Richard Dawkins, where did it all go wrong?
.@RichardDawkins Richard, Richard, where did it all go wrong…? In 1976 you wrote The Selfish Gene—a book I believe everyone should read… — Jonathan Waring (@jonathanwaring) August 2, 2013 .@RichardDawkins …and you invented the concept of the meme! — Jonathan Waring (@jonathanwaring) August 2, 2013 .@RichardDawkins But now: well, either you have very little understanding […]
Response to ‘Slavoj Žižek and the Recycling Superstition’
In this response to my previous post (Slavoj Žižek and the Recycling Superstition) I address the ‘the Rs of sustainability’; continue my examination of Žižek’s notion of superstition and his invocation of the ‘paradox of the performative’; and link to a backlight.vpro.nl video in which Žižek is interrogated by giant video screens.
Slavoj Žižek and the Recycling Superstition
Two weeks ago (Thursday, July 1st 2010) I attended Slavoj Žižek’s lecture at the LSE, marking the release of his new book: Living in the End Times. In this post I will address Žižek’s provocative claim that efforts at personal recycling—‘small everyday acts’—equate simply to a superstition. This was by no means the focus of his lecture—it was little more that a passing comment—but, whether he has any valid grounds for making such a statement or not, a careful examination of this contention is an interesting departure point.