Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
First as Tragedy, Then as Farce summary
Slavoj Žižek
Why the crises keep happening
21 mins
Brief summary
"First as Tragedy, Then as Farce" by Slavoj Žižek is a critical reflection on the failures of capitalism, exploring the contradictions and paradoxes of its contemporary forms. It argues for a return to a more radical leftist politics.
Table of Contents
First as Tragedy, Then as Farce
Summary of 9 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 9
Capitalism isn’t a mechanism, but an ideology that is strengthened by crisis.
People who have grown up under capitalism view it as the perfectly natural evolution of social organization; but they would be wrong.
While capitalism is often presented as a completely neutral method of organization that makes the economic system work like a well-oiled machine, the fact is that capitalism is an ideology – a system of ideas that makes us do what we do.
Too often, capitalism is portrayed in technical terms as something that simply works, and not as something that is imbued with ideas about how the world works.
However, the fact that capitalism can function in any sort of civilization with systems of meaning, such as Buddhism, Christianity or the belief in the welfare state, is proof that capitalism doesn’t just work. These systems of meaning serve as a type of security that people can rely on when their dreams of self-made success – dreams embedded in the capitalist ideology – inevitably crumble, unfulfilled.
If capitalism were natural or neutral, we wouldn’t need these systems of meaning to fall back on.
So why do so many of us consider capitalism to be natural and desirable, and continue to trust in a system that goes through crisis after crisis? Well, each crisis of capitalism acts as a type of shock therapy that keeps us dreaming.
While crises can sometimes make us challenge our beliefs, they more often make us go back to basics. Rather than critically reflecting on the dominant ideology, we instead view crisis as the result of not adhering to the ideology strictly enough.
For example, when socialist regimes were faced with the crises that led to their demise, the response from the leaders was, it’s not socialist enough. When the people of Eastern Europe rebelled against their Soviet-supported governments in the twentieth century, they were met not with compromise, but with even more ardently socialist regimes.
A more contemporary example is the 2008 financial crisis, which has been described as the result of too much state intervention, laws and regulation. In reality, it was a result of woefully inadequate regulation.
Want to see all full key ideas from First as Tragedy, Then as Farce?
Key ideas in First as Tragedy, Then as Farce
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is First as Tragedy, Then as Farce about?
First as Tragedy, Then as Farce (2008) sets out to uncover the hidden ideology that surrounds us in our everyday lives. In examining how capitalist society affects our lives and permeates the way we think, the book ultimately offers a new and better alternative to the way our world is structured today.
Best quote from First as Tragedy, Then as Farce
Like love, ideology is blind, even if the people caught up in it are not.
—Slavoj Žižek
Who should read First as Tragedy, Then as Farce?
- People interested in politics, society and philosophy
- Fans of Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Alan Badiou
- Students of philosophy or psychoanalysis
Categories with First as Tragedy, Then as Farce
Book summaries like First as Tragedy, Then as Farce
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
29 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth