The book then goes on to engage the problem of cognition in the realm of Nature qua materiality, focusing on the centrality of the body as a linguistic-material hybrid. It argues that it is possible to re-establish the theoretical dignity of Ricoeur’s notion of ‘suspicion’, by building a dialogue between Lacanian psychoanalysis and three main domains of inquiry: desire, objects and bodily enjoyment. Borrowing from Piera Aulagnier’s theory of the Other as a word-bearer, it considers the genesis of desire and sense of reality both explainable through a hybrid framework which comprises psychoanalytical insights and material dynamics in a comprehensive account. This created theoretical space is an opportunity for both philosophers and psychoanalysts to rethink key Lacanian insights in light of the problem of the Real.

Yuri Di Liberto is based at the University of Calabria, Italy and works on the possible intersections between philosophy and psychoanalysis. His research focuses on contemporary continental philosophy, post-structuralism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. He is the author of Il pieno e il vuoto: Jacques Lacan, Gilles Deleuze e il tessuto del Reale (2017).