(Lack as the ontological foundation of Slavoj Žižek’s work)

Abstract

This work proposes a reconstruction of the general framework of Slavoj Žižek’s theoretical approach, focusing on the central stage given to his notion of lack as the ontological foundation. With this general objective, it is proposed, first of all, to seek the traces of this “negative” dimension in his different theoretical influences, especially the psychoanalysis of Jacques Lacan and the German philosophical idealism -in particular, the works of Hegel and Schelling. Based on this reconstruction, it is attempted to restore the different meanings that this notion of lack entails through his theorization. Secondly, it is proposed to retrieve the opposition established by Žižek between the Lacanian’s lack conception and the poststructuralist perspective. This opposition seeks to be set up within the framework of the distinction made by Tønder and Thomassen between the “ontologies of lack” -whose main exponent is Lacan- and the “ontologies of abundance” -which includes authors commonly framed in poststructuralism. Based on these debates, the work attempts to investigate the specificity of Žižek’s theoretical-political proposal, seeking to elucidate the borders that separate it from other branches of contemporary thought. Finally, it is aimed to analyze how some fundamental notions of the author, such as the notion of subject and his conception of the act as a “divine miracle”, are based on a radicalization of his notion of lack as “pure emptiness”, which poses important challenges to his theory.