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Slavoj Zizek is that rarity, an internationally famous philosopher, and one who has built a career out of telling his audience things they probably don’t want to hear. Embracing a world view that blends Marxism with the teachings of Jacques Lacan, Zizek’s work obsesses on how capitalism affects the way we think and function in our society, and how this is reflected in everything from pop psychology to plumbing. Zizek’s writings have won him a sizable following in the United States, and he’s been described as an “academic rock star” in Europe, where his lectures frequently attract sell-out crowds. Filmmaker Astra Taylor followed Slavoj Zizek as he traveled across Europe, South America, and the United States on a speaking tour, and Zizek! captures the man as his mind and tongue both run in fifth gear while he encounters his fans and followers on- and off-stage. Taylor also interviews Zizek off-stage and he offers his thoughts on his public persona, his fame, his reputation among other academics, and his young son’s fondness for eating at McDonald’s. Zizek! received its North American premiere at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. (Mark Deming)Read More »
Astra Taylor
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Astra Taylor – Zizek! (2005)
2001-2010Astra TaylorDocumentaryPhilosophyPhilosophy on ScreenUSA -
Astra Taylor – Examined Life (2008)
2001-2010Astra TaylorCanadaDocumentaryPhilosophyPhilosophy on ScreenQuote:
Synopsis“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
—SocratesExamined Life pulls philosophy out of academic journals and classrooms, and puts it back on the streets…
In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas.
Peter Singer’s thoughts on the ethics of consumption are amplified against the backdrop of Fifth Avenue’s posh boutiques. Slavoj Zizek questions current beliefs about the environment while sifting through a garbage dump. Michael Hardt ponders the nature of revolution while surrounded by symbols of wealth and leisure. Judith Butler and a friend stroll through San Francisco’s Mission District questioning our culture’s fixation on individualism. And while driving through Manhattan, Cornel West—perhaps America’s best-known public intellectual—compares philosophy to jazz and blues, reminding us how intense and invigorating a life of the mind can be. Offering privileged moments with great thinkers from fields ranging from moral philosophy to cultural theory, Examined Life reveals philosophy’s power to transform the way we see the world around us and imagine our place in it.Read More »