An Action Creates Its Own Possibllity: Slavoj Zizek
Fascinating and far-ranging interview with European philosopher Slavoj Zizek on Democracy Now this morning.
He covered war, energy, US presidential politics, and much more. But the statement that really got to me was:
A true act creates the conditions of its own possibility. That is to say, it appears impossible, you do it, and the whole field changes: it’s possible.
He went on to cite President Nixon’s opening US relations with Maoist China, and postulated that if Obama becomes president, he will seize a similar window with Cuba.
But this concept has reach far beyond international relations. In sports, the 4-minute mile was an unassailable barrier for decades; once Roger Bannister broke it, many people followed quickly. In science, it was unthinkable in 1955 that a human being would walk on the moon before 1970. In energy and the environment, the work of Amory Lovins and others show new ways of reinventing society as a more earth-friendly place (see my article here). And in business ethics, I like to hope that my Business Ethics Pledge campaign will make a similar difference in the consciousness that ethical business is actually more profitable.
[…] Another Blog wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt Fascinating and far-ranging interview with European philosopher Slavoj Zizek on Democracy Now this morning. He covered war, energy, US presidential politics, and much more. But the statement that really got to me was: A true act creates the conditions of its own possibility. That is to say, it appears impossible, you do it, and the whole field changes: it’s possible. He went on to cite President Nixon’s opening US relations with Maoist China, and postulated that if Obama becomes president, h […]
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[…] Principled Profit wrote an interesting post today on An Action Creates Its Own Possibllity: Slavoj ZizekHere’s a quick excerpt Fascinating and far-ranging interview with European philosopher Slavoj Zizek on Democracy Now this morning. He covered war, energy, US presidential politics, and much more. But the statement that really got to me was: A true act creates the conditions of its own possibility. That is to say, it appears impossible, you do it, and the whole field changes: it’s possible. He went on to cite President Nixon’s opening US relations with Maoist China, and postulated that if Obama becomes president, h […]
Pingback by Windows » An Action Creates Its Own Possibllity: Slavoj Zizek — May 13, 2008 @ 5:19 am
Yes! The impossible does take a little longer. Your examples from recent history are excellent and I especially appreciate your kudos to the oft maligned Richard Nixon.
When it comes to the impossible, democracy has had its share. the Barons of Runnymede went far in establishing the rule of law in The Magna Carta and ‘Those Self Evident Truths’ of American History followed suit. I’ve put these big documents on audio CD…
Comment by Ted Magnuson — May 14, 2008 @ 12:47 am
Ted, while I’m no fan of Nixon, I do admire his vision in opening China and his fortitude in getting the Clean Air/Clean Water Acts into place. I’ve always found him a fascinating character. I don’t think I would have liked him, personally, but I would have liked to meet him and have the chance for a long talk.
As for democracy… much more recent examples of the power of democracy include the Solidarity movement in Poland and the victory against apartheid in South Africa.
Comment by Shel Horowitz, Ethical Marketing Expert — May 14, 2008 @ 2:23 am
I hope you realize how ironic citing Zizek on a business site is.
He is probably the most radical leftist to publish in the last 20 years at least.
Comment by Tyler — May 14, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
[…] and much more. But the statement that really got to me was: A true act creates the conditionshttp://principledprofit.com/good-business-blog/an-action-creates-its-own-possibllity-slavoj-zizek/20…The Wight stuff: UK island to host 4 music events Reuters via Yahoo! News In 1970, it was described […]
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