Discourse of the Master
We see a barred subject ($) positioned as master signifier's truth, who's itself positioned as discourse's agent for all other signifiers (S2), that illustrates the structure of the dialectic of the master and the slave. The master, (S1) is the agent that puts the other, (S2) to work: the product is a surplus, objet a, that master struggles to appropriate alone. In a modern society, an example of this discourse can be found within so-called “family-like” work environments that tend to hide direct subordination under the mask of “favorable” submission to master's truth that generates value. The Master's reach for the truth in principle is fulfillment of his/her castratedness through subject's work. Based on Hegel's master–slave dialectic.
Discourse of the University
Knowledge in position of an agent is handed down by the institute which legitimises the master signifier (S1) taking the place of discourse's truth. Impossibility to satisfy one's need with a knowledge (which is a structural thing) produces a barred subject ($) as discourses sustain, and the cycle repeats itself through the primary subject being slavish to the institution values to fulfill the castratedness. The discourse's truth "knowledge " is being positioned aside of this loop and never the direct object of the subject, and the institute controls the subjects's objet a and defines the subject's master signifier's. Pathological symptom of an agent in this discourse is seeking fulfillment of their castratedness through enjoying the castratedness of their subject.
Discourse of the Analyst
The position of an agent — the analyst — is occupied by objet a of the analysand. Analyst's silence leads to reverse hysterization, as such the analyst becomes a mirror of question himself to the analysand, thus embodies barred subject's desire that lets his symptom speak itself through speech and thus be interpreted by the analyst. The master signifier of the analysand emerges as a product of this role. Hidden knowledge, positioned as discourse's truth (S2) stands for both analyst interpretation technique and knowledge acquired from the subject.
Discourse of the Hysteric
Despite its pathological aura, hysteric's discourse exhibits the most common mode of speech, blurring the line between clinical image and the otherness of social settings. Object a truth is defined by interrogative nature of subject's address (Who am I?) as well as tryst for satisfaction of knowledge. This mutually drives the barred subject and turns on the agent's master signifiers. It leads the agent to produce a new knowledge (discourse's product) in a futile attempt to provide a barred subject with an answer to fulfill subject's castratedness (Lacan in Discourse of the Analyst breaks the pathological cycle of it by purposefully leaving the question unanswered, reversing the discourse and putting an analyst in a place of hysteric's desire). However, object a of the subject is search for the agent's object a, thus without being a subject like in the 'Discourse of the University' the Hysteric ends up gathering knowledge instead of their object a truth.
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