How to Read Lacan

Introduction

This book helps you explore your mind and feelings with the help of Jacques Lacan, a famous thinker who studied how people think and act. It shows you how your beliefs are not always what they seem, and how you sometimes do things just to fit in with others. It also makes you think differently about yourself and the world around you, by revealing what is really going on inside your head.

In this summary, we learn from Slavoj Žižek, another smart thinker who explains Lacan’s ideas in a new way. He tells us how we create our own reality based on what we believe, and how we can change it by changing our beliefs. He also introduces us to a new idea: belief through the Other. This means that we often pretend to believe in something, even when we don’t really feel it. This is similar to Lacan’s idea that our mind is not just a place where we hide things, but a place where we make things happen. By reading this summary, you will understand Lacan’s theory better and see how it applies to your own life. You will also learn how to use Žižek’s perspective to look at Lacan’s work in a new light. By the end of this summary, you will be more aware of yourself and the world, and you will appreciate how Žižek builds on Lacan’s legacy.

Chapter 1: The mystery of our inner mind

Our unconscious mind is not only about what we dream and want, but also about what we believe and how it affects our lives. Sometimes, we have a belief that is hidden deep inside us, and we act as if it is not true, because it is too hard to face. For example, someone might say they don’t believe in God, but still follow some rules that come from religion. This is not because they are lying, but because they are confused. One part of their mind does not agree with another part. This confusion is related to an idea from Lacan, a famous thinker who studied the mind. He called it perversion, which means that someone cuts off a part of their reality, but still tries to connect with it in a different way. They do this to avoid feeling scared or bad about themselves. Another way to avoid feeling bad is to move our feelings from one thing to another. This is called displacement. For example, if someone is angry about their belief, they might not show it directly, but they might get angry about something else that is not important. This complicated way of hiding and showing our feelings leads us to a strange conclusion: some people, who think there is no God, expect to be free to do whatever they want. But, strangely, their unconscious mind does not agree. They are not holding back their wants – they are holding back their limits. They think that, without God, everything is not allowed, instead of everything being allowed. They feel trapped by rules that they cannot see. Let’s look at a simpler example. Do you remember when your parents gave you a choice that was not really a choice? Imagine a child who is told by their parents, “Your grandma loves you, but you can visit her only if you want to.” It seems like the child can choose, but there is a hidden pressure to choose the right thing. This kind of fake choice is worse than a clear order, because it does not let the child say no. In the same way, when we choose to believe or not believe something, our unconscious mind might still have its own rules, sometimes even harder ones. So, as we go through our daily lives, believing and choosing things, it is important to know that under the surface, our unconscious mind is always changing, moving, and sometimes going against our conscious mind.

Chapter 2: When we do things without feeling them

Do you ever wonder why you do the things you do every day, like rituals, ceremonies, and traditions? Sometimes, we do things because we think we believe in them, but maybe we don’t really feel them. Lacan was a smart person who thought about these things, and he learned a lot about how people act and believe. Imagine this: you are at a theater watching a sad story on stage. While the story is happening, a group of singers makes the room feel emotional. They act like they have our feelings, and they feel them for us. It is like we gave our feelings to them. This is not only in theater. From people who cry for money at funerals to wheels that spin and pray for us, Lacan’s ideas show that sometimes it is like another thing, a symbol, can do or feel things for us. Think about the laughter in TV shows. The show laughs for you, no matter how you feel, and it makes you feel like everyone is happy. This interesting idea has a name: interpassivity. It is not only about being lazy while others do things for us. There is also a hidden, strange, active part to it. Look at the lists of shows and movies we make on our favorite apps, for example. We add things to them, thinking we will watch them later. But often, we don’t. Just knowing that the things are there, ready to be watched, makes us feel good. It is like the app watched them for us. On the other hand, in the habit of watching the news every day, for example, we often watch it not to change anything but to feel safe in the same story of the world, a never-ending habit that strangely tries to keep our views the same. One might ask if these things and beliefs are real. And that’s where Lacan’s idea of the person who is supposed to believe comes in. It is an idea that means that our beliefs and actions can be given to this symbol. It doesn’t mean we really believe or feel those things ourselves. It is like someone else believes for us, and we just go along. Like in the famous TV show Columbo from the 1970s, the detective seems to know who did it from the start. He doesn’t find out anything, but he shows the truth to the bad person. The real mystery is not about what happened but how it is shown and accepted. At the end of the day, our lives are full of things and beliefs that might look real. But, going deeper, Lacan’s theories show that many of our actions are done for this symbol. The real challenge? Knowing when we are really involved and when we gave our feelings and beliefs to this hidden thing.

Summary

Sometimes, we choose things because of what we believe deep inside, even if it goes against what we think. Some things we do may look real, but they may be done by a symbol that does things for us. This means we can give our feelings and beliefs to something else. This shows how our mind is complicated.

About the author

Slavoj Žižek is a famous thinker from Slovenia who talks about politics and movies. He has written many books, like The Sublime Object of Ideology and Living in the End Times. Žižek’s thoughts and talks have made him very important in today’s philosophy.