3 ms·

What do you mean by disciplined intellectual? Do you mean someone in academia or something else?

bowsamic 3y ago
I think Andy is referring to the fact that Zizek stopped writing works that were cutting edge in philosophical academia a few decades ago
- FrustratedMonky 3y ago
  Nothing wrong with that. He did write books, and was cutting edge at some point. We don't dismiss every scientist who isn't making a ground breaking discovery every year. Sometimes you want to go on the lecture circuit and relax some.
  - bowsamic 3y ago
    I agree but it really upsets some people when someone else gets off the academic treadmill
    - scruple 3y ago
      Thank you for spelling this out. I've seen the GP opinion multiple times and it never connected for me before.
      - bowsamic 3y ago
        I was on twitter during the whole "anti academia" movement in physics and there is a lot of craziness on both sides. You have everything from professors saying that anyone who quits academia wasn't smart enough to be in it, or that they have betrayed academia, to people who left for the industry who insist that all peoples' experiences in academia are terrible or even that anyone who stays is complicit in some kind of continuation of abuse. I generally landed on the pro-academia side because the communities of people who had quit academia were a much worse eco chamber, often even pro capitalist and/or claiming that being an academic is also being a proletariat or some weird stuff. The worst part is that they spend a lot of time convincing other younger academics that they should quit, and portray having a job as some kind of beautiful and perfect time compared to academia. However, I don't blame anyone for quitting academia, or focussing their efforts elsewhere. Academia is ultimately a very conformist and social thing. You have to network and collaborate, you have to be buddies with a lot of gatekeepers, etc. Job = do the thing and get paid for it, but you can't just go home at lunch because you want to put a wash on Academia = do whatever you want, but that's also not enough, you have to beg for your salary even if you complete amazing work Zizek's position is kind of the best of both worlds then, he makes enough money from his casual writing that he retains the freedom of academia while not having to suck up to anyone. That's probably why people don't like him

I think Andy is referring to the fact that Zizek stopped writing works that were cutting edge in philosophical academia a few decades ago

FrustratedMonky 3y ago
Nothing wrong with that. He did write books, and was cutting edge at some point. We don't dismiss every scientist who isn't making a ground breaking discovery every year. Sometimes you want to go on the lecture circuit and relax some.
- bowsamic 3y ago
  I agree but it really upsets some people when someone else gets off the academic treadmill
  - scruple 3y ago
    Thank you for spelling this out. I've seen the GP opinion multiple times and it never connected for me before.
    - bowsamic 3y ago
      I was on twitter during the whole "anti academia" movement in physics and there is a lot of craziness on both sides. You have everything from professors saying that anyone who quits academia wasn't smart enough to be in it, or that they have betrayed academia, to people who left for the industry who insist that all peoples' experiences in academia are terrible or even that anyone who stays is complicit in some kind of continuation of abuse. I generally landed on the pro-academia side because the communities of people who had quit academia were a much worse eco chamber, often even pro capitalist and/or claiming that being an academic is also being a proletariat or some weird stuff. The worst part is that they spend a lot of time convincing other younger academics that they should quit, and portray having a job as some kind of beautiful and perfect time compared to academia. However, I don't blame anyone for quitting academia, or focussing their efforts elsewhere. Academia is ultimately a very conformist and social thing. You have to network and collaborate, you have to be buddies with a lot of gatekeepers, etc. Job = do the thing and get paid for it, but you can't just go home at lunch because you want to put a wash on Academia = do whatever you want, but that's also not enough, you have to beg for your salary even if you complete amazing work Zizek's position is kind of the best of both worlds then, he makes enough money from his casual writing that he retains the freedom of academia while not having to suck up to anyone. That's probably why people don't like him