Responses to the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek have been, like Zizek himself, extreme. Critics have accused him of charlatanism on the one hand, while others have lauded his genius, especially as a public intellectual, on the other. This makes it difficult to find any kind of nuanced or interesting critical appraisal of his work.
At its best Zizek's work provides a new foundation of dialectical philosophy, beyond the glitz of stardom or oversimplified sinister disdain. Zizek Responds! combines philosophers and theorists engaging with Zizek's philosophy in order to explore its unnoticed implications, its conceptual problems, or its unrealized potential. With detailed and lively responses from Zizek himself, this book offers an unique insight into how this thinker might explain, clarify and hone some of his most controversial and misunderstood ideas. At once an introduction to Zizek's most important concepts and a rare and novel insight into his thoughts on the criticisms of his work, this is indispensible reading for both Zizekians and their critics.
Zizek responds to his interlocutors in much the same way that a bridge player responds to their partner's opening bid. It doesn't matter who ends up being the dummy, as long as they succeed in defeating their common enemy.