Ideas shape things: a negative ontology between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis

Abstract

This article aims to propose a reflection on the intersection between psychoanalysis and political philosophy, guided by negativity and its ontological potential. Drawing on the theories of Lacan and Badiou, we discuss how negativity, present both in the constitution of the subject and in the formation of reality, can be understood as a counterpoint to capitalist realism. The text explores Lacan's notions of negation and recognition, highlighting the role of negativity in the structuring of subjectivity and its connection with the symbolic and the imaginary. Subsequently, the concept of event in Badiou is examined, understanding it as an opening to the new that allows the subject to break with the determinations imposed by neoliberal logic. Based on these analyses, we propose a negative ontology that redefines fundamental categories such as subject and reality, arguing that this approach can offer a theoretical and political alternative to overcoming the normative and productive impositions of contemporary capitalism.