我们所能眼见的物理暴力往往是某种系统暴力的产物。这种系统暴力维持着我们身处其中的政治和经济体制。为此，人们看待暴力的方式本身就是被系统所塑造的。齐泽克诊断了人们认知并扭曲暴力现象的各种形式，试图颠覆自由资本主义-基督教意识形态主宰的那种认识暴力的图像，并以“神的暴力”超越主观暴力和系统暴力的合谋。齐泽克以一部小说的故事和一句带有智者风格的话结束了他对暴力的反思：在某个民主国家的选举中，70%的投票是弃权票；重新投票后更糟，有80%的票弃权。政府认定有反政府的阴谋，因此开始秘密逮捕和审讯，却一无所获。这导致政府将应对手段不断升级，直至宣布首都进入紧急状态、炮制阴谋……最终政府自己制造出恐怖分子。然而，首都却一直继续近乎正常地运作，民众以无法理解的和谐和非暴力的抵抗阻挡了政府每一波攻击。因此，“有时，什么都不做就是最暴力的行动。”

Philosopher, cultural critic, and agent provocateur Slavoj Ziand#382;ek constructs a fascinating new framework to look at the forces of violence in our world. Using history, philosophy, books, movies, Lacanian psychiatry, and jokes, Slavoj Ziand#382;ek examines the ways we perceive and misperceive violence. Drawing from his unique cultural vision, Ziand#382;ek brings new light to the Paris riots of 2005; he questions the permissiveness of violence in philanthropy; in daring terms, he reflects on the powerful image and determination of contemporary terrorists. Violence, Ziand#382;ek states, takes three forms--subjective (crime, terror), objective (racism, hate-speech, discrimination), and systemic (the catastrophic effects of economic and political systems)--and often one form of violence blunts our ability to see the others, raising complicated questions. Does the advent of capitalism and, indeed, civilization cause more violence than it prevents? Is there violence in the simple idea of "the neighbour"? And could the appropriate form of action against violence today simply be to contemplate, to think? Beginning with these and other equally contemplative questions, Ziand#382;ek discusses the inherent violence of globalization, capitalism, fundamentalism, and language, in a work that will confirm his standing as one of our most erudite and incendiary modern thinkers.