The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj ‘i’ek is considered by many people as the most relevant European philosopher today.

His way of thinking, which mixes Marxism with the ideas of Jacques Lacan, is a sharp scalpel with which the pages of ‘i’ek’s books dissect both the most topical issues related to geopolitics and the great social phenomena that are setting the pace of history.

The crisis of refugees from the Middle East, the emergence of extreme right-wing movements, the emergence of forces calling for greater political participation for the popular classes and the US invasions in other countries are analysed by the Slovenian as part of a historical dynamic linked to the cyclical problems appearing in capitalism and, like Noam Chomsky, this philosopher believes that the great oligopolies are strong enough to influence our patterns of thought.

  • We recommend: “20 phrases from Slavoj ‘i’ek that will make you think”

Books by Slavoj ‘i’ek to understand his philosophy

Slavoj ‘i’ek’s work is especially interesting for those who want to understand the role that our ideology plays in our way of thinking, acting and relating, since, for this philosopher, even the most convinced person of being apolitical clings to a political ideology without being aware of it by not questioning it occasionally.

Let’s see which are the ten most relevant books by Slavoj Zizek .

1. Welcome to the Desert of the Real

In this book, ‘i’ek analyses the post 9/11 world to question some of the “great truths” on which Western democracies are based and their diagnosis of the world’s problems. Some of the totems against which he charges in these pages are the discourse of the war against terrorism that has been predominant for years in the United States or the supposedly privileged position from which we are able to learn about the problems of non-Western countries from developed democracies.

  • If you are interested in the book, you can find more information at this link.

2. The year we dreamed dangerously

As in other books by Slavoj ‘i’ek, here we talk about social movements and revolutions . However, here we talk about a period in which these became particularly important to the extent that they changed the way of thinking of many people: the year 2011, when protest movements like 15-M, Occupy Wall Street and the so-called “Arab springs” gained strength. The philosopher analyses the way in which these small cultural and political revolutions appeared and ended up mutating into less short term initiatives.

  • To read more about the book, click on this link.

3. Enjoy your symptom! Lacan in and out of Hollywood

In this book Slavoj ‘i’ek shows his side more related to Lacanian psychoanalysis . With the large doses of humour and provocative spirit that characterise him, the philosopher talks about cinema, psychoanalysis and the ways in which our thinking articulates the perception of reality.

  • If you are interested in the book, click here.

4. The new class struggle

The refugee crisis is tackled head on by this philosopher, who dedicates the book to emphasize the need to solve the problem from its root . To limit oneself to managing the collection of refugees is to see beyond the reading of the situation, which means losing two wars: embracing the discourse of the xenophobic extreme right and, on the other hand, legitimizing the forms of military intervention in countries outside the Welfare State.

  • To read more about this work, click here.

5. Repeat Lenin

In the pages of this book the Slovenian author describes the state of the progressive movements and the way they depend on ambiguous principles that are easy to manipulate from outside. The philosopher looks to the figure of Lenin to rescue principles of discourse elaboration and political argumentation .

  • If you are interested in the book, click on this link.

6. First as a tragedy, then as a farce

In this book ‘i’ek starts from his Marxist point of view to explain how liberalism, as an ideology, has collapsed , being unable to explain the crises experienced throughout the 20th century, the way in which the property system serves to impose policies over the popular will and how under formal freedom the most flagrant inequalities can be perpetuated and increased.

  • On this page you will find more information about this book.

7. How to read Lacan

One of the best known books by ‘i’ek, although its title is somewhat misleading; more than being a guide on how to interpret the writings and seminars of the French psychoanalyst, is a way of understanding the way in which Zizek gives birth to Lacanian thought in his analyses of reality and art.

  • To read more about this book access this page.

8. In defense of intolerance

‘i’ek dedicates the pages of this book to criticize the depoliticization of the economy and the moral relativism that for the philosopher only feeds a system of domination based on neoliberalism and that, nevertheless, is assumed by left-wing movements.

  • Are you interested in this book? Here is more information about it.

9. The Sublime Object of Ideology

One of the books by ‘i’ek that goes deeper into the philosophy of this author. In The Sublime Object of Ideology , this philosopher criticizes ideas deeply rooted in post-modern philosophy and in the relativism to which it is associated through psychoanalytic theory.

  • To read more about this work, click here.

10. The Puppet and the Dwarf: The Perverse Core of Christianity

In this work ‘i’ek he talks about the religious phenomenon, focusing on the Judaeo-Christian tradition and on recent forms of New Age spirituality . Starting from a very focused analysis on the political implications of religious beliefs, he points out the way in which religion is explained through Lacanian psychoanalytical ideas.

  • If you’re interested in the book, you can find out more about it here.