On 27th March, 2022 because of the covid infection of moderator Srećko Horvat, Philosophy theater’s substitute Boris Buden was engaged to talk to the guest from Slovenia – Dr. Renata Salecl.
PhD. Renata Salecl (1962) is a Slovenian philosopher and sociologist. She holds a professorship at Birkbeck College, University of London and lectures at Cardozo School of Law (New York), on Psychoanalysis and Law. Her books have been translated into fifteen languages – Sexuation (2000), On anxiety (2004), Choice (2010), A passion for ignorance (2020), Čovjek je čovjeku virus (Man is a virus to man, 2021). In 2017, she was elected as a member of the Slovenian Academy of Science.
Extremely lucid moderator and interlocutor Dr. Boris Buden brought affectivity into the peaceful flow of Dr. Salecl’s thoughts.
She elaborated her critical theory on late capitalist politics, Lacanian psychoanalysis and civic activism. Dr. Salecl stated some well known changes that the coronavirus pandemic brings to our lives. Buden asked her about the type of theory in writing the columns she published in the book on viruses, but she sees it as a column craft, not popular „self-help“.
Moderator asked a very important question on having right to be lazy these days! Salecl negated it. Unfortunately, she did not elaborate on the importance of laziness for creation and art, but only for „doing nothing“ and idleness as such.
Towards the end of the conversation, Buden asked Salecl for her opinion on the current war, and she admitted that she was naive about Russia, that Putin was an enigma to her, adding that he quoted old philosophers like neo-Nazi Dugin and believed in cosmic energy in the Russian people.
An interesting question of the philosopher Buden addressed to Salecl was about the identity of Slovenian philosophy, since books are written in English. Dr. Salecl concluded that it is good they are written in both Slovenian and English, which is more widely read.
PhD. Vesna Srnić
MV
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