ultimately a (strong) difference of emphasis, although given the massive influence of both Zizek and Badiou in the field, it’s an emphasis that ought to be welcomed by anyone trying to think through the issues in question.
Philosophers like Eric Santner, Alenka Zupancic, Judith Butler and Emmanuel Levinas also make their appearance here as interlocutors, but Ruti uses them to shore up her already excellently argued points, rather than as crutches to advance an argument. Indeed, one of the joys of reading The Singularity of Being is for the wonderfully flowing discussions, which tackle complex points in clear and passionate language. You'll be hard pressed to find a better articulation of the psychoanalytic relationship between desire and drive which is presented here, for instance. Couple all of this with some interventions on love and the politics of multiculturalism, and it's a book to return to, time and time again.
March 21, 2021
Mari Ruti is my new favorite author to go for post-Lacanian psychoanalytic theories an expert on sexual,gender,queer & feminist theories and philosophy at University of Toronto & lectureship at Harvard.
Having spent last year reading through introductory books related to Lacan and his seminars; this book most helped me level up - coupling with post Lacanian thinkers like Zizek , Alain Badiou , Alenka Zupancic , Judith Butler .
The earlier chapters felt like a build up for a climax, a critique of Slavoj Zizek and French philosopher Alain Badiou.
Slavoj Zizek draws some critique for his “Final Act� ; where one has no choice but to submit to the “Real� i.e. Antigone sacrifice ; Zizek’s interpretation of Lacan does not leave any room . Ruti concurs with Alain Badiou on this ; self-destruction is not an option but rather use the process of “Sublimation� ; the closer the subject gets to the object ( L’Objet A � the Object cause of Desire ) its ability to sublimate i.e. . use Symbolism such tribe , political ideology etc. fails & collapse around the subject only to be swallowed by the “Real� .
Further sharpens her attack on the duo in the later chapters of Multiculturism & Ethics ; while Ruti is in agreement with them on that the alternatives in post-capitalistic society only fuels mindless consumerism while leaving the subject with an all too familiar empty feeling & deceptiveness being accepted into this new “tribe� . However, Zizek sides with the proletarian and class warfare while ignore identity as any basis of a universal multiculturalism ethics.
Enjoyed her work , she does have some great counter points , while I was not all convinced on certain stances ; it does open the door for more constructive discussion .
Having spent last year reading through introductory books related to Lacan and his seminars; this book most helped me level up - coupling with post Lacanian thinkers like Zizek , Alain Badiou , Alenka Zupancic , Judith Butler .
The earlier chapters felt like a build up for a climax, a critique of Slavoj Zizek and French philosopher Alain Badiou.
Slavoj Zizek draws some critique for his “Final Act� ; where one has no choice but to submit to the “Real� i.e. Antigone sacrifice ; Zizek’s interpretation of Lacan does not leave any room . Ruti concurs with Alain Badiou on this ; self-destruction is not an option but rather use the process of “Sublimation� ; the closer the subject gets to the object ( L’Objet A � the Object cause of Desire ) its ability to sublimate i.e. . use Symbolism such tribe , political ideology etc. fails & collapse around the subject only to be swallowed by the “Real� .
Further sharpens her attack on the duo in the later chapters of Multiculturism & Ethics ; while Ruti is in agreement with them on that the alternatives in post-capitalistic society only fuels mindless consumerism while leaving the subject with an all too familiar empty feeling & deceptiveness being accepted into this new “tribe� . However, Zizek sides with the proletarian and class warfare while ignore identity as any basis of a universal multiculturalism ethics.
Enjoyed her work , she does have some great counter points , while I was not all convinced on certain stances ; it does open the door for more constructive discussion .
July 23, 2014
A keeper. I rarely want to re-read a book while reading it, but that's how the first part of this felt. Last chapter, on love, and the concluding remarks on the problems with Zizek's and Badiou's criticisms of multiculturalism, were a bit obvious and seemed tacked-on.
November 9, 2017
She definitely has beef with some dude named Zizek.
October 20, 2023
I enjoyed Ruti's opposition to recent writers such as Badiou, Zizek, and (lesser known to me) Edelman, as well as the constructive aspects Ruti takes from them. At the same time, Ruti is less critical of Butler, Zupancic, and (again, lesser known to me) Santner. In turn, Ruti also directly addresses the analysts the writers are (in varying degrees) concerned with: especially Freud, Lacan, and Kristeva (interestingly, no Klein, and perhaps understandably, no Reich or Jung). In turn, she addresses the philosophers these thinkers are concerned with on both levels (critics and analysts), such as Levinas, Lyotard, Kant, and Heidegger (directly referencing work from the former two), with several passing mentions of Aristotle, Plato, Marx, Barthes, Foucault, Derrida, and others.
As full as the lists of names already given, Ruti name-drops writers like Hegel, Nietzsche, and Merleau-Ponty, and Agamben once or twice, but that is it for them, and she outright avoids the boys' boys like Klossowski, Bataille, Deleuze, Guattari, and (no loss for me) Baudrillard. Finally, it would also have been interesting to see Martin Buber, Walter Benjamin, Jean-Luc Nancy, Ernst Bloch, Hanna Arendt, and (perhaps not interested in Judaism as the other, but still) Adorno.
She manages to have such high-context content without using syntax or diction that obscures her writing, often bringing the vocabulary of the different thinkers into comparison rather than giving a terse slurry of jargon or sentences spanning multiple pages. This is nice, but also evidences one of my issues with the book. Namely, Ruti's stance against psychosis and violence is pleasant. But, despite advocating for nuanced forms of post-colonial and gender theoretic discourses, she still comes off a bit too liberal. She has swung the pendulum away from psychotic violence and incessant death drive into the territory of common-place big box shopping that feels a little too much like the opinions that might surface during suburban small talk. That being said, I much preferred Ruti to Zizek or Badiou and thus appreciated her engagement with them.
I just still believe in lines of flight and becoming imperceptible.
As full as the lists of names already given, Ruti name-drops writers like Hegel, Nietzsche, and Merleau-Ponty, and Agamben once or twice, but that is it for them, and she outright avoids the boys' boys like Klossowski, Bataille, Deleuze, Guattari, and (no loss for me) Baudrillard. Finally, it would also have been interesting to see Martin Buber, Walter Benjamin, Jean-Luc Nancy, Ernst Bloch, Hanna Arendt, and (perhaps not interested in Judaism as the other, but still) Adorno.
She manages to have such high-context content without using syntax or diction that obscures her writing, often bringing the vocabulary of the different thinkers into comparison rather than giving a terse slurry of jargon or sentences spanning multiple pages. This is nice, but also evidences one of my issues with the book. Namely, Ruti's stance against psychosis and violence is pleasant. But, despite advocating for nuanced forms of post-colonial and gender theoretic discourses, she still comes off a bit too liberal. She has swung the pendulum away from psychotic violence and incessant death drive into the territory of common-place big box shopping that feels a little too much like the opinions that might surface during suburban small talk. That being said, I much preferred Ruti to Zizek or Badiou and thus appreciated her engagement with them.
I just still believe in lines of flight and becoming imperceptible.
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June 30, 2024WIthin post-Lacanian theory, Ruti is arguing against Zizek and Badiou's idea that the ethical act (likely) should destroy the self (in the symbolic register) in order to (hopefully) enact change in the world at large. Instead, she argues that we can be true to that part of us that is in the real, while enacting change and without needing the symbolic destruction of ourselves. As my poor description above hopefully shows, her focus is less on the symbolic and imaginary registers, and instead focuses on the real. Something Lacan did more of in his later years. And something that I have not read up on as much as most of my previous readings have been more concerned with the symbolic register.
The biggest takeaway for me was the idea that we create, or at least need, the symbolic register as a buffer both to keep us from getting too close to filling our lack, and the dissolution of the self that comes with it, as well as to avoid the too muchness of excess jouisance. Will be chewing on that for a while, definitely a different way of reading Lacan than what I had before. Something I will want to reread again in the future, as I doubt I have fully comprehended the idea, and likely not explaining well.
Ruti is an excellent writer, and though a lot of the book was above my head, the writing was clear enough that I was able to follow along. Her arguments against other thinkers looked well sourced, and her own ideas were well argued. Time will tell, but I think I have a better understanding not just of her ideas but Badiou, Zizek and others too. I will likely look for more by her in the future.
The biggest takeaway for me was the idea that we create, or at least need, the symbolic register as a buffer both to keep us from getting too close to filling our lack, and the dissolution of the self that comes with it, as well as to avoid the too muchness of excess jouisance. Will be chewing on that for a while, definitely a different way of reading Lacan than what I had before. Something I will want to reread again in the future, as I doubt I have fully comprehended the idea, and likely not explaining well.
Ruti is an excellent writer, and though a lot of the book was above my head, the writing was clear enough that I was able to follow along. Her arguments against other thinkers looked well sourced, and her own ideas were well argued. Time will tell, but I think I have a better understanding not just of her ideas but Badiou, Zizek and others too. I will likely look for more by her in the future.
June 13, 2024
Different than the previous book I read from Ruti (Reinventing the Soul) this one fires on all cylinders! Where the previous work couldn't help but to feel at times like an expanded thesis, with all the slightly flat "scholarly" writing that entails, this book is exciting and vibrant, ideas flying by left and right as your mind races to her thoughts.
I would recommend this to just about everyone I know, but I'm not sure whether its clear and understandable prose was truly so or only felt that way because I've already done my Lacanian homework. Because this is definitely an expansion and exploration of Lacanian concepts (along with those by Zizek, Zupancic, Badiou, Butler and others). In fact, if after finishing Lacan's Seminar VII I myself had wanted to write a book exploring all the concepts that excited me in SVII, and teasing out all the implications for personal reflection and growth along with ethics both personal and universal, I could only have hoped to have written such a wonderful book as this one.
No sooner do you read one completely fascinating idea then Ruti is already off on an associated tangent, weaving a thoughtful and energizing web of critical theory and personal (for lack of better words) betterment and acceptance. This book has literally changed the way I think of myself and my history, as well as how I look at my days and my future desires. It's rare when a work of critical theory completely re-frames your perspective on things, but this one does it in spades.
FIVE STARS
I would recommend this to just about everyone I know, but I'm not sure whether its clear and understandable prose was truly so or only felt that way because I've already done my Lacanian homework. Because this is definitely an expansion and exploration of Lacanian concepts (along with those by Zizek, Zupancic, Badiou, Butler and others). In fact, if after finishing Lacan's Seminar VII I myself had wanted to write a book exploring all the concepts that excited me in SVII, and teasing out all the implications for personal reflection and growth along with ethics both personal and universal, I could only have hoped to have written such a wonderful book as this one.
No sooner do you read one completely fascinating idea then Ruti is already off on an associated tangent, weaving a thoughtful and energizing web of critical theory and personal (for lack of better words) betterment and acceptance. This book has literally changed the way I think of myself and my history, as well as how I look at my days and my future desires. It's rare when a work of critical theory completely re-frames your perspective on things, but this one does it in spades.
FIVE STARS
October 18, 2024
It’s such a shame that Ruti passed. Her work was extraordinary in that she was able not only to articulate her positions on complex subject matter, but she expressed these positions, as well as the subject matter, with such clarity so as to make it accessible to those outside academia with no loss of fidelity.
This was an excellent read.
This was an excellent read.
September 18, 2021
I feel I am dipping my toes into waters so much deeper than “I� am... This went a long way in clarifying terms from Lacanian theory that I have heard through other readings, but hadn’t seen contextualized and dissected in a meaningful way, and for that I am grateful.
June 28, 2024
Dense but clear examination of Lacanian and post-Lacanian ethics. A necessary rejoinder to the reactionary elements in Badiou and Zizek can be found in the conclusion. Glad to have finally read some Mari Ruti.
September 3, 2018
pretty dense for lay people
September 9, 2019
I particularly like her view on multiculturalism and the insertion of a person from one culture into another.
November 21, 2022
An enthralling dive to lacanian psychoanalytic philosophy and ethics. Well-written and thought-provoking.
September 28, 2012
One of the best examples of post-Lacanian "Lacan" books I've read. Mari Ruti writes well, which is a huge help. The "singularity" she deals with here is something that needed exploring in contrast to subjectivity. It works to get at some of the more neglected parts of Lacan in English psychoanalytic lit.
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