Difference between revisions of "Death"

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death (mort)            The term death occurs in various contexts in Lacan's work.
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{{Topp}}mort{{Bottom}}
  
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        l. Death is constitutive of the symbolic order, because the symbol, by              -
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The term "[[death]]" occurs in various contexts in [[Lacan]]'s [[work]].
  
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standing in place of the thing which it symbolises, is equivalent to the death          -
 
  
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  of the thing: 'the symbol is the murder of the thing' (E, 104). Also, the 'first        -
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===Symbolic Death===
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[[Death]] is constitutive of the [[symbolic]] [[order]], because the [[symbol]], by standing in [[place]] of the [[thing]] which it [[symbolization|symbolizes]], is equivalent to the [[death]] of that [[thing]]:
  
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symbol' in human history is the tomb (E, 104). It is only by virtue of the                -
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<blockquote>"The [[symbol]] is the [[murder]] of the [[thing]]."<ref>{{E}} p. 104</ref></blockquote>
  
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signifier that man has access to and can conceive of his own death; 'It is in the      -
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====Death of the Subject====
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It is only by virtue of the [[signifier]] that the [[subject]] has access to and can conceive of his own [[death]]:
  
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signifier and insofar as the subject articulates a signifying chain that he comes
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<blockquote>"It is in the signifier and insofar as [[The Subject|the subject]] articulates a signifying [[chain]] that he comes up against the fact that he may [[disappear]] from the chain of what he is."<ref>{{S7}} p. 295</ref></blockquote>
  
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    up against the fact that he may disappear from the chain of what he is' (S7,
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===Subject Beyond Death===
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The [[signifier]] also puts the [[subject]] beyond [[death]], because "the [[signifier]] already considers him [[dead]], by [[nature]] it immortalizes him."<ref>{{S3}} p. 180</ref>
  
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295). The signifier also puts the subject beyond death, because 'the signifier
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====Dead Father====
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[[Death]] in the [[symbolic order]] is related to the [[death]] of the [[Father]] (i.e. the murder of the [[father]] of the [[horde]] in ''[[Totem and Taboo]]''<ref>{{F}} ''[[Totem and Taboo]]'', 1912-13. [[SE]] XIII, 1</ref>); the [[symbolic]] [[father]] is always a [[dead]] [[father]].
  
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already considers him dead, by nature it immortalises him' (S3, 180). Death in
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===Second Death===
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====First Death====
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In the [[seminar]] of 1959-60, ''[[The Ethics of Psychoanalysis]]'',  
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[[Lacan]] talks [[about]] the "[[second death]]."<ref>{{S7}} p. 211</ref>
  
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  the symbolic order is related to the death of the Father (i.e. the murder of the
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The [[death|first death]] is the [[materialism|physical]] [[death]] of the [[body]].
  
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  father of the horde in Totem and Taboo; Freud, 1912-13); the symbolic father
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The [[death|first death]] ends one [[human|human life]] but which does not put an end to the cycles of corruption and regeneration.
  
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  is always a dead father.
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The [[death|second death]] is that which prevents the regeneration of the [[dead]] [[body]], "the point at which the very cycles of the transformations of nature are annihilated."<ref>{{S7}} p. 248</ref>
  
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      2. In the seminar of 1959-60, 'The Ethics of Psychoanalysis', Lacan talks
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====Beauty, Being, Pain====
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The [[concept]] of the [[second death]] is used by [[Lacan]] to formulate [[ideas]] on various themes:
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* beauty - "It is the function of beauty to reveal man's [[relationship]] to his own death."<ref>{{S7}} p. 260, 299</ref>
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* the direct relationship to [[being]];<ref>{{S7}} p. 285</ref> and
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* the [[sadistic]] [[fantasy]] of inflicting perpetual [[pain]]<ref>{{S7}} p. 295</ref>
  
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  about the 'second death' (a phrase which he coins in reference to a passage
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====Between the Two Deaths====
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The phrase "[[zone between-two-deaths]]" (''[[l'espace de l'entre-deux-morts]]'') designates "the zone in which [[tragedy]] is played out."<ref>{{S8}} p. 120</ref>
  
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    from the Marquis de Sade's novel Juliette, in which one of the characters
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===Philosophical Death===
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====Hegel and Heidegger====
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[[Death]] plays an important [[role]] in the [[philosophical]] systems of [[Hegel]] and [[Heidegger]], and [[Lacan]] draws on both of these in his theorisation of the role of [[death]] in [[psychoanalysis]].
  
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speaks of a 'second life', see Sade, 1797: 772, quoted in S7, 211). The first
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===="Absolute Master"====
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From [[Hegel]] (via [[Kojève]]), [[Lacan]] takes the [[idea]] that [[death]] is both constitutive of [[man]]'s [[freedom]] and "[[Master|the absolute Master]]."<ref>[[Alexandre Kojève|Kojève, Alexandre]] ''[[Kojève|Introduction to the Reading of Hegel]]'', trans. [[James]] H. Nichols Jr., New York and [[London]]: Basic Books, 1969. [1933-39] p. 21</ref> [[Death]] plays a crucial part in the [[Hegelian]] [[dialectic]] of the [[master]] and the [[slave]] where it is intimately linked with [[desire]], since the [[master]] only affirms himself for [[others]] by means of a [[desire]] for [[death]].<ref>{{E}} p. 105</ref>
  
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  death is the physical death of the body, a death which ends one human life but
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===="Being-For-Death"====
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From [[Heidegger]], [[Lacan]] takes the idea that [[human]] [[existence]] only takes on [[meaning]] by virtue of the finite [[limit]] set by [[death]], so that the [[human]] [[subject]] is properly a "[[death|being-for-death]]". This corresponds to [[Lacan]]'s view that the [[analysand]] should come, via the [[treatment|analytic process]], to assume his own [[mortality]].<ref>{{E}} pp. 104-5</ref>
  
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    which does not put an end to the cycles of corruption and regeneration. The
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==Psychoanalytic Death==
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===Dead Analyst===
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In his comparison between [[psychoanalytic treatment]] and the [[game]] of bridge, [[Lacan]] describes the [[analyst]] as playing the [[position]] of the "dummy" (in [[French]], ''le mort''; literally, "the dead person").
  
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    second death is that which prevents the regeneration of the dead body, 'the
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<blockquote>"The analyst intervenes concretely in the dialectic of [[analysis]] by pretending that he is dead. . . he makes death [[present]]."<ref>{{E}} p. 140</ref></blockquote>
  
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point at which the very cycles of the transformations of nature are annihilated'
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The [[analyst]] "cadaverises" himself (''se corpsifiat'').
  
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    (S7, 248). The concept of the second death is used by Lacan to formulate ideas
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===Obsessional Neurosis===
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The question which constitutes the [[structure]] of [[obsessional neurosis]] concerns [[death]]; it is the question "Am I dead or alive?"<ref>{{S3}} pp. 179-80</ref>
  
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  on various themes: beauty (S7, 260] it is the function of beauty to reveal man's
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==See Also==
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{{See}}
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* [[Analysand]]
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* [[Analyst]]
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* [[Being]]
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* [[Body]]
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||
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* [[Castration complex]]
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* [[Death drive]]
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* [[Death instinct]]
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* [[Desire]]
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||
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* [[Drive]]
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* [[Dialectic]]
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* [[Existence]]
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* [[Father]]
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||
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* ''[[Jouissance]]''
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* [[Master]]
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* [[Obsessional neurosis]]
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* [[Signifier]]
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||
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* [[Subject]]
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* [[Symbol]]
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* [[Treatment]]
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* [[Uncanny]]
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{{Also}}
  
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relationship to his own death      - S7, 299); the direct relationship to being (S7,
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==References==
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<div style="font-size:11px" class="references-small">
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<references/>
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</div>
  
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285); and the sadistic fantasy of inflicting perpetual pain (S7, 295). The phrase
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[[Category:Psychoanalysis]]
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[[Category:Jacques Lacan]]
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[[Category:Symbolic]]
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[[Category:Real]]
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[[Category:Dictionary]]
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[[Category:Concepts]]
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[[Category:Terms]]
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{{OK}}
  
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    'zone between-two-deaths' (l'espace de l'entre-deux-morts), which was ori-
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ginally coined by one of Lacan's students (see S7, 320), is taken up by Lacan
 
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    to designate 'the zone in which tragedy is played out' (S8, 120).
 
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      3. Death plays an important role in the philosophical systems of Hegel and
 
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Heidegger, and Lacan draws on both of these in his theorisation of the role of
 
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  death in psychoanalysis. From Hegel (via KojËve), Lacan takes the idea that
 
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  death is both constitutive of man's freedom and 'the absolute Master' (KojËve,
 
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    1947: 21). Death plays a crucial part in the Hegelian dialectic of the MASTER
 
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    and the slave where it is intimately linked with desire, since the master only
 
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    affirms himself for others by means of a desire for death (E, 105). From
 
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Heidegger, Lacan takes the idea that human existence only takes on meaning          -
 
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by virtue of the finite limit set by death, so that the human subject is properly a      -
 
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'being-for-death'; this corresponds to Lacan's view that the analysard should
 
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    come, via the analytic process, to assume his own mortality (E, 104-5).
 
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      4. In his comparison between psychoanalytic treatment and the game of        .
 
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bridge, Lacan describes the analyst as playing the position of the 'dummy' (in          -
 
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French, le mort; literally, 'the dead person'). 'The analyst intervenes concre-
 
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tely in the dialectic of analysis by pretending that he is dead            . . . he makes
 
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  death present' (E, 140). The analyst 'cadaverises' himself (se corpsifiat).
 
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      5. The question which constitutes the structure of OBSESSIONAL NEUROSIS
 
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  concerns death; it is the question 'Am I dead or aliveT (S3, 179-80).
 

Latest revision as of 21:36, 27 May 2019

French: mort

The term "death" occurs in various contexts in Lacan's work.


Symbolic Death

Death is constitutive of the symbolic order, because the symbol, by standing in place of the thing which it symbolizes, is equivalent to the death of that thing:

"The symbol is the murder of the thing."[1]

Death of the Subject

It is only by virtue of the signifier that the subject has access to and can conceive of his own death:

"It is in the signifier and insofar as the subject articulates a signifying chain that he comes up against the fact that he may disappear from the chain of what he is."[2]

Subject Beyond Death

The signifier also puts the subject beyond death, because "the signifier already considers him dead, by nature it immortalizes him."[3]

Dead Father

Death in the symbolic order is related to the death of the Father (i.e. the murder of the father of the horde in Totem and Taboo[4]); the symbolic father is always a dead father.

Second Death

First Death

In the seminar of 1959-60, The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, Lacan talks about the "second death."[5]

The first death is the physical death of the body.

The first death ends one human life but which does not put an end to the cycles of corruption and regeneration.

The second death is that which prevents the regeneration of the dead body, "the point at which the very cycles of the transformations of nature are annihilated."[6]

Beauty, Being, Pain

The concept of the second death is used by Lacan to formulate ideas on various themes:

Between the Two Deaths

The phrase "zone between-two-deaths" (l'espace de l'entre-deux-morts) designates "the zone in which tragedy is played out."[10]

Philosophical Death

Hegel and Heidegger

Death plays an important role in the philosophical systems of Hegel and Heidegger, and Lacan draws on both of these in his theorisation of the role of death in psychoanalysis.

"Absolute Master"

From Hegel (via Kojève), Lacan takes the idea that death is both constitutive of man's freedom and "the absolute Master."[11] Death plays a crucial part in the Hegelian dialectic of the master and the slave where it is intimately linked with desire, since the master only affirms himself for others by means of a desire for death.[12]

"Being-For-Death"

From Heidegger, Lacan takes the idea that human existence only takes on meaning by virtue of the finite limit set by death, so that the human subject is properly a "being-for-death". This corresponds to Lacan's view that the analysand should come, via the analytic process, to assume his own mortality.[13]

Psychoanalytic Death

Dead Analyst

In his comparison between psychoanalytic treatment and the game of bridge, Lacan describes the analyst as playing the position of the "dummy" (in French, le mort; literally, "the dead person").

"The analyst intervenes concretely in the dialectic of analysis by pretending that he is dead. . . he makes death present."[14]

The analyst "cadaverises" himself (se corpsifiat).

Obsessional Neurosis

The question which constitutes the structure of obsessional neurosis concerns death; it is the question "Am I dead or alive?"[15]

See Also

References

  1. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. p. 104
  2. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p. 295
  3. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book III. The Psychoses, 1955-56. Trans. Russell Grigg. London: Routledge, 1993. p. 180
  4. ↑ Freud, Sigmund. Totem and Taboo, 1912-13. SE XIII, 1
  5. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p. 211
  6. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p. 248
  7. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p. 260, 299
  8. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p. 285
  9. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p. 295
  10. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Le Séminaire. Livre VIII. Le transfert, 1960-61. Ed. Jacques-Alain Miller. Paris: Seuil, 1991. p. 120
  11. ↑ Kojève, Alexandre Introduction to the Reading of Hegel, trans. James H. Nichols Jr., New York and London: Basic Books, 1969. [1933-39] p. 21
  12. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. p. 105
  13. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. pp. 104-5
  14. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. p. 140
  15. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book III. The Psychoses, 1955-56. Trans. Russell Grigg. London: Routledge, 1993. pp. 179-80


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