'I swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth' we say in a court of law. 'In a court of law the truth is precisely what we will not say' says Lacan. âIf God is dead everything is permittedâ writes Dostoyevsky. âIf God is dead everything is prohibitedâ responds Lacan. âI think therefore I amâ reasons Descartes. âI am where I do not thinkâ concludes Lacan. What are we to make of Lacanâs inversions of these mottos? And what are the implications for the legal system if we take them seriously? This book puts the legal subject on the couch and explores the incestuous relationship between law and desire enjoyment and transgression freedom and subjection ethics and atheism. The process of analysis problematizes fundamental tenets of the legal system leading the patient to rethink long-held beliefs: terms like âguiltâ and âinnocenceâ âtruthâ and âliesâ âreasonâ and ârealityâ âfreedomâ and âresponsibilityâ âcauseâ and âpunishmentâ acquire new and surprising meanings. By the end of these sessions the patient is left wondering along with Freud her analyst whether âit is not psychology that deserves the mockery but the procedure of judicial enquiryâ. A unique study on the nexus of Law and Psychoanalysis this book will interest students and scholars of both subjects as well as general readers looking to explore this perverse and fascinating relationship. . Language: English