Demanding the Impossible

Where are we today and what is to be done? Slavoj ?i?ek ponders these questions in this unique and timely book. Based on live interviews, the book captures ?i?ek at his irrepressible best, elucidating such topics as the uprisings of the Arab Spring, the global financial crisis, populism in Latin America, the rise of China and even the riddle of North Korea. ?i?ek dazzles readers with his analyses of Hollywood films, Venezuelan police reports, Swedish crime fiction and much else. Wherever the conversation turns, his energetic mind illuminates unexpected horizons.§While analyzing our present predicaments, ?i?ek also explores possibilities for change. What sort of society is worth striving for? Why is it difficult to imagine alternative social and political arrangements? What are the bases for hope? A key obligation in our troubled times, argues ?i?ek, is to dare to ask fundamental questions: we must reflect and theorize anew, and always be prepared to rethink and redefine the limits of the possible.§These original and compelling conversations offer an engaging and accessible introduction to one of the most important thinkers of our time.