The Hong Kong Review of Books has launched a new series of interviews with some of the world’s best critical theorists.
Category Archives: Theory and Theorists
Slavoj Zizek Explains Santa Claus
In this video, Slavoj Zizek explains how ideology operates through a system of “belief through others.” In the context of Santa Claus, Zizek explains, parents pretend to believe in Santa on behalf of their children, who pretend to believe in Santa on behalf of the parents.
Kant’s Advice on Heartbreak: Letters to a Student
In 1791, Kant received a letter from Maria Von Herbert, an Austrian disciple of his philosophy. She wrote to him asking for advice on dealing with a recent heartbreak, a heartbreak so severe that she contemplated taking her own life until realizing that it would be against Kant’s work.
“Nobody Needs French Theory,” Baudrillard Slams Peers in 2005 Interview
The thinker of simulacra talks about his contemporaries and friendship with Susan Sontag in this brief interview from the New York Times.
“Say Stupid Shit,” Guattari on Writing Anti-Oedipus
“I’m strapped to this journal,” Guattari begins, “Grunt. Heave. Impression that the ship is going down.”
“You Cannot Escape Your Country,” James Baldwin, a 1984 Interview
Can people of color, or more specifically, people in urban African-American communities, salvage anything from America? Do we now live in two Americas, in diametric opposition, too far away to bridge the enormous economic and political divide, or maybe have we always?
When confronted with images of rioting in Baltimore, and the subsequent militarized police to … Continue Reading ››
Listen: Theory and Everyday Life
The EDA’s second volume of essays is the discussion topic on the Zero Squared podcast this week as the philosophy lecturer Alfie Bown represents the aims of Every Day Analysis Collective and speaks up on Twerking and Turking both.
Listen: Eugene Thacker and the Abyss
Eugene Thacker's second book in his series on "Horror and Philosophy" is the topic of discussion on the most recent episode of the Zero Squared podcast.
The first book in the series entitled "In the Dust of this Planet" caught on in a somewhat strange … Continue Reading ››
“Quite Unintelligible,” Derrida’s Scathing Criticism from a Teacher
Making the rounds on social media today is an essay that then-student Jacques Derrida had written in English class entitled “Shakespeare’s Idea of Kingship.” While Derrida’s writing as a student may interest many, his teacher’s remarks are drawing far more attention.
The Musical Equivalent of a “Crime in the Moral World,” the Music of Friedrich Nietzsche
Much of Nietzsche’s music compositions have since been performed, recorded and distributed online. That includes the complete array of his piano works performed by Michael Krucker and another compilation that includes his choral pieces and piano pieces performed by Lauretta Altman.