Introduction -- 1. A New Ethical System -- 2. Lacan Reads Kant -- 3. Sade's Kantian Maxim -- 4. Regarding the Pain of Others -- 5.Ineluctable Libertine Pleasures -- 6. The Sadean Fantasy -- 7. Surely, it is Just a Fantasy! -- 8. Sade's Practical Reason -- 9. The Law Sustains Desire -- 10. Sade Against Kant -- 11. The Moral Principle of Desire -- 12. Desire and Happiness -- 13. Lacan Against Sade -- 14. Some More Effort -- Conclusion.

This book offers the first comprehensive discussion of Lacan's Kant with Sade, an essay widely recognised as one of his most important and difficult texts. Here, the reader will find a detailed roadmap for each section of the essay, including clarifications of the allusions, implicit borrowings and references in Lacan's text, unique insights into the essay's publication history, and a critical assessment of its reception. The author expertly defines key terms, explains complex theoretical arguments, and contextualizes the work within a larger philosophical discourse. No prior knowledge of Lacan, Kant or Sade is assumed, allowing both newcomers and those who are well-versed in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and literary criticism to benefit from the book. This engaging book clears the path for a long overdue re-discovery and a proper appreciation of one of Lacan's most challenging works, inspiring a renewed debate on the significance of Lacanian psychoanalysis for moral philosophy and literary theory. .