This talk delves into the intricate relationship between love, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, guided by Alain Badiou’s philosophy and Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic teaching. Central to our exploration is Badiou’s assertion that love is the crucial element enabling philosophy to address Lacan’s question of sexual difference. Badiou proposes a philosophical understanding of love that transcends conventional interpretations tied to desire, sex, and death, advocating instead for a logical and rigorous approach. This approach involves formulating logical formulas that lay out a philosophical framework for understanding love, inspired by Lacan’s teachings on the sexual non-rapport in Seminar XIX and XX.

The concept of ‘disjunction’, as described by Badiou, plays a pivotal role in our discussion. This term refers to a situation where a universal truth exists within the framework of two completely distinct interpretations of it, highlighting a paradox within the realm of love. Badiou sees love as the medium through which this paradox of sexual non-rapport is both confronted and resolved.

Our talk will focus on unpacking Badiou’s formalistic theses on love, shedding light on how the philosophical and psychoanalytic dimensions intertwine in his theory. We will delve into the nature of the ‘labor’ that love entails within this framework and how it addresses ‘disjunction’.

Furthermore, the talk aims to offer a fresh interpretation of Lacan’s concept of sexuation, drawing from Badiou’s ideas. This will provide a broader context for understanding the complex dynamics of love, sexual difference, and the philosophical underpinnings that shape our perceptions of these fundamental aspects of the human psyche. Attendees can expect an enlightening discussion that bridges philosophy and psychoanalysis, offering new insights into the enigmatic nature of love.

Dr Leon S. Brenner (Ph.D) is a psychoanalyst and psychoanalytic theorist from Berlin. Brenner’s work draws from the Freudian and Lacanian traditions of psychoanalysis, and his interest lies in the understanding of the relationship between culture and psychopathology. His book The Autistic Subject: On the Threshold of Language, is a bestseller in psychology in Palgrave publishing in 2021. He is a founder of Lacanian Affinities Berlin and Unconscious Berlin and works as a research affiliate in the International Psychoanalytic University in Berlin.