Mladen Dolar is often seen as a towering figure in contemporary psychoanalytic philosophy, whose intellectual trajectory merges Lacanian thought with critical reflections on politics and cultural dynamics. His journey, marked by formative years in Paris studying with Lacan, is deeply embedded in the historical and political ferment of the late 1960s and early 1970s—a period characterized by widespread protests, the upheaval of established norms, and the blossoming of new intellectual currents. Dolar’s contributions, particularly within what has come to be known as the Ljubljana school of psychoanalysis, reflect an effort to demystify and rearticulate Lacanian ideas, rendering them accessible and relevant to both philosophical inquiry and the exigencies of contemporary political life. His work resonates with the legacy of May ’68, a moment that not only challenged the prevailing cultural order but also opened up spaces for radical rethinking of identity, subjectivity, and the very mechanisms through which society governs itself.
At the heart of Dolar’s philosophical investigations is the exploration of the subject—not as an autonomous, self-transparent agent, but as an enigma continuously shaped and reshaped by the unconscious. This perspective stands in stark contrast to structuralist approaches that tend to subsume individual identity under the weight of overarching systems and impersonal structures. Lacan’s insistence on the centrality of the subject and the pivotal role of the unconscious informs Dolar’s critique of both the traditional readings of Freud and the more recent developments in Marxist and Hegelian thought. By interrogating the dialectics of subjectivity and structure, Dolar not only reaffirms the importance of individual enigma but also charts a course that challenges the dominant narratives offered by both Freudian Marxism and the more dogmatic interpretations of structuralism.
In his recent work, Dolar turns his analytical gaze toward a seemingly mundane yet profoundly potent phenomenon: the rumor. His book presents rumors not merely as trivial or erroneous pieces of information but as a complex, multifaceted force that has, from the time of Socrates to the present, shaped philosophical discourse and political realities. Dolar contends that rumors constitute an alternative face of what Lacan terms the “big Other”—a force that, while not grounded in verifiable knowledge or truth, wields considerable power in the social and symbolic order. For Socrates, the inexorable influence of rumors underscored the vulnerability of rational argument; despite his rigorous defense based on logos, it was the persistent and unverified narratives circulating in the public sphere that ultimately undermined his position. This observation serves as a launching point for a broader examination of how different thinkers, from Rousseau and Kafka to Kierkegaard, have grappled with the stain of rumor—a stain that, though ostensibly lacking in factual substance, leaves an indelible mark on both individual identity and collective memory.
Dolar’s reflections extend to the realm of literary and historical analysis, where the interplay between rumor and power is rendered with striking clarity. The figure of Kafka, for instance, is invoked to illustrate the way in which rumors can catalyze a tragic reconfiguration of identity and institutional authority. In Kafka’s narrative, the very structure of the judicial system becomes enmeshed with the unfathomable power of unverified gossip—a system where the presence of a rumor is sufficient to launch a cascade of events that defy conventional logic and justice. The narrative device of the unexplained rumor, which marks an individual with a lasting, unerasable stain, is juxtaposed against the promise of logos—a promise that, in the case of Socrates and others, proves insufficient to repel the pervasive force of unsubstantiated narrative.
In contrast to the often destructive power of rumors, Dolar also introduces the concept of gossip as a distinct yet related social phenomenon. While rumors circulate in the public domain without the necessity of collective belief, gossip is imbued with a more intimate, communal character. It is a tool that not only fosters social bonding but also provides a means for marginalized groups to resist the hegemonic narratives imposed by oppressive regimes. In repressive political contexts, where official channels of communication are either unreliable or overtly censored, gossip becomes an essential mechanism for survival—a way for communities to navigate the labyrinthine power structures and assert their own identities in the face of institutional control. Yet even as gossip plays a constructive role in forging communal ties, it is not without its ambivalent edge, for it also serves as a means of exclusion and hostility toward those deemed outsiders.
The philosophical inquiry into rumors further intersects with historical reflections on authority and the evolution of political thought. Dolar revisits the ideas of Rousseau, whose radical liberalism and acute sensitivity to the dynamics of conspiracy and persecution provide a lens through which the interplay of rumor and power can be examined. Rousseau’s personal experience of being ensnared by a web of conspiratorial thinking is emblematic of a broader cultural tension—one in which the forces of Enlightenment reason are constantly in tension with the darker, more irrational undercurrents of societal discourse. Similarly, Kafka’s narrative constructions reveal how modern bureaucratic systems can be hijacked by the ephemeral yet potent force of rumor, thereby subverting the rational processes that are supposed to undergird legal and social order.
Throughout his work, Dolar weaves these various strands into a dense, intricate variety that challenges the reader to reconsider the role of language and communication in shaping human experience. The act of spreading a rumor, in his analysis, is not merely a matter of transmitting false information; it is an operation that involves a deliberate disavowal of accountability—a gesture that simultaneously asserts one’s distance from the content of the message while ensuring its persistent influence. This dual nature of rumor, wherein it functions as both a symptom and a weapon, encapsulates the paradox at the heart of Dolar’s philosophical project. Even when a rumor is refuted, its lingering presence continues to define and constrain the subject, leaving an indelible imprint that cannot be so easily erased.
In this manner, Dolar’s exploration of rumors is not confined to the realm of abstract theorizing but is deeply rooted in the lived realities of political power and social dynamics. His analysis is informed by a keen awareness of the historical specificity of different moments—from the transformative period of May ’68, which provided a fertile ground for intellectual experimentation in the Ljubljana school context, to the modern challenges posed by digital communication and social media. In proposing provocative solutions, such as the idea of legislating a temporal distance on gossip and rumor—treating contemporary events as if they occurred decades ago—Dolar gestures toward a radical reconfiguration of the way society might resist the pernicious effects of unchecked narrative circulation.
Ultimately, the dense and multifaceted inquiry offered by Mladen Dolar invites us to reexamine the foundational assumptions of philosophy itself. By tracing the lineage of thought from Socrates through to modern theorists, and by highlighting the enduring tension between the rational promises of logos and the chaotic, often subversive power of rumor, Dolar provides a powerful critique of the mechanisms by which truth and knowledge are constructed and contested. His work not only challenges the sanctity of established epistemological frameworks but also illuminates the complex interrelations between language, power, and subjectivity—an exploration that remains as relevant today as it was in the storied past of philosophical inquiry.
Simon Gros 
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