Judith Butler's theory of performativity: its philosophical roots

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[Krishnendulaha]

Literature student here. My professor made it sound so complex and you just did it so smoothly and lucidly that I now understand it. Your students are lucky to have you as their teacher. Been watching your videos for the past couple days since I discovered this channel and I am so glad I did

[smilybajaj]

Extremely informative while you kept the language of the talk simple. Absolutely loved this talk. Thank you.

[JamesHunterRoss]

I had Butler's "performativity" completely wrong, which I also learn here, is a common thing. Thanks for the succint clarifications as to what Butler was really saying. (My son has a class at the local community college and his teacher has not clarified this; perhaps he cannot. My son's class is taking the more "theatrical" understanding; one "performing" ones gender. You made your points clearly, and ths was easy to understand.

[raspberryberet]

As a student of existentialism i was struck by your comments about being and becoming. It is a central idea in existential therapy that we are always in a process of becoming, i'd never come across the connection with Hegel before. Thanks

[thissweethour]

I think this is the clearest explanation I've ever found! Thank you!

In terms of Speech Act theory, I like Searle's classification of illocutionary acts better:
- Representatives: assertions. Similar to Austin's constatives, I think
- Directives: orders, requests, anything that tries to get someone to do something
- Expressives: self explanatory
- Commissives: a speech act where the speaker commits themself to doing something in the future
- Declaratives: speech acts that bring about the state of affairs which they refer to (marrying someone, baptising someone, firing someone from their job). I think this one corresponds with Austin's performatives.

[williamkraemer]

Thanks so much for this explication of Butler and her philosophical roots. Nothing said here is not relevant nor boring. Another sterling podcast.

[johnnydeutschemark]

So glad I discovered this. YouTube can be intelligent thanks to you.

[ecthelion]

I really appreciate your presentations, even on subjects I wholeheartedly disagree with. You don't lace your lectures with prescriptive language like many professors.

[livethemoment]

I don't know how I stumbled into this video...I am not studying philosophy in any way....although I do have my own self-generated philosophies that I ponder on frequently....but what I am amazed at is your incredible oratory skills....the way you speak with utterly clear enunciation and fluidity, no awkward ummms or uhhhs...it is simply amazing what a great speaker you are.

[Ganja]

Being vs Becoming was the argument between Parmanides and Heraklitus. That's when it started, in Greece of course, as usual. Heraclitus was the father of the dialectical schema (διαλεκτικό σχήμα) not Hegel. He called it "Εναντιοδρομία" wich means conflict of directions. Thank you.

[Samboyant]

It's also imperative to note that Austin's speech act theory didn't quite hold up with his initial distinctions between performatives and constatives. Upon reading his book 'How to Do Things with Words, ' after a few chapters, he abandons this idea. for butler to adopt an abondoned idea, somehow says it all.

[uperdown]

This is the standard way Butler is taught in Philosophy (since it's how she was taught to me in my Freshman philosophy course), but after reading her work itself I became immediately aware that yes while she is influenced by Hegel and Phenomenology, Butler is primarily a Lacanian theorist. And I think the reason why most people in philosophy, in gender studies as well don't focus on this is because they don't understand Lacan, and they have a distaste for Freud who a thorough reading of is required for properly understanding Lacanian psychoanalysis. But although, for whatever reason (and I think that reason being that 3rd and 4th wave feminists tend to live in a kind of social-justice fantasyland, and so-called "queer theorists" to an even greater extent) that many feminist and gender studies theorists have rejected Freud, Butler is quite adamant in her interviews that she is committed to a psychoanalytic perspective on these matters even though she is herself critical of it. But I think for Butler, it's really only appropriate to study her after having a good background on Greek philosophy, Nietzsche, Phenomenology, Hegel's thought, a little bit of Kant, a LOT of Freud, and especially, especially Lacan, as well as all the Feminist Lacanian thinkers who came after him whom she frequently references. I mean by all this that she is really only appropriate for Graduate students and maybe some very bright Undergrads in their senior year, the way her thought is taught atm doesn't do justice to her work as a whole.

[sansintierra]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. I'm 9 months late, but this was the lecture I needed today.

[ValkyriZ]

I am curious if Butler tried to look at this from the perspective of science. Because to me its pointless to imagine human behavior outside our biological imperatives.

[DinoRamzi]

So here is the contradiction between Butler and speech-act theory… the theory underlines that authority is required for performativity to mean anything. Butler says that it exists the moment the words are uttered. But with regards to gender, who has the authority to make such a change. At least one that is not merely mimetic.

[jsguitargeek]

She's - simply - the best in this domain. Brilliant

[smkh]

At 6:19 the conditions for the performative act to work have to be correct. As for example in British law, a marriage has to take place in a an approved location: a church or registry office. Many Moslem marriages take place in hotels or residences.
"Many Muslims in the UK have an Islamic religious marriage ceremony – a Nikah – in an unregistered building and do not have an additional civil ceremony. This means that their marriage will not be recognised as being legally valid."
18 Feb 2020 Commonslibrary

[underthejaguarsun]

References about body as a historical idea in Merleau Ponty? The idea that comes from Husserl is the Korper. As I am a spanish speaker we translate Merleau Ponty s concept as "cuerpo propio".

[smkh]

Thanks for clarifying 'performative' is derived from Speech Act Theory [ John Searle ] which was Never Boring!!!

[raisacortez]

Awesome! It really helped me understand Butler's thinking