Re: Deconstructions

J J R (jrovira@juno.com)
Thu, 10 Dec 1998 18:15:12 -0500 (EST)

Yeah, Scottie, you win the JRovira Laugh Out Loud prize for the day :)

Part of what Derrida did was invent a language (a vocabulary) to describe
language, and you saw it at work in John's post.  

What bothers me is that Derrida is actively, with an almost messianic
vigor (esp. at the opening of Of Grammatology), promoting a specific
value system and using his theory of reading and writing to support that
value system--without offering a justificaction or an explanation of the
value system to begin with--at least not in the few works I've read.

Part of it is a secularization of the Judeo-Christian eschatological
dream of "all nations" being united as one, there being "neither Jew nor
Greek, male nor female, slave nor free, you are all one..." as St. Paul
put it.  Part of it is a (still) further secularization of the
Judeo-Christian ethic of concern for the weak, the poor, etc...."I was
sick and in prison, and you visited me" in the sense of identifying
people groups that are "marginalized" (considered "other" or out of the
mainstream--like being Black in the South) and making sure they are given
proper status.  Healing the lepers, so to speak.  This much is more
immediately developed out of the existentialists and Marx, but trace the
roots far back enough and you come to the same place.

It's essentially a substitute for religion with the veneer of
intellectualism (genuine intellectualism in Derrida's case).  It has all
the appeal of an abandonment of tradition and logic while still offering
intellectual rigor.  I'm not really speaking primarily of Derrida here
(whom I respect), but of the many, many, many lesser lights that have
gathered around that set of ideas...  

It's full of shit.

Jim  

On Thu, 10 Dec 1998 20:24:39 +0000 Scottie Bowman <rbowman@indigo.ie>
writes:
>
>    I think, John, a small increase in the morning & midday 
>    dosage (say, 25 mgm) might help.
>
>    Scottie B.
>
>

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