Some short reading recommendations

including my own book!

Hello everyone,

Here are some short reading recommendations based on the books I’ve enjoyed this week, including my own ebook, which was just released on patreon.

1: The Four Masters, by Julian de Medeiros

I’m pleased to announce that my latest e-book, titled The Four Masters is now available exclusively on patreon. You can purchase it here.

The Four Masters examines the rise of obscene masters. Amidst surging support for authoritarian populists, self-help gurus, and an unceasing tide of disorienting news, the archetype of the master returns as a dangerously seductive figure. Against the backdrop of this crisis of authority, I argue for a philosophical and psychoanalytic re-imagining of the concept of the master. Providing a basic formula for how to resist the allure of the master, this book stages a philosophical intervention into our present moment, as well as providing an accessible introduction to key themes and concepts in Žižekian philosophy and Lacanian psychoanalysis.

The Four Masters is now available exclusively on patreon.

Patrons who sign up to the e-book tier will also receive access to my entire ebook archive. The link is here: www.patreon.com/julianphilosophy

2: Let Them Rot, by Alenka Zupančič

In this truly astonishing book, the Slovenian philosopher Alenka Zupančič examines the original ‘scandal’ of Antigone. She argues against the popular image of Antigone as a symbol of (feminist) justice and self-sacrifice, and proposes a critical re-reading of Sophocles. The British edition has a post-script that I thought was especially powerful, relating Antigone’s “No”, to the central principle of Lacanian ethics (never betray your desire), and the manner in which Sophocles’ tragedies dramatize the emergence of an irreconcilable social antagonism within the Greek polis as such.

3: The Gift of Death, by Jacques Derrida

The Gift of Death is a philosophical essay examining the theme of mortality and finitude. Derrida makes the argument that death should not be considered the end of life, but rather an internal limit to life as such. In so doing Derrida makes a compelling case that death should be considered a gift, not a curse. Not an easy read, but an interesting one.

4:Pensées, by Blaise Pascal

Pascal is most well-known for his so-called Pascalian Wager, but these fragments and aphorisms reveal above all a mind that was intenseley attuned to the contradictions of his times, undermining the seeming certainties of religious dogma. I returned to these texts recently, having avoided them since high-school, and was amazed at how different they seemed to me now. I had written off Pascal as an aphorist. But when taken together, these texts demonstrate a restless and indeed quite rebellious nature that made me reconsider him entirely.

5: Lacan: Past and Present, a conversation between Alain Badiou and Élisabeth Roudinesco

This slim volume (less than 80 pages) provides a lucid and accessible introduction the historical and philosophical context in which Lacan’s psychoanalysis emerged. What makes these conversations between Badiou and Roudinesco especially enjoyable is that they share their own memories of their encounters with Lacanian psycoanalysis and the so-called “French Moment”, in which post-war Paris hummed with philosophical and political energy. A helpful text for anyone interested in Lacanian psychoanalysis.

6: Zero Point, by Slavoj Žižek

Zero Point is the second volume in Slavoj Žižek’s new essay series, published with Bloomsbury Press. The book consists of two parts. The first half features some of his substack essays (edited and slightly revised). The second half consists of a collection of ‘responses’ to the Frankfurt Book Fair incident, where he spoke shortly after the October 7th attacks. These are collected under the title, When is the right time to speak? If you’re interested in this series, I would recommend beginning with Volume one.

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