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Writing is distinguished by a prevalence of the text in the sense that this factor of discourse will assume in this essay a factor that makes possible the kind of tightening up that I like in order to leave the reader no other way out than the way in, which I prefer to be difficult. In that sense, then, this will not be writing. Jacques Lacan

Welcome to No Subject, a free online resource for information related to the fields of psychoanalysis, politics, and philosophy.

The website permits what French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan called a "kind of tightening up" that "leave[s] the reader no other way out than the way in."

The purpose of this website is to provide a more accessible "way in," that is, by offering an authoritative and intelligible introduction to the key texts of important thinkers.

The articles are intended to guide the visitor in his or her own interests and to facilitate his or her own studies, and are thus cross-referenced with links to other relevant articles, external websites and reference materials.

No Subject is a community-driven website where visitors come not only to acquire knowledge but also to share their own in a collaborative manner.

Anyone who visits the website is invited to contribute (by adding, removing articles, correcting information, etc.) by simply clicking on the "Edit" tab in the article that one wishes to improve.

Thus, the articles presented here are continually edited and improved over time, often involved in intense discussion, debate and argument.

Visitors should take a few moments to read the tutorial before contributing to this website.

The short glossary below is not intended to provide adequate definitions of concepts. To do so would be quite alien to the nature of Lacan's work, which is peculiarly resistant to interpretation of a static, defining kind. Though rooted in Freudian psychoanalysis, Lacan's concepts have evolved over the years to meet the requirements of a constant reformulation of psychoanalytic theory. They are best understood, therefore, operationally, at work in a number of different contexts. However, some of the terms do call for comment, if only by way of introduction. [...] In certain cases, however, Lacan has preferred that a term be left entirely unglossed, on the grounds that any comment would prejudice its effective operation.