Freedom

A Disease Without Cure

By: Slavoj Žižek

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

We are all afraid that new dangers pose a threat to our hard-won freedoms, so what deserves attention is precisely the notion of freedom.

The concept of freedom is deceptively simple. We think we understand it, but the moment we try and define it we encounter contradictions. In this new philosophical exploration, Slavoj Žižek argues that the experience of true, radical freedom is transient and fragile. Countering the idea of libertarian individualism, Žižek draws on philosophers Hegel, Kierkegaard and Heidegger, as well as the work of Kandinsky and Agatha Christie to examine the many facets of freedom and what we can learn from each of them.

Today, with the latest advances in digital control, our social activity can be controlled and regulated to such a degree that the liberal notion of a free individual becomes obsolete and even meaningless. How will we be obliged to reinvent (or limit) the contours of our freedom?

Tracing its connection to everything from capitalism and war to the state and environmental breakdown, Žižek takes us on an illuminating and entertaining journey that shows how a deeper understanding of freedom can offer hope in dark times.©2023 Slavoj Žižek (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

One of the most industrious social and cultural theorists of the past couple of decades … [his book] will interest anyone who reflects on the state of the world, and especially on how contemporary reality is changing and can be changed. For all sociologists, reading this provides essential general theoretical knowledge about society.