Dear subscribers (and whomever else this may find), I’m very happy to sponsor a one-off scholarship to any here who may be interested in an in-depth, live (zoom) course on renowned psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, facilitated by Dr. Cadell Last at Philosophy Portal. The course begins September 3rd, 2023.
I will be taking the course myself, if that is any indication as to how sincerely I am endorsing it.
Lacan is the only thinker I’ve ever come across who I would advise not to read on one’s own. As an example, take Scott Alexander’s
Substack review of A Clinical Introduction To Lacanian Psychoanalysis, for which his opening remark was:[epistemic status: I didn’t understand this book. Think of this review as detailing the ways I didn’t understand it and hypothesizing what certain parts might mean, and not as an attempt to summarize/re-explain something I understand well]
For those of you who know, Scott Alexander is pretty brilliant… but he couldn’t even grok a secondary source explainer of Lacan on his own.
While Lacan’s notions have deep implications in thinking through things such as technology, psychology, anthropology, and even cosmogony, his writing’s are notoriously difficult and obscure. For this reason, this course—led by a teacher well-versed in Lacan—will be invaluable to anyone who wants to understand his concepts further, especially for those who do not have access to institutional learning.
Philosophy portal is an alternative to legacy institutions that I find deeply satisfying, having taken a few courses there myself. Dr. Last is a fantastic teacher, and the peer group is likewise always inspiring.
If you are interested in this scholarship I am sponsoring—which includes tier 1 of the Lacan Ecrits Course—let me know by submitting answers to the three following questions… and I will use my best judgment to determine who should win.
Questions:
Familiarize yourself with the Lacanian concept of the Real. Describe your relation to it.
Familiarize yourself with the Lacanian concept of Jouissance. Describe an instance of your own jouissance and speculate as to its origin.
What is your interest in psychoanalysis and how do you relate it to your other areas of interest or your occupation?
Love this. I don’t have time to do a course in that date range, but I applaud this idea. Please share insights with us as you move through the material.
What a generous offering. I'm forwarding to a friend with interest in the course.