Trouble in paradise: from the end of history to the end of capitalism

Despite living in a world of almost constant crisis, we still seem to accept that capitalism - a dangerously enticing, promiscuous, roller-coaster of an ideology - represents the best of all possible worlds. Alternatives, such as greater equality, democracy and solidarity, seem by contrast stodgy and boring, when they're not downright dangerous- following such a path can only lead us into a grey, over-regulated society. But, Slavoj Zizek argues in this timely intervention, this couldn't be further from the truth. If we are really to imagine a better way, we need to understand that it is capitalism which offers us the dreariest of futures - always serving up more of the same in the guise of constant change - and that the struggle for emancipation, by contrast, is the most daring of all ventures. To analyse our current predicament, the celebrated philosopher draws on everything from music videos and Batman to Marx and Lacan. Laying bare the workings of the capitalist system, Zizek outlines the future that awaits us if we do not demand radical change, and explores the possibilities - and the traps - of new emancipatory battles. Our new heroes, he explains, should be Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden. But can we follow their example and break out of ideological constraints? Trouble in Paradiseshows that we absolutely have to do so unless we want to live in a world full of zombies and vampires. 'The most dangerous philosopher in the West.' Adam Kirsch, New Republic 'The thinker of choice for Europe's young intellectual vanguard . . . to witness Zizek in full flight is a wonderful and at times alarming experience, part philosophical tightrope walk, part performance-art marathon, part intellectual roller-coaster ride.' Sean O'Hagan, Observer 'His prose is irrepressible, sometimes bonkers but never boring. New Statesman 'Few thinkers illustrate the contradictions of contemporary capitalism better than Slavoj Zizek . . . one of the world's best-known public intellectuals.' John Gray, New York Review of Books