Bert Olivier

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the thought of the psychoanalytical thinker, Jacques Lacan, with a view to ascertaining the place and function of the so-called imaginary in it, the symbolic as well as the real.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors address the dilemma of ethical relativism faced by psychotherapists and suggest that certain aspects of Jacques Lacan's psycho-analytical theory provide the resources to overcome the obstacle of arbitrariness or relativism.

TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that it is still possible to discern a modicum of autonomy on the part of people in contemporary "carceral" society to a significant degree.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors address the question regarding the relation between capitalism and nature, and that of the continued existence of life, including humankind, on earth in light of the disturbing evidence that has emerged since the early 1970s, concerning massive enviromnental degradation.

Abstract: Today nature is put under tremendous pressure through human, including technological, activities - so much so that some have raised the question of nature's (and all living creatures') survival. It seems as if the world is on a slippery slope, sliding towards its own destruction. Even critical thought and practice seem powerless to affect those in power, whose leadership seems to bear decisively on whether the current situation can be improved or not. This tends to induce pessimism. On the other hand, Heidegger's philosophy of technology, and especially Kristeva's psychoanalytical thought, inspire hope that, whatever the odds may be against such a possibility, at least it is conceivable that humankind may resurrect the culture of 'revolt'. This could recuperate nature from the periphery of human concerns where it has, arguably for a considerable time, occupied the non-position of what Kristeva calls the 'abject', and restore it to the formerly revered realm that has engendered (and still does) the emergence of all life on earth. A critical psychology that situates individual subjects in the encompassing context, not merely of technophiliac society but of a society crucially dependent on nature, can contribute substantially to nature-sensitive social practices.