The Law of Desire: On Lacan’s 'Kant with Sade’ (The Palgrave Lacan Series)

This book offers the first comprehensive discussion of Lacan’s __Kant with Sade__, an essay widely recognised as one of his most important and difficult texts. Here, the reader will find a detailed roadmap for each section of the essay, including clarifications of the allusions, implicit borrowings and references in Lacan’s text, unique insights into the essay’s publication history, and a critical assessment of its reception. The author expertly defines key terms, explains complex theoretical arguments, and contextualises the work within a larger philosophical discourse. No prior knowledge of Lacan, Kant or Sade is assumed, allowing both newcomers and those who are well-versed in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and literary criticism to benefit from the book. This engaging book clears the path for a long overdue re-discovery and a proper appreciation of one of Lacan’s most challenging works, inspiring a renewed debate on the significance of Lacanian psychoanalysis for moral philosophy and literary theory. This book offers the first comprehensive discussion of Lacan's Kant with Sade, an essay widely recognised as one of his most important and difficult texts. Here, the reader will find a detailed roadmap for each section of the essay, including clarifications of the allusions, implicit borrowings and references in Lacan's text, unique insights into the essay's publication history, and a critical assessment of its reception. The author expertly defines key terms, explains complex theoretical arguments, and contextualizes the work within a larger philosophical discourse. No prior knowledge of Lacan, Kant or Sade is assumed, allowing both newcomers and those who are well-versed in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and literary criticism to benefit from the book. This engaging book clears the path for a long overdue re-discovery and a proper appreciation of one of Lacan's most challenging works, inspiring a renewed debate on the significance of Lacanian psychoanalysis for moral philosophy and literary theory Front Matter ....Pages i-xxxiii A New Ethical System (Dany Nobus)....Pages 1-8 Lacan Reads Kant (Dany Nobus)....Pages 9-16 Sade’s Kantian Maxim (Dany Nobus)....Pages 17-27 Regarding the Pain of Others (Dany Nobus)....Pages 29-36 Ineluctable Libertine Pleasures (Dany Nobus)....Pages 37-45 The Sadean Fantasy (Dany Nobus)....Pages 47-63 Surely, It Is Just a Fantasy! (Dany Nobus)....Pages 65-71 Sade’s Practical Reason (Dany Nobus)....Pages 73-85 The Law Sustains Desire (Dany Nobus)....Pages 87-97 Sade Against Kant (Dany Nobus)....Pages 99-105 The Moral Principle of Desire (Dany Nobus)....Pages 107-112 Desire and Happiness (Dany Nobus)....Pages 113-122 Lacan Against Sade (Dany Nobus)....Pages 123-130 Some More Effort... (Dany Nobus)....Pages 131-140 Back Matter ....Pages 141-175 This volume offers a comprehensive discussion of Lacan's 'Kant with Sade', an essay widely recognised as one of his most important and difficult texts. Here, the reader will find a detailed roadmap for each section of the essay, including clarifications of the allusions, implicit borrowings and references in Lacan's text, unique insights into the essay's publication history, and a critical assessment of its reception. The author expertly defines key terms, explains complex theoretical arguments, and contextualises the work within a larger philosophical discourse The Law of Desire 4 Acknowledgements 7 Contents 9 List of Figures 11 Introduction 12 1 A New Ethical System 33 2 Lacan Reads Kant 41 3 Sade’s Kantian Maxim 49 4 Regarding the Pain of Others 60 5 Ineluctable Libertine Pleasures 68 6 The Sadean Fantasy 77 7 Surely, It Is Just a Fantasy! 94 8 Sade’s Practical Reason 101 9 The Law Sustains Desire 114 10 Sade Against Kant 125 11 The Moral Principle of Desire 132 12 Desire and Happiness 138 13 Lacan Against Sade 148 14 Some More Effort... 156 Conclusion 166 Bibliography 173 Index 191 Dany Nobus Includes Bibliographical References And Index.