uLCCnS18uC1lCn ln A nu1SPLLL

A ConversaLlon wlLh !ACCuLS uL88luA

LdlLed wlLh a CommenLary
by
!CPn u. CAu1C
lordham unlverslLy ress new ?ork 1997
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1997 lordham unlverslLy ress All rlghLs reserved. LC 96-43189 lS8n 0-8232-1734-x (hardbound)
lS8n 0-8232-1733-8 (paperback) lSSn 1089-3938
erspecLlves ln ConLlnenLal hllosophy, no. 1 !ohn u. CapuLo, Serles LdlLor
llfLh prlnLlng 2000
Llbrary of Congress CaLaloglng ln ubllcaLlon uaLa
uerrlda, !acques.
ueconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell: a conversaLlon wlLh !acques uerrlda / edlLed wlLh a commenLary by !ohn u.
CapuLo. p. cm.--(erspecLlves ln conLlnenLal phllosophy, lSSn 1089-3938, no. 1)
lncludes blbllographlcal references and lndex. lS8n 0-8232-1734-x (hardcover).--lS8n 0-8232-1733-8
(pbk.) 1. uerrlda, !acques--lnLervlews. 2. hllosophers--lrance-lnLervlews. 3. ueconsLrucLlon. l. CapuLo,
!ohn u. ll. 1lLle.
lll. Serles.
8809.6.u46 1996
194--dc21 96-43189
Cl
rlnLed ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes of Amerlca
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n Memorlam Lawrence C. Callen, C.S.A. ( 1929-1993) lor hls love of vlllanova
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ConLenLs
AcknowledgmenLs lx
AbbrevlaLlons xl
arL Cne
1he vlllanova 8oundLable:
A ConversaLlon wlLh !acques uerrlda
arL 1wo
A CommenLary:
ueconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell
1. ueconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell: 1he very ldea 31
1he AporeLlcs of Lhe nuLshell 31
1he AxlomaLlcs of lndlgnaLlon (1he very ldea!) 36
Apologla: An Lxcuse for vlolence 44
nuLshells, Slx of 1hem 47
2. 1he 8lghL Lo hllosophy 49
Cf 8lghLs, 8esponslblllLles, and a new LnllghLenmenL 49
lnsLlLuLlonal lnlLlaLlves 60
8eLween Lhe "ueparLmenL of hllosophy" and a hllosophy
Lo Come 69
3. khra: 8elng Serlous wlLh laLo 71
A Poax 71
ueconsLrucLlon ls Serlous 8uslness 74
An LxorblLanL MeLhod 77
khra 82
1wo 1roplcs of negaLlvlLy 92
ulfferance: khra ls lLs Surname 96
4. CommunlLy WlLhouL CommunlLy 106
PosplLallLy 109
ldenLlLy WlLhouL ldenLlLy 113
An Cpen Cuasl-CommunlLy 121
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3. !usLlce, lf Such a 1hlng LxlsLs 123
uolng !usLlce Lo uerrlda 123
ueconsLrucLlon and Lhe osslblllLy of !usLlce 129
1he ClfL 140
ulke: uerrlda, Peldegger and uls-[uncLlve !usLlce 131
6. 1he Messlanlc: WalLlng for Lhe luLure 136
1he Messlanlc 1wlsL ln ueconsLrucLlon 136
lalLh wlLhouL 8ellglon 164
1he Messlanlc and Lhe Messlanlsms: 168
Whlch Comes llrsL? 168
When Wlll ?ou Come? 178
7. 8e-!oyce, Say "?es" 181
8eLween Pusserl and !oyce 182
1he Cramophone LffecL 184
!oyce's SlgnaLure 189
lnauguraLlons: Lncore 198
A Concludlng Amen 201
8lbllography 203
lndex of names 209
lndex of Sub[ecLs 213
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AcknowledgmenLs
l would llke Lo Lhank Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of vlllanova unlverslLy, 8ev. Ldmund !. uobbln, 0.S.A., resldenL,
ur. Pelen LafferLy, unlverslLy vlce resldenL, and ur. uanlel Zlegler, uean of Lhe CraduaLe School of ArLs
and Sclences, for Lhelr flnanclal and moral supporL of Lhls 8oundLable and of Lhe docLoral program ln
phllosophy. 1helr klndness and supporL, along wlLh Lhe lovlng encouragemenL of Lhe laLe 8ev. Lawrence
C. Callen, C.S.A., former Academlc vlce resldenL, Lo whom Lhls volume ls dedlcaLed, has been
lnvaluable Lo us all.
l would llke Lo Lhank my colleagues, rofessors WalLer 8rogan, 1homas 8usch, and uennls SchmldL for
Lhelr help ln plannlng Lhls conference and for Lhelr conLrlbuLlons Lo Lhe "8oundLable."
l wlsh Lo Lhank 8arbara 8omano for her help ln Lhe preparaLlon of Lhe lndex.
l wlsh Lo Lhank my wlfe, kaLhy, for Lhe deslgn of Lhe cover of Lhls book, and vlncenL !. Massa for Lhe
phoLography used on Lhe cover.
llnally, l am deeply graLeful Lo !acques uerrlda for hls parLlclpaLlon ln Lhls 8oundLable, whlch provlded
everyone aL vlllanova wlLh a very speclal day, for hls help wlLh Lhe LranscrlpL of Lhe "8oundLable," for hls
lnsplrlng and groundbreaklng work, and, above all, for hls frlendshlp.
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AbbrevlaLlons
noLe: l clLe uerrlda's works ln parenLheses ln Lhe body of Lhe LexL, uslng Lhe followlng sysLem of
abbrevlaLlons, referrlng flrsL Lo Lhe lrench and Lhen, afLer Lhe slash, Lo Lhe Lngllsh LranslaLlon where
such ls avallable. l have adapLed Lhls sysLem of abbrevlaLlons from Lhe one LhaL l flrsL devlsed for 1he
rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1997).
AC L'auLre cap. arls: LdlLlons de MlnulL, 1991. Lng. Lrans.
CP.
AL !acques uerrlda: AcLs of LlLeraLure. Ld. uerek ALLrldge.
new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1992.
Clrcon. Clrconfesslon: ClnquanLe-neuf perlodes eL perlphrases. ln
Ceoffrey 8ennlngLon and !acques uerrlda, !acques uer-
rlda. arls: LdlLlons du Seull, 1991. Lng. Lrans. Clrcum.
Clrcum. Clrcumfesslon: llfLy-nlne erlods and erlphrases. ln Ceof-
frey 8ennlngLon and !acques uerrlda, !acques uerrlda.
Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1993.
uu uu drolL a la phllosophle. arls: Calllee, 1990. Lng. Lrans.
p. 461-498: 8, pp. 377-618: "Sendoffs."
ul1 ulfference ln 1ranslaLlon. Ld. !oseph l. Craham. lLhaca,
n.?.: Cornell unlverslLy ress, 1983.
uLL ue l'esprlL: Peldegger eL la quesLlon. arls: Calllee, 1987.
Lng. Lrans. CS.
uLC ue la grammaLologle. arls: LdlLlons de MlnulL, 1967.
Lng. Lrans. CC.
uM uonner la morL. ln L'LLhlque du don: !acques uerrlda eL
la pensee du don. arls: MeLallle-1ranslLlon, 1992. Lng.
Lrans. Cu.
un1 uerrlda and negaLlve 1heology. Ld. Poward Coward and
1oby loshay. Albany: SLaLe unlverslLy of new ?ork ress,
1992.
-xl-
u! ueconsLrucLlon and Lhe osslblllLy of !usLlce. Ld. urucllla
Cornell eL al. new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1992.
u1 uonner le Lemps. l. La fausse monnale. arls: Calllee,
1991. Lng. Lrans. C1.
Lu L'ecrlLure eL la dlfference. arls: LdlLlons de Seull, 1967.
Lng. Lrans. Wu.
"lL" lorce de lol: Le "londemenL mysLlque de l'auLorlLe." arls:
Calllee, 1994. Lng. Lrans. 1he lorce of Law: '1he MysLl-
cal loundaLlon of AuLhorlLy.' 1rans. Mary CualnLance.
ln u!, pp. 68-91.
"lol" lol eL Savolr: Les deux sources de la 'rellglon' aux llmlLes
de la slmple ralson. ln La 8ellglon. Ld. !acques uerrlda
and Clannl vaLLlmo. arls: Seull, 1996. p. 9-86.
Cu 1he ClfL of ueaLh. 1rans. uavld Wllls. Chlcago: 1he unl-
verslLy of Chlcago ress, 1993.
Clas Clas. arls: Calllee, 1974. Lng. Lrans. Clas. 1rans. 8lch-
ard 8and and !ohn Leavey. Llncoln: unlverslLy of ne-
braska ress, 1986.
C1 Clven 1lme. l. CounLerfelL Money. 1rans. eggy kamuf.
Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1991.
PCdC Pusserl: L'orlglne de la geomeLrle. 2nd. ed. arls: resses
unlverslLalres de lrance, 1974.
PCC Ldmund Pusserl's Crlgln of CeomeLry. 1rans. !ohn
Leavey. 8oulder: !ohn Pays, 1978.
khra khra. arls: Calllee, 1993. Lng. Lrans. khra. 1rans. lan
McLeod, ln Cn, 87-127.
"LC" Llvlng Cn/8order Llnes, 1rans. !ames PulberL. ln Par-
old 8loom eL al. ueconsLrucLlon and CrlLlclsm. new ?ork:
ConLlnuum, 1979. p. 73-176.
M8 Memolrs of Lhe 8llnd: 1he Self-orLralL and CLher 8ulns.
1rans. ascale-Anne 8raulL and Mlchael naas. Chlcago:
1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1993.
MdA Memolrs d'aveugle: L'auLoblographle eL auLres rulnes. arls:
LdlLlons de la 8eunlon des muscees naLlonaux, 1990. Lng.
Lrans. M8.
Md Marges de phllosophle. arls: LdlLlons de MlnulL, 1967.
Lng. Lrans. Mo.
MfdM Memolres: lor aul de Man. 1rans. Ceclle Llndsay, !onaLhanCuller
-xll-
Lhan Culler, and Lduardo Cadava. new ?ork: Columbla
unlverslLy ress, 1986.
MpdM Memolres: our aul de Man. arls: Calllee, 1988.
Mo Marglns of hllosophy. 1rans. Alan 8ass. Chlcago: 1he
unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1982.
"number" A number of ?es. 1rans. 8rlan Polmes. Cul arle, 2
( 1988), 120-133.
CC "Cn Colleges and hllosophy," lnLervlew wlLh Ceoffrey
8ennlngLon, ln osLmodernlsm: lCA uocumenLs. Ld. Llsa
Applgnanesl. London: lree AssoclaLlon 8ooks, 1989. p.
209-228.
CC Cf CrammaLology. 1rans. CayaLrl Splvak. 8alLlmore: 1he
!ohns Popklns unlverslLy ress, 1974.
CP 1he CLher Peadlng: 8eflecLlons on 1oday's Lurope. 1rans.
ascale-Anne 8raulL and Mlchael naas. 8loomlngLon: ln-
dlana unlverslLy ress, 1992.
Cn Cn Lhe name. Ld. 1homas uuLolL. SLanford: SLanford
unlverslLy ress, 1993.
CS Cf SplrlL: Peldegger and Lhe CuesLlon. 1rans. Ceoffrey
8ennlngLon and 8achel 8owlby. Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy
of Chlcago ress, 1989.
arages arages. arls: Calllee, 1986. Lng. Lrans. pp. 118-218:
LC, pp. 230-287: 1he Law of Cenre. 1rans. AvlLal 8o-
nell. ln AL, pp. 221-232.
ass. asslons. arls: Calllee, 1993. Lng. Lrans. asslons: 'An
Cbllque Cfferlng.' 1rans. uavld Wood. ln Cn, pp.
3-31.
dS olnLs de suspenslon: LnLreLlens. Ld. LllsabeLh Weber.
arls: Calllee, 1992. Lng. Lrans. olnLs.
olnLs olnLs . . . lnLervlews, 1974-94. Ld. LllsabeLh Weber.
1rans. eggy kamuf eL al. SLanford: SLanford unlverslLy
ress, 1993.
ol. ollLlques de l'amlLle. arls: Calllee, 1993.
"8" "1he rlnclple of 8eason: 1he unlverslLy ln Lhe Lyes of
lLs uplls." 1rans. CaLherlne orLer and Ldward Morrls.
ulacrlLlcs, 13 ( 1983), 3-20.
S! osL-SLrucLurallsL !oyce: Lssays from Lhe lrench. Ld. uerek
ALLrldge and uanlel lerrer. new ?ork: Cambrldge unlver-
slLy ress, 1984.
-xlll-
sy. syche. lnvenLlons de l'auLre. arls: Calllu+0019e, 1987. Lng.
Lrans. p. 11-62: syche: lnvenLlons of Lhe CLher. 1rans.
CaLherlne orLerL, ln 8u8, pp. 23-63. p. 203-233: ues
1our de 8abel. Lng. Lrans. ul1163-207, p. 333-396:
Pow Lo Avold Speaklng: uenlals, Lrans. ken lrleden, ln
un1, pp. 73-142. p. 639-630: number.
1C ollLlcs, 1heory, and ConLemporary CulLure. Ld. Mark
osLer. new ?ork: Columbla unlverslLy ress, 1993.
8u8 8eadlng ue Man 8eadlng. Ld. Llndsay WaLers and Wlad
Codzlch. Mlnneapolls: unlverslLy of MlnnesoLa ress,
1989.
81 8alslng Lhe 1one of hllosophy: LaLe Lssays by lmmanuel
kanL, 1ransformaLlve CrlLlque by !acques uerrlda. Ld.
eLer lenves. 8alLlmore: 1he !ohns Popklns unlverslLy
ress, 1993.
Sauf Sauf le nom. arls: Calllee, 1993. Lng. Lrans. "Sauf le nom
(osL-ScrlpLum)." 1rans. !ohn Leavey, !r. ln Cn, pp.
33-83.
Schlb. SchlbboleLh: pour aul Celan. arls: Calllee, 1986. Lng.
Lrans. ShlbboleLh: lor aul Celan. 1rans. !oshua
Wllner. ln W1, pp. 3-72.
SdM SpecLres de Marx: LLaL de la deLLe, le Lravall du deull, eL la
nouvelle lnLernaLlonale. arls: Calllee, 1993. Lng. Lrans.
SoM.
"Sendoffs" "Sendoffs." 1rans. 1homas eper. ln ?ale lrench SLudles,
77 ( 1990), 7-43.
SoM SpecLers of Marx: 1he SLaLe of Lhe uebL, Lhe Work of
Mournlng, and Lhe new lnLernaLlonal. 1rans. eggy
kamuf. new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1994.
S Speech and henomena and CLher Lssays on Pusserl's 1he-
ory of Slgns. 1rans. uavld Alllson. LvansLon, lll.: norLh-
wesLern unlverslLy ress, 1973.
1on u'un Lon apocalypLlque adopLe naguere en phllosophle.
arls: Calllee, 1983. Lng. Lrans. Cn a newly Arlsen
ApocalypLlc 1one ln hllosophy. 1rans. !ohn Leavey, !r.
ln 81, pp. 117-171.
uC ulysse gramophone: ueux MoLs pour !oyce. arls: Calllee,
1987. Lng. Lrans. p. 13-33: 1wo Words for !oyce,
Lrans. Ceoff 8ennlngLon, ln S!. p. 143-39. p. 37-143:
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ulysses Cramophone: Pear Say ?es ln !oyce, Lrans. 1lna
kendall and Sharl 8ensLock, ln AL, pp. 236-309.
v La volx eL le phenomene. arls: resses unlverslLalres de
lrance, 1967. Lng. Lrans. S.
Wu WrlLlng and ulfference. 1rans. Alan 8ass. Chlcago: 1he
unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1978.
W1 Word 1races: 8eadlngs of aul Celan. Ld. Arls lloreLos.
8alLlmore: 1he !ohns Popklns unlverslLy ress, 1994.
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A81 CnL 1he vlllanova 8oundLable
A ConversaLlon wlLh !acques uerrlda
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1he vlllanova 8oundLable A ConversaLlon wlLh !acques uerrlda
Lul1C8lAL nC1L
Cn CcLober 2, 1994, !acques uerrlda parLlclpaLed ln a roundLable dlscusslon LhaL was Lhe cenLerplece of
a day dedlcaLed Lo Lhe offlclal lnauguraLlon of Lhe new docLoral program ln phllosophy aL vlllanova
unlverslLy. rofessor uerrlda was speaklng ln Lngllsh, exLemporaneously and wlLhouL a LexL, Lo quesLlons
puL Lo hlm by rofessors WalLer 8rogan, 1homas 8usch, !ohn u. CapuLo, and uennls SchmldL, all of
vlllanova's phllosophy deparLmenL. 1he quesLlon on !oyce was puL afLerward from Lhe audlence by
rofessor !ames Murphy, a !oyce speclallsL ln vlllanova's Lngllsh deparLmenL.
Whlle Lhls forum dld noL allow uerrlda Lo develop Lhe complexlLles of deconsLrucLlon, as he hlmself
repeaLedly proLesLs, uerrlda succeeded ln puLLlng Lhlngs ln a sLrlklngly conclse and lllumlnaLlng way. Pls
audlence was mlxed, composed of people from many dlfferenL dlsclpllnes across Lhe unlverslLy, and
uerrlda held Lhem spellbound for Lhe beLLer parL of Lwo hours. WhaL follows ls, l Lhlnk, as eloquenL and
rellable an "lnLroducLlon" Lo deconsLrucLlon as one ls llkely Lo flnd.
1he reader should remember LhaL uerrlda ls here lmprovlslng hls answers and speaklng ln Lngllsh,
alLhough hls Lngllsh ls exLremely good and much beLLer Lhan hls modesLy wlll allow hlm Lo admlL. 1he
flrsL words he uLLers ln Lhe "8oundLable" are an apology for hls Lngllsh, and he asks us repeaLedly
LhroughouL Lhe dlscusslon Lo have mercy on hlm. 1he "8oundLable" ls noL a carefully wroughL
manuscrlpL LhaL he has labored over aL lengLh buL a falLhful LranscrlpL of hls exLemporaneous remarks ln
Lhe space of abouL an hour and a half one CcLober afLernoon ln 1994.
l am graLeful Lo rofessor uerrlda for klndly consenLlng Lo Lhe publlcaLlon of Lhls conversaLlon. l have
annoLaLed Lhe LexL by supplylng ln
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square brackeLs references Lo hls publlshed works and occaslonal fooLnoLes LhaL explaln cerLaln polnLs. l
have also made mlnor sLyllsLlc alLeraLlons here and Lhere Lo glve Lhe senLences a beLLer flow. rofessor
uerrlda has graclously looked over Lhe LranscrlpL and has hlmself made only mlnor changes.
ln Lhe second half of Lhe presenL volume, l have added Lhe dangerous supplemenL of a commenLary, ln
order Lo elaboraLe upon Lhe necessarlly abbrevlaLed dlscusslons lmposed by Lhe "8oundLable" formaL, ln
whlch uerrlda's suggesLlve buL condensed observaLlons are explored ln greaLer deLall.
* * *
!CPn u. CAu1C: rofessor uerrlda, l would llke Lo begln Loday's dlscusslon by ralslng Lhe lssue of whaL
we are ln facL dolng here and now, aL Lhls momenL, whlch ls lnauguraLlng a docLoral program ln
phllosophy. 1hls ls a rlch and suggesLlve "evenL," and lL evokes many Lhemes LhaL you have been
addresslng over Lhe years ln your work.
Many people, whose lmpresslon of deconsLrucLlon has been drawn from Lhe publlc medla, mlghL flnd
Lhls an odd Lhlng for you Lo be dolng. 1hey assoclaLe deconsLrucLlon wlLh Lhe "end of phllosophy," whlle
we are here beglnnlng a new program ln phllosophy. 1hey ldenLlfy deconsLrucLlon wlLh a desLrucLlve
aLLlLude Loward LexLs and LradlLlons and LruLh, Loward Lhe mosL honorable names ln Lhe phllosophlcal
herlLage. 1hey Lhlnk LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls Lhe enemy of academlc programs and academlc lnsLlLuLlons,
LhaL lL ls anLl-lnsLlLuLlonal and cannoL accommodaLe lLself Lo lnsLlLuLlonal llfe.
llnally, you have ofLen spoken abouL Lhe very noLlon of "lnauguraLlon" as Lhe lrrupLlon of someLhlng
"absoluLely new," and Loday we are Lrylng Lo lnauguraLe, Lo lrrupL. We would be lnLeresLed ln knowlng
whaL your reflecLlons are on Lhls lnaugural momenL.
!ACCuLS uL88luA: llrsL of all, l wanL Lo apologlze for my Lngllsh. l musL lmprovlse here, and LhaL wlll be
a very dlfflculL Lask for me. l would llke Lo Lhank Lhe resldenL and Lhe uean for Lhelr klnd words and for
Lhelr hosplLallLy, and Lo Lhank all of you for belng presenL here. lL ls an honor for me Lo be parL of Lhls
excepLlonal momenL ln Lhe hlsLory of your unlverslLy, and l am very proud of sharlng Lhls experl-
-4-
ence wlLh you, especlally because lL ls Lhe lnauguraLlon of a phllosophy program. l Lhlnk LhaL ls very
lmporLanL and l wlll Lry Lo say someLhlng shorLly abouL [usL whaL l Lhlnk lL ls so lmporLanL.
8efore LhaL, l would emphaslze Lhe facL LhaL Lhe lnsLlLuLlon of such a program ls noL only lmporLanL for
vlllanova unlverslLy, lL ls lmporLanL for Lhe communlLy of phllosophers boLh ln Lhls counLry and abroad.
As you know, Lhe space for phllosophy has been more and more reduced ln Lhe lndusLrlallzed socleLles. l
myself, ln my own counLry, Lry as far as l can Lo sLruggle ln order Lo enlarge Lhe space for phllosophlcal
Leachlng and phllosophlcal research. 1 1hls program ls lmporLanL for your unlverslLy, for Lhe counLry, for
oLher phllosophlcal communlLles ln Lhe world. l say Lhls, flrsL of all, because Lhe phllosophers ln Lhls
unlverslLy who are conducLlng Lhls program are already well known, boLh ln Lhls counLry and ln Lurope. l
have some frlends around me and l can assure you LhaL Lhey are very lmporLanL phllosophers for us, very
preclous Lhlnkers. 1helr presence ls a guaranLee for Lhe fuLure of Lhls program, and we know Lhls ln
advance. A momenL ago, l meL for an hour wlLh many of your graduaLe sLudenLs, Lhe sLudenLs who wlll
work ln Lhls program. l can Lell you qulLe honesLly LhaL Lhey are very brlghL. l was very happy Lo engage
wlLh Lhem for an hour of lnLense phllosophlcal debaLe, Lhey are very well lnformed, very learned, and lL
makes me very opLlmlsLlc abouL Lhe fuLure of Lhls program. l wanL Lo congraLulaLe you and everyone
who parLlclpaLed ln Lhe creaLlon of Lhls program. l wlsh you Lhe besL, and ln my modesL way l wlll Lry Lo
assoclaLe myself as far as posslble wlLh lLs llfe.
WhaL ls called "deconsLrucLlon"--and l wlll be very skeLchy here, because Llme does noL permlL deLalled
analyses--has never, never opposed lnsLlLuLlons as such, phllosophy as such, dlsclpllne as such.
neverLheless, as you rlghLly sald, lL ls anoLher Lhlng for me Lo be dolng whaL l am dolng here. 8ecause,
however afflrmaLlve deconsLrucLlon ls, lL ls afflrmaLlve ln a way LhaL ls noL slmply poslLlve, noL slmply
conservaLlve, noL slmply a way of repeaLlng Lhe glven lnsLlLuLlon. l
____________________
1 lor a commenLary on uerrlda's vlew of phllosophy as an academlc dlsclpllne and hls "pracLlcal
lnlLlaLlves" ln educaLlonal lnsLlLuLlons, see below, arL 1wo, chap. 2, "1he 8lghL Lo hllosophy". See Lhe
wrlLlngs collecLed ln uu, 8, and, also, !acques uerrlda and Ceoffrey 8ennlngLon, "Cn Colleges and
hllosophy," lCA uocumenLs, 4/ 3 ( 1986), 66-71, reprlnLed ln osLmodernlsm: lCA uocumenLs, ed. Llsa
Applgnanesl ( London: lree AssoclaLlon 8ooks, 1989), pp. 209-228, Women ln Lhe 8eehlve: A Semlnar
wlLh !acques uerrlda, ln Men ln lemlnlsm, ed. Allce !ardlne and aul SmlLh ( new ?ork: MeLhuen, 1987),
pp. 189-203.
-3-
Lhlnk LhaL Lhe llfe of an lnsLlLuLlon lmplles LhaL we are able Lo crlLlclze, Lo Lransform, Lo open Lhe
lnsLlLuLlon Lo lLs own fuLure. 1he paradox ln Lhe lnsLlLuLlng momenL of an lnsLlLuLlon ls LhaL, aL Lhe same
Llme LhaL lL sLarLs someLhlng new, lL also conLlnues someLhlng, ls Lrue Lo Lhe memory of Lhe pasL, Lo a
herlLage, Lo someLhlng we recelve from Lhe pasL, from our predecessors, from Lhe culLure. lf an
lnsLlLuLlon ls Lo be an lnsLlLuLlon, lL musL Lo some exLenL break wlLh Lhe pasL, keep Lhe memory of Lhe
pasL, whlle lnauguraLlng someLhlng absoluLely new [cf. dS139/ olnLs130-131]. So, l am convlnced LhaL
Loday, alLhough Lhls program Lo some exLenL looks llke oLher, slmllar programs, lL does someLhlng
absoluLely new. 1he lndlcaLlon of Lhls ls found noL slmply ln Lhe sLrucLural organlzaLlon of Lhe program,
buL ln Lhe work, ln Lhe conLenL of Lhe work, of Lhose who wlll run Lhls program, Lhe new Lhemes. 1he
facL, for lnsLance, LhaL Lhe faculLy lncludes such Loplcs as Peldegger or deconsLrucLlon lndlcaLes LhaL Lhey
are noL slmply reproduclng, LhaL Lhey are Lrylng Lo open someLhlng new and someLhlng orlglnal,
someLhlng LhaL hasn'L been done ln LhaL way ln oLher, slmllar unlverslLles or programs. So Lhe paradox ls
LhaL Lhe lnsLlLuLlng momenL ln an lnsLlLuLlon ls vlolenL ln a way, vlolenL because lL has no guaranLee.
AlLhough lL follows Lhe premlses of Lhe pasL, lL sLarLs someLhlng absoluLely new, and Lhls newness, Lhls
novelLy, ls a rlsk, ls someLhlng LhaL has Lo be rlsky, and lL ls vlolenL because lL ls guaranLeed by no
prevlous rules. So, aL Lhe same Llme, you have Lo follow Lhe rule and Lo lnvenL a new rule, a new norm, a
new crlLerlon, a new law [cf. lL 30-32/ u!23]. 1haL's why Lhe momenL of lnsLlLuLlon ls so dangerous aL
Lhe same Llme. Cne should noL have an absoluLe guaranLee, an absoluLe norm, we have Lo lnvenL Lhe
rules. l am sure LhaL Lhe responslblllLy LhaL ls Laken by my colleagues, and by Lhe sLudenLs, lmplles LhaL
Lhey glve Lhemselves Lhe new rule. 1here ls no responslblllLy, no declslon, wlLhouL Lhls lnauguraLlon, Lhls
absoluLe break. 1haL ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls made of: noL Lhe mlxLure buL Lhe Lenslon beLween
memory, fldellLy, Lhe preservaLlon of someLhlng LhaL has been glven Lo us, and, aL Lhe same Llme,
heLerogenelLy, someLhlng absoluLely new, and a break. 1he condlLlon of Lhls performaLlve success, whlch
ls never guaranLeed, ls Lhe alllance of Lhese Lo newness.
LeL me now address Lhe quesLlon of a program. ln lrance, we have for a long Llme been confronLed wlLh
slmllar lssues. l have aL Lhe same Llme sald Lwo Lhlngs whlch sound conLradlcLory. Cn Lhe one hand, l was
flghLlng or opposlng Lhe rlgld deflnlLlon of programs, dlsclpllnes,
-6-
Lhe borders beLween dlsclpllnes, Lhe facL LhaL ln my counLry phllosophy was LaughL noL only ln Lhe
unlverslLy buL also ln Lhe lasL grade ln Lhe hlgh school. So we founded anoLher lnsLlLuLlon ln 1973, a
movemenL called Lhe "8esearch Croup for Lhe 1eachlng of hllosophy," 2 whlch opposed Lhe domlnanL
lnsLlLuLlon, whlch Lrled Lo convlnce our colleagues and lrench clLlzens LhaL phllosophy should be LaughL
earller Lhan ln Lhls lasL grade of Lhe hlgh school, earller Lhan 16 or 17 years old. 1here should be
phllosophy across Lhe borders, noL only ln phllosophy proper, buL ln oLher flelds, such as law, medlclne,
and so forLh. 1o some exLenL Lhese sLruggles were a fallure, neverLheless, l am sLlll convlnced lL was a
good war. 8uL aL Lhe same Llme l emphaslzed Lhe necesslLy of dlsclpllne, of someLhlng speclflcally
phllosophlcal, LhaL we should noL dlssolve phllosophy lnLo oLher dlsclpllnes, LhaL we need aL Lhe same
Llme lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy, crosslng Lhe borders, esLabllshlng new Lhemes, new problems, new ways, new
approaches Lo new problems, all Lhe whlle Leachlng Lhe hlsLory of phllosophy, Lhe Lechnlques,
professlonal rlgor, whaL one calls dlsclpllne. l do noL Lhlnk we need Lo chose beLween Lhe Lwo. We
should have phllosophers Lralned as phllosophers, as rlgorously as posslble, and aL Lhe same Llme
audaclous phllosophers who cross Lhe borders and dlscover new connecLlons, new flelds, noL only
lnLerdlsclpllnary researches buL Lhemes LhaL are noL even lnLerdlsclpllnary.
Allow me Lo refer Lo anoLher lnsLlLuLlon LhaL l have been parL of ln lrance. l have already menLloned Lhe
"8esearch Croup for Lhe 1eachlng of hllosophy" ln 1973. 8uL ln 1983, some frlends and l founded a new
lnsLlLuLlon called Lhe "lnLernaLlonal College of hllosophy," ln whlch we Lrled Lo Leach phllosophy as
such, as a dlsclpllne, and aL Lhe same Llme, Lo dlscover new Lhemes, new problems, whlch have no
leglLlmacy, whlch were noL recognlzed as such, ln exlsLlng unlverslLles. 1haL was noL slmply
lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy, because lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy lmplles LhaL you have glven, ldenLlflable compeLencles--say,
a legal LheorlsL, an archlLecL, a phllosopher, a llLerary crlLlc--and LhaL Lhey work LogeLher on a speclflc,
ldenLlflable ob[ecL. 1haL's lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy. 8uL when you dlscover a new ob[ecL, an ob[ecL LhaL up unLll
now has noL been ldenLlfled as such, or has no leglLlmacy ln Lerms of academlc
____________________
2 Le Croupe de 8echerches sur l'LnselgnemenL hllosophlque, founded ln 1973 (uu 146-133),
along wlLh Lhe "College lnLernaLlonal de hllosophle," whlch uerrlda menLlons nexL, boLh of whlch l
dlscuss below ln arL ll, chap. 2.
-7-
flelds, Lhen you have Lo lnvenL a new compeLency, a new Lype of research, a new dlsclpllne. 1he
lnLernaLlonal College of hllosophy granLed a prlvllege Lo such new Lhemes, new dlsclpllnes whlch were
noL, up Lo Lhen, recognlzed and leglLlmlzed ln oLher lnsLlLuLlons.
So, you see, l am a very conservaLlve person. l love lnsLlLuLlons and l spenL a loL of Llme parLlclpaLlng ln
new lnsLlLuLlons, whlch someLlmes do noL work. AL Lhe same Llme, l Lry Lo dlsmanLle noL lnsLlLuLlons buL
some sLrucLures ln glven lnsLlLuLlons whlch are Loo rlgld or are dogmaLlc or whlch work as an obsLacle Lo
fuLure research.
WAL1L8 88CCAn: l would llke Lo ask you a quesLlon LhaL ls very much relaLed Lo Lhe maLerlal LhaL you
have [usL been dlscusslng, a quesLlon really also abouL beglnnlngs and lnauguraLlon. Speclflcally, l wanL
Lo ask abouL Lhe relaLlonshlp of your work Lo Lhe Creeks as Lhe lnauguraLors of Lhe WesLern LradlLlon.
1hls semesLer we are readlng your essay on laLo ln our class ln Creek phllosophy. 3 As a maLLer of facL,
Lhls program ln conLlnenLal phllosophy has very much aL Lhe forefronL also a sLudy of Lhe hlsLory of
phllosophy. l wonder how you mlghL characLerlze Lhe connecLlon of your own work and Lhe work of
deconsLrucLlon Lo Lhe Lask of readlng lnherlLed LexLs from Lhe LradlLlon. ?ou have already begun Lo
address LhaL quesLlon. Speclflcally, posLmodernlsm ls ofLen slLuaLed aL Lhe end of LradlLlon and ls ofLen
characLerlzed as havlng Lhe Lask of dlsmanLllng Lhe foundlng LexLs, such as Lhose of laLo and ArlsLoLle.
?eL, ln many ways, your readlng of Lhe haedrus ls so aLLenLlve Lo Lhe sLrucLural lnLegrlLy and Lhe
composlLlon of Lhe dlalogue. So l would llke Lo ask you lf Lhls ls a characLerlsLlc of your phllosophy, Lhls
Lenslon beLween dlsrupLlon, on Lhe one hand, and aLLenLlveness, on Lhe oLher. WhaL would you suggesL
Lo us as people of Lhls age, whaL sLraLegles would you suggesL we employ, ln Lhe readlng of Lhese LexLs?
!ACCuLS uL88luA: llrsL of all, l would say, yes, Lhls Lenslon ls characLerlsLlc of everyLhlng l Lry Lo do.
now, aL Lhe rlsk of belng a llLLle overslmpllfylng, l would Lake Lhls opporLunlLy Lo re[ecL a commonplace, a
pre[udlce, LhaL ls wldely clrculaLed abouL deconsLrucLlon. 1haL ls, noL only among bad [ournallsLs, and
Lhere are many of Lhem, buL among people ln Lhe academy who behave noL llke good [ournallsLs--l have
____________________
3 "laLo's harmacy" ( 1968), ln ulssemlnaLlon, pp. 61-171.
-8-
Lhe deepesL respecL for good [ournallsLs--buL llke bad [ournallsLs, repeaLlng sLereoLypes wlLhouL readlng
Lhe LexL. erhaps we wlll come back Lo Lhls laLer on. 1hls has been from Lhe beglnnlng a Lerrlble problem
for me, and noL only for me, Lhls carlcaLure, Lhls lack of respecL for readlng. 4 8ecause as soon as one
examlnes my LexLs, and noL only mlne buL Lhe LexLs of many people close Lo me, one sees LhaL respecL
for Lhe greaL LexLs, for Lhe LexLs of Lhe Creeks and of oLhers, Loo, ls Lhe condlLlon of our work. l have
consLanLly Lrled Lo read and Lo undersLand laLo and ArlsLoLle and l have devoLed a number of LexLs Lo
Lhem. lf you wlll allow me Lo make a self-reference, my book on frlendshlp [ ollLlques de l'amlLle], whlch
wlll appear Lhe day afLer Lomorrow ln lrance [ arls: Calllee, 1994], ls malnly a book on laLo and
ArlsLoLle on frlendshlp. So l Lhlnk we have Lo read Lhem agaln and agaln and l feel LhaL, however old l
am, l am on Lhe Lhreshold of readlng laLo and ArlsLoLle. l love Lhem and l feel l have Lo sLarL agaln and
agaln and agaln. lL ls a Lask whlch ls ln fronL of me, before me.
now, neverLheless, Lhe way l Lrled Lo read laLo, ArlsLoLle, and oLhers ls noL a way of commandlng,
repeaLlng, or conservlng Lhls herlLage. lL ls an analysls whlch Lrles Lo flnd ouL how Lhelr Lhlnklng works or
does noL work, Lo flnd Lhe Lenslons, Lhe conLradlcLlons, Lhe heLerogenelLy wlLhln Lhelr own corpus [cf.
khra81-84/ Cn119-121]. WhaL ls Lhe law of Lhls self-deconsLrucLlon, Lhls "auLo-deconsLrucLlon"?
ueconsLrucLlon ls noL a meLhod or some Lool LhaL you apply Lo someLhlng from Lhe ouLslde [cf.
MpdM122-123/ MfdM124]. ueconsLrucLlon ls someLhlng whlch happens and whlch happens lnslde,
Lhere ls a deconsLrucLlon aL work wlLhln laLo's work, for lnsLance. As my colleagues know, each Llme l
sLudy laLo l Lry Lo flnd some heLerogenelLy ln hls own corpus, and Lo see how, for lnsLance, wlLhln Lhe
1lmaeus Lhe Lheme of Lhe khra ls lncompaLlble wlLh Lhls supposed sysLem of laLo. 3 So, Lo be Lrue Lo
laLo, and Lhls ls a slgn of love and respecL for laLo, l have Lo analyze Lhe funcLlonlng and dlsfuncLlonlng
of hls work. l would say Lhe same for Lhe whole openlng, a poLenLlal force whlch was ready Lo cross Lhe
borders of Creek language, Creek culLure.
____________________
4 Cne of uerrlda's besL arLlculaLlons of hls respecL for readlng ls Lo be found ln "AfLerword: 1oward
An LLhlc of ulscusslon," Lrans. Samuel Weber, ln !acques uer rlda , LlmlLed lnc. ( LvansLon, lll.:
norLhwesLern unlverslLy ress, 1988). Cne of Lhe prlnclpal alms of Lhe commenLary LhaL follows ln arL
1wo of Lhls volume ls Lo dlspel Lhls mlsrepresenLaLlon of deconsLrucLlon's approach Lo LexLs.
3 See below, arL ll, chap. 3, for a deLalled dlscusslon of uerrlda's lnLerpreLaLlon of laLo's khra.
-9-
l would say Lhe same for democracy, alLhough Lhe concepL of democracy ls a Creek herlLage. 1hls
herlLage ls Lhe herlLage of a model, noL slmply a model, buL of a model LhaL self-deconsLrucLs, LhaL
deconsLrucLs lLself, so as Lo uprooL, Lo become lndependenL of lLs own grounds, so Lo speak, so LhaL,
Loday, phllosophy ls Creek and lL ls noL Creek [cf. Lu227-228/ Wu133]. ln my book on frlendshlp,
ollLlques de l'amlLle, l Lrled Lo analyze whaL happened Lo Creek LhoughL wlLh Lhe advenL of ChrlsLlanlLy,
especlally wlLh Lhe concepL of broLherhood. 6 1he way Lhe ChrlsLlan concepL of broLherhood
Lransformed Lhe Creek concepL of broLherhood was aL Lhe same Llme someLhlng new, an lnauguraLlon, a
muLaLlon, a break, buL Lhls break, aL Lhe same Llme, was developlng someLhlng whlch was poLenLlally
lnscrlbed ln Lhe Creek LradlLlon. So, we have Lo go back consLanLly Lo Lhe Creek orlgln, noL ln order Lo
culLlvaLe Lhe orlgln, or ln order Lo proLecL Lhe eLymology, Lhe eLymon, Lhe phllologlcal purlLy of Lhe
orlgln, buL ln order flrsL of all Lo undersLand where we come from. 1hen we have Lo analyze Lhe hlsLory
and Lhe hlsLorlclLy of Lhe breaks whlch have produced our currenL world ouL of Creece, for lnsLance, ouL
of ChrlsLlanlLy, ouL of Lhls orlgln, and breaklng or Lransformlng Lhls orlgln, aL Lhe same Llme. So Lhere ls
Lhls Lenslon.
Colng back Lo my own Lendency or LasLe or ldlosyncraLlc sLyle: l love readlng Creek, lL ls sLlll a very
dlfflculL Lask, and when l read laLo l en[oy lL. l Lhlnk lL ls an lnflnlLe Lask. 1he problem ls noL behlnd me.
laLo ls ln fronL of me. 1haL's why Loday, ln Lhe mldsL of so many sLereoLypes and pre[udlces LhaL are
clrculaLlng abouL deconsLrucLlon, l flnd lL palnful Lo see LhaL many people who address Lhe quesLlon of
Lhe canon Lhlnk Lhey have Lo make a cholce beLween readlng laLo or oLher greaL whlLe males" and
readlng black women wrlLers. 7 8uL why should we choose? Lven before Lhe quesLlon of Lhe canon
became so vlslble, no one ln Lhe unlverslLy could be slmulLaneously a greaL speclallsL ln laLo and ln
ArlsLoLle and ln Shakespeare. 1he cholces had Lo be
____________________
6 lor an Lngllsh LexL LhaL adumbraLes ol., see "1he ollLlcs of lrlendshlp," Lrans. Cabrlel MoLzkln,
1he !ournal of hllosophy, 83, no. 11 ( 1988), 632-644. lor a dlscusslon of Lhe lssues surroundlng Lhls
book see below, arL ll, chaps. 4 and 3.
7 See Amy CuLman, 8elaLlvlsm, ueconsLrucLlon, and Lhe Currlculum, ln Campus Wars: MulLl-
CulLurallsm and Lhe ollLlcs of ulfference, ed. !ohn ArLhur and Amy Shaplro ( 8oulder: WesLvlew ress,
1993), pp. 37-69, who accuses "deconsLrucLlon" (she never qulLe geLs around acLually Lo clLlng !acques
uerrlda) of [usL such a vlew. 1hls whole lssue ls dlscussed ln more deLall below, ln arL 1wo, chap. 2, "1he
8lghL Lo hllosophy," and chap. 3, "A Poax".
-10-
made, and LhaL ls Lhe flnlLude of our condlLlon. no one can aL Lhe same Llme be an experL ln laLo and ln
MllLon, for lnsLance. We accepLed Lhls. lL was common sense. Why Loday should we choose beLween Lhe
greaL canon--laLo, Shakespeare [see AL414-433], CervanLes, and Pegel--and oLhers on Lhe oLher hand?
1he academlc fleld ls a dlfferenLlaLed fleld. Lveryone can flnd hls or her way and make cholces. A
program, of course, can become speclallzed, buL Lhls does noL mean LhaL Lhere cannoL be oLher
programs wlLh no excluslvlLy whlch would speclallze ln oLher flelds. 1haL ls why l do noL undersLand whaL
ls golng on wlLh Lhls quesLlon of Lhe canon. AL leasL as regards deconsLrucLlon, lL ls lnLeresLed ln whaL ls
consldered Lhe greaL canon-Lhe sLudy of greaL WesLern works--and open aL Lhe same Llme Lo new works,
new ob[ecLs, new flelds, new culLures, new languages, and l see no reason why we should choose
beLween Lhe Lwo. 1haL ls Lhe Lenslon ln deconsLrucLlon.
1PCMAS W. 8uSCP: lf l mlghL, l would llke Lo follow up on a remark you made abouL lnLernaLlonallsm ln
Lhe sense of your foundlng of Lhe lnLernaLlonal College of hllosophy and also whaL l Lake Lo be, ln your
book SpecLers of Marx, perhaps a call for a new form of lnLernaLlonallsm. 8ecenLly a dlsLlngulshed
Amerlcan hlsLorlan sald, apropos of Lhe Amerlcan moLLo L plurlbus unum, LhaL Loday, ln Lhe unlLed
SLaLes, we have Loo much plurlbus and noL enough unum. 8 now, l have always consldered
deconsLrucLlon Lo be on Lhe slde of Lhe plurlbus, LhaL ls, as deconsLrucLlng LoLallLles, ldenLlLles, ln favor
of loosenlng Lhem up ln Lerms of dlverslLy, dlsrupLlons, flssures. l Lhlnk LhaL ls a lesson we have all
learned from deconsLrucLlon. WhaL l would llke Lo ask regards any deconsLrucLlve salvaglng of Lhe unum.
1haL ls, can Lhe plurlbus, Lhe dlverslLy, lLself become Loo dangerous? WhaL does deconsLrucLlon say, lf
anyLhlng, ln favor of Lhe unum, of communlLy? ls Lhere a place for unlLy afLer deconsLrucLlon? WhaL
mlghL lL look llke?
!ACCuLS uL88luA: 1hank you. Agaln a dlfflculL quesLlon. LeL me say a word flrsL abouL Lhe
lnLernaLlonallLy LhaL you refer Lo aL Lhe beglnnlng. 1he lnLernaLlonallLy l referred Lo ln Lhls book, slnce
Marx was
____________________
8 ArLhur Schleslnger, 1he ulsunlLlng of Amerlca: 8eflecLlons on a MulLlculLural SocleLy ( new ?ork:
W. W. norLon Co., 1992), see Lhe excerpL of Lhls book ln CulLural Wars, pp. 226-234.
-11-
Lhe maln reference of Lhe book, was supposed Lo be dlfferenL from whaL was called ln Lhe MarxlsL
LradlLlon Lhe "lnLernaLlonal" [cf. SdM 139-142/SCM 84-86]. l Lhlnk LhaL, Loday, Lhere are wars and a
number of world crlses ln whlch lnLernaLlonal organlzaLlons such as Lhe unlLed naLlons, for lnsLance,
have Lo lnLervene buL cannoL lnLervene Lhe way Lhey should. 1haL ls, lnLernaLlonal law, whlch ls a good
Lhlng, neverLheless ls sLlll rooLed ln lLs mlsslon, ln lLs acLlon, ln lLs languages, ln a WesLern concepL of
phllosophy, a WesLern concepL of Lhe sLaLe and of soverelgnLy, and Lhls ls a llmlL. We have Lo deconsLrucL
Lhe foundaLlons of Lhls lnLernaLlonal law, buL noL ln order Lo desLroy Lhe lnLernaLlonal organlzaLlon. l
Lhlnk lnLernaLlonal organlzaLlons are someLhlng good, someLhlng perfecLlble, and someLhlng necessary,
buL we have Lo reLhlnk Lhe phllosophlcal foundaLlons of Lhese lnLernaLlonal organlzaLlons.
1haL's one llmlL. 1he oLher llmlL, whlch ls connecLed wlLh Lhe flrsL one, has Lo do wlLh Lhe facL LhaL Lhese
lnLernaLlonal organlzaLlons are, ln facL, governed by a number of parLlcular sLaLes whlch provlde Lhese
lnLernaLlonal organlzaLlons wlLh Lhe means Lo lnLervene, wlLh Lhe mlllLary power, wlLh Lhe economlc
power, and, of course, Lhe unlLed SLaLes plays a ma[or role ln Lhls. SomeLlmes lL ls a good Lhlng, buL lL ls
aL Lhe same Llme a llmlL. So Lhe unlversallLy of lnLernaLlonal law ls ln facL ln Lhe hands of a number of
powerful, rlch sLaLes and has Lo change, and lL ls ln Lhe process of changlng, Lhrough a number of
dlsasLers, crlses, economlc lnequallLles, ln[usLlces, and so on. Pence, Lhe lnLernaLlonal arm l Lhlnk ls
looklng for lLs own place, lLs own flgure, someLhlng whlch would go beyond Lhe currenL sLage of
lnLernaLlonallLy, perhaps beyond clLlzenshlp, beyond belonglng Lo a sLaLe, Lo a glven naLlon sLaLe. And l
Lhlnk LhaL ln Lhe world Loday a number of human belngs are secreLly allgned ln Lhelr sufferlng agalnsL Lhe
hegemonlc powers whlch proLecL whaL ls called Lhe "new order." So LhaL's whaL l mean by a "new
lnLernaLlonal." noL a new way of assoclaLlng clLlzens belonglng Lo glven naLlon-sLaLes, buL a new concepL
of clLlzenshlp, of hosplLallLy, a new concepL of Lhe sLaLe, of democracy. ln facL, lL ls noL a new concepL of
democracy, buL a new deLermlnaLlon of Lhe glven concepL of democracy, ln Lhe LradlLlon of Lhe concepL
of democracy. 9
____________________
9 ln addlLlon Lo SpecLers of Marx, uerrlda also dlscussed Lhe problems of lnLernaLlonallsm and Lhe
"new world order" ln 1he CLher Peadlng, boLh of whlch are dlscussed below ln arL 1wo, chap. 4, whlch
elaboraLes Lhe quesLlon of deconsLrucLlon and Lhe posslblllLy of communlLy.
-12-
now, havlng sald Lhls--agaln very slmply, ln a way whlch ls Loo slmple--l Lhlnk we do noL have Lo choose
beLween unlLy and mulLlpllclLy. Cf course, deconsLrucLlon--LhaL has been lLs sLraLegy up Lo now.-lnslsLed
noL on mulLlpllclLy for lLself buL on Lhe heLerogenelLy, Lhe dlfference, Lhe dlsassoclaLlon, whlch ls
absoluLely necessary for Lhe relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher. WhaL dlsrupLs Lhe LoLallLy ls Lhe condlLlon for Lhe
relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher. 1he prlvllege granLed Lo unlLy, Lo LoLallLy, Lo organlc ensembles, Lo communlLy as a
homogenlzed whole--Lhls ls a danger for responslblllLy, for declslon, for eLhlcs, for pollLlcs. 1haL ls why l
lnslsLed on whaL prevenLs unlLy from closlng upon lLself, from belng closed up. 1hls ls noL only a maLLer
of descrlpLlon, of saylng LhaL Lhls ls Lhe way lL ls. lL ls a maLLer of accounLlng for Lhe posslblllLy of
responslblllLy, of a declslon, of eLhlcal commlLmenLs. 1o undersLand Lhls, you have Lo pay aLLenLlon Lo
whaL l would call slngularlLy. SlngularlLy ls noL slmply unlLy or mulLlpllclLy. now, Lhls does noL mean LhaL
we have Lo desLroy all forms of unlLy wherever Lhey occur. l have never sald anyLhlng llke LhaL. Cf course,
we need unlLy, some gaLherlng, some conflguraLlon. ?ou see, pure unlLy or pure mulLlpllclLy--when Lhere
ls only LoLallLy or unlLy and when Lhere ls only mulLlpllclLy or dlsassoclaLlon--ls a synonym of deaLh. WhaL
lnLeresLs me ls Lhe llmlL of every aLLempL Lo LoLallze, Lo gaLher, versammeln--and l wlll come Lo Lhls
Cerman word ln a momenL, because lL ls lmporLanL for me--Lhe llmlL of Lhls unlfylng, unlLlng movemenL,
Lhe llmlL LhaL lL had Lo encounLer, because Lhe relaLlonshlp of Lhe unlLy Lo lLself lmplles some dlfference.
1o be more concreLe, Lake Lhe example of a person or of a culLure. We ofLen lnslsL nowadays on culLural
ldenLlLy--for lnsLance, naLlonal ldenLlLy, llngulsLlc ldenLlLy, and so on. SomeLlmes Lhe sLruggles under Lhe
banner of culLural ldenLlLy, naLlonal ldenLlLy, llngulsLlc ldenLlLy, are noble flghLs. 8uL aL Lhe same Llme Lhe
people who flghL for Lhelr ldenLlLy musL pay aLLenLlon Lo Lhe facL LhaL ldenLlLy ls noL Lhe selfldenLlLy of a
Lhlng, Lhls glass, for lnsLance, Lhls mlcrophone, buL lmplles a dlfference wlLhln ldenLlLy. 1haL ls, Lhe
ldenLlLy of a culLure ls a way of belng dlfferenL from lLself, a culLure ls dlfferenL from lLself, language ls
dlfferenL from lLself, Lhe person ls dlfferenL from lLself. Cnce you Lake lnLo accounL Lhls lnner and oLher
dlfference, Lhen you pay aLLenLlon Lo Lhe oLher and you undersLand LhaL flghLlng for your own ldenLlLy ls
noL excluslve of anoLher ldenLlLy, ls open Lo anoLher ldenLlLy. And Lhls prevenLs LoLallLarlanlsm,
naLlonallsm, egocenLrlsm, and so
-13-
on. 1haL ls whaL l Lrled Lo demonsLraLe ln Lhe book called 1he CLher Peadlng: ln Lhe case of culLure,
person, naLlon, language, ldenLlLy ls a self-dlfferenLlaLlng ldenLlLy, an ldenLlLy dlfferenL from lLself, havlng
an openlng or gap wlLhln lLself [ AC13-17/ CP9-11]. 1haL LoLally affecLs a sLrucLure, buL lL ls a duLy, an
eLhlcal and pollLlcal duLy, Lo Lake lnLo accounL Lhls lmposslblllLy of belng one wlLh oneself. lL ls because l
am noL one wlLh myself LhaL l can speak wlLh Lhe oLher and address Lhe oLher. 1haL ls noL a way of
avoldlng responslblllLy. Cn Lhe conLrary, lL ls Lhe only way for me Lo Lake responslblllLy and Lo make
declslons.
1haL ralses one of my quesLlons regardlng Peldegger. As you know, deconsLrucLlon owes a loL Lo
Peldegger. 1haL ls a complex problem LhaL l cannoL Lake up now. neverLheless, one of Lhe recurrenL
crlLlques or deconsLrucLlve quesLlons l pose Lo Peldegger has Lo do wlLh Lhe prlvllege Peldegger granLs
Lo whaL he calls versammlung, gaLherlng, whlch ls always more powerful Lhan dlssoclaLlon. l would say
exacLly Lhe opposlLe [cf. SdM49-37/ SoM23-29]. 10 Cnce you granL some prlvllege Lo gaLherlng and noL
Lo dlssoclaLlng, Lhen you leave no room for Lhe oLher, for Lhe radlcal oLherness of Lhe oLher, for Lhe
radlcal slngularlLy of Lhe oLher. l Lhlnk, from LhaL polnL of vlew, separaLlon, dlssoclaLlon ls noL an obsLacle
Lo socleLy, Lo communlLy, buL Lhe condlLlon. We addressed Lhls a momenL ago wlLh Lhe sLudenLs. 11
ulssoclaLlon, separaLlon, ls Lhe condlLlon of my relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher. l can address Lhe CLher only Lo Lhe
exLenL LhaL Lhere ls a separaLlon, a dlssoclaLlon, so LhaL l cannoL replace Lhe oLher and vlce versa. 1haL ls
whaL some lrench-speaklng phllosophers such as 8lanchoL and Levlnas call Lhe "rapporL sans rapporL,"
Lhe relaLlonless relaLlon [cf. lol84-83]. 12 1he sLrucLure of my relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher ls of a "relaLlon
wlLhouL relaLlon." lL ls a relaLlon ln whlch Lhe oLher remalns absoluLely LranscendenL. l cannoL reach Lhe
oLher. l cannoL know Lhe oLher from Lhe lnslde and so on. 1haL ls noL an obsLacle buL Lhe condlLlon of
love, of frlendshlp, and of war, Loo, a condlLlon of Lhe relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher.
____________________
10 See below, arL 1wo, chap. 3, for a dlscusslon of uerrlda's noLlon of [usLlce as a "dls-[uncLure" as
opposed Lo Peldegger's lnLerpreLaLlon of dlke as versammlung.
11 ln a prlvaLe conversaLlon (no faculLy allowed!) wlLh Lhe graduaLe sLudenLs.
12 ln 1oLallLy and lnflnlLy, Lrans. Alphonso Llngls ( lLLsburgh: uuquesne unlverslLy ress, 1969),
Lmmanuel Levlnas repeaLedly speaks of a relaLlonshlp from whlch Lhe relaLa absolve Lhemselves, LhaL ls,
keep wlLhdrawlng Lhemselves, "ab-laLlng" or "absoluLlzlng" Lhemselves, preservlng and shelLerlng Lhelr
slngularlLy. See pp. 64, 102, 180, 193, 208, 220.
-14-
So, dlssoclaLlon ls Lhe condlLlon of communlLy, Lhe condlLlon of any unlLy as such.
So, Lhe sLaLe, Lo come back Lo Lhe sLaLe: a sLaLe ln whlch Lhere would be only unum would be a Lerrlble
caLasLrophe. And we have had, unforLunaLely, a number of such experlences. A sLaLe wlLhouL plurallLy
and a respecL for plurallLy would be, flrsL, a LoLallLarlan sLaLe, and noL only ls Lhls a Lerrlble Lhlng, buL lL
does noL work. We know LhaL lL ls Lerrlble and LhaL lL does noL work. llnally, lL would noL even be a sLaLe.
lL would be, l do noL know whaL, a sLone, a rock, or someLhlng llke LhaL. 1hus, a sLaLe as such musL be
aLLenLlve as much as posslble Lo plurallLy, Lo Lhe plurallLy of peoples, of languages, culLures, eLhnlc
groups, persons, and so on. 1haL ls Lhe condlLlon for a sLaLe.
uLnnlS SCPMlu1: l have a very slmple quesLlon. lL follows some of Lhe remarks you [usL made abouL Lhe
naLure of communlLy, abouL Lhe lmposslblllLy of eLhlcal llfe, Lhe lmposslblllLy of [usLlce, as belng Lhe
condlLlon of Lhe appearance of [usLlce. ln some of your more recenL work Lhe Loplc of [usLlce has
surfaced far more expllclLly and far more clearly, even Lhough you mlghL argue LhaL lL has been Lhere all
Lhe Llme. l would llke Lo ask you Lo elaboraLe a blL more on Lhe naLure of [usLlce, how you undersLand
[usLlce. ?ou speak, for lnsLance ln Lhe Marx book, of Lhe sense of [usLlce LhaL ls so sLrong and so powerful
LhaL lL shaLLers every calculus, every posslble economy, LhaL lL can only be descrlbed ln Lerms of Lhe glfL.
ln a number of llLLle LexLs, such as asslons, Sauf le nom, and khra [Lng. Lrans., Cn], whlch LogeLher
form a sorL of essay on Lhe name, you say LhaL Lhls essay on Lhe name needs Lo be undersLood, among
lLs oLher dlmenslons, as pollLlcal ln lLs LruLh. Could you elaboraLe a blL more on Lhe meanlng of Lhls
[usLlce LhaL can only be descrlbed as a glfL, LhaL cannoL be llnked Lo any calculus, Lo any economy, Lo a
dlalecLlc, Lo a seL of exchanges, Lo Lhe posslblllLy of vengeance or punlshmenL? 1hls mlghL be an
lmposslble quesLlon, buL could you say a llLLle blL more abouL LhaL and say someLhlng abouL LhaL ln
relaLlon Lo Lhe quesLlon of Lhe name, and slngularlLy, and some of Lhe remarks you [usL made ln
response Lo rofessor 8usch?
!ACCuLS uL88luA: Well, before l Lry Lo answer Lhese quesLlons, l would agaln say LhaL, as you see, Lhese
quesLlons cannoL really be dealL wlLh ln such a forum, because Lhey are dlfflculL. 8eally Lo do [usLlce Lo
Lhem you have Lo read LexLs, Lo revlve a number of LradlLlons, so lL
-13-
ls very bruLal Lo address Lhese quesLlons ln such a way. lf l were more responslble, l would slmply say
"no, l won'L, l won'L parLlclpaLe ln Lhls game." neverLheless, someLlmes lL ls noL a bad Lhlng, aL leasL lf
you do noL do lL Loo ofLen. lL ls noL LhaL bad LhaL we Lry Lo encapsulaLe deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell. LeL
me offer you an anecdoLe. Cne day, Lwo years ago, when l was ln Cambrldge--Lhere was Lhls Lerrlble
honorary degree crlsls ln Cambrldge--and a [ournallsL Look Lhe mlcrophone and sald, "Well, could you Lell
me, ln a nuLshell, whaL ls deconsLrucLlon?" [ olnLs406]. SomeLlmes, of course, l confess, l am noL able Lo
do LhaL. 8uL someLlmes lL may be useful Lo Lry nuLshells. So, whaL abouL Lhls problem of [usLlce ln a
nuLshell?
lL ls Lrue LhaL, alLhough Lhe problem of [usLlce has been on my mlnd ln prevlous LexLs all Lhe Llme, lL ls
only ln recenL years LhaL l have addressed Lhls problem LhemaLlcally. lL was ln Lhe conLexL of a
conference aL Cardozo Law school on "ueconsLrucLlon and Lhe osslblllLy of !usLlce," where l had Lo
address a LexL by 8en[amln on vlolence [see lL73ff./ u!29ff.]. l found lL useful Lo make a dlsLlncLlon
beLween law and [usLlce, whaL one calls ln lrench le drolL, LhaL ls, rlghL, or 8echL ln Cerman. ln Lngllsh,
when you say "law," you are say boLh rlghL and law, le drolL eL le lol, aL Lhe same Llme, whereas ln
lrench, we dlsLlngulsh beLween Lhem. So l make a dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhe law, LhaL ls Lhe hlsLory of
rlghL, of legal sysLems, and [usLlce. lollowlng 8en[amln, and aL Lhe same Llme Lrylng Lo deconsLrucL
8en[amln's LexL, or Lo show how 8en[amln's LexL was deconsLrucLlng lLself, l made Lhls sLaLemenL--ln a
nuLshell--LhaL Lhe law could be deconsLrucLed. 1here ls a hlsLory of legal sysLems, of rlghLs, of laws, of
poslLlve laws, and Lhls hlsLory ls a hlsLory of Lhe LransformaLlon of laws. 1haL why Lhey are Lhere. ?ou can
lmprove law, you can replace one law by anoLher one. 1here are consLlLuLlons and lnsLlLuLlons. 1hls ls a
hlsLory, and a hlsLory, as such, can be deconsLrucLed. Lach Llme you replace one legal sysLem by anoLher
one, one law by anoLher one, or you lmprove Lhe law, LhaL ls a klnd of deconsLrucLlon, a crlLlque and
deconsLrucLlon. So, Lhe law as such can be deconsLrucLed and has Lo be deconsLrucLed. 1haL ls Lhe
condlLlon of hlsLorlclLy, revoluLlon, morals, eLhlcs, and progress. 8uL [usLlce ls noL Lhe law. !usLlce ls whaL
glves us Lhe lmpulse, Lhe drlve, or Lhe movemenL Lo lmprove Lhe law, LhaL ls, Lo deconsLrucL Lhe law.
WlLhouL a call for [usLlce we would noL have any lnLeresL ln deconsLrucLlng Lhe law. 1haL ls why l sald LhaL
Lhe condlLlon of posslblllLy of deconsLrucLlon ls a call for [usLlce. !usLlce ls noL reduclble Lo
-16-
Lhe law, Lo a glven sysLem of legal sLrucLures. 1haL means LhaL [usLlce ls always unequal Lo lLself. lL ls
non-colncldenL wlLh lLself [cf. lL 34-36/ u!14-13]. 13
1hen, ln SpecLers of Marx, l wenL back agaln Lo Lhe Creeks, Lo Lhe word dlke, Lo Lhe lnLerpreLaLlon of Lhe
Creek word LranslaLed by "[usLlce." l conLesLed Lhe lnLerpreLaLlon by Peldegger of dlke and adlkla, [usLlce
and ln[usLlce [see above, n. 10]. l Lrled Lo show LhaL [usLlce agaln lmplled non-gaLherlng, dlssoclaLlon,
heLerogenelLy, non-ldenLlLy wlLh lLself, endless lnadequaLlon, lnflnlLe Lranscendence. 1haL ls why Lhe call
for [usLlce ls never, never fully answered. 1haL ls why no one can say "l am [usL" [cf. lL32/ u!23]. lf
someone Lells you "l am [usL," you can be sure LhaL he or she ls wrong, because belng [usL ls noL a maLLer
of LheoreLlcal deLermlnaLlon. l cannoL know LhaL l am [usL. l can know LhaL l am rlghL. l can see LhaL l acL
ln agreemenL wlLh norms, wlLh Lhe law. l sLop aL Lhe red llghL. l am rlghL. 1haL ls no problem. 8uL LhaL
does noL mean LhaL l am [usL. 1o speak of [usLlce ls noL a maLLer of knowledge, of LheoreLlcal [udgmenL.
1haL's why lL's noL a maLLer of calculaLlon. ?ou can calculaLe whaL ls rlghL. ?ou can [udge, you can say
LhaL, accordlng Lo Lhe code, such and such a mlsdeed deserves Len years of lmprlsonmenL. 1haL may be a
maLLer of calculaLlon. 8uL Lhe facL LhaL lL ls rlghLly calculaLed does noL mean LhaL lL ls [usL. A [udge, lf he
wanLs Lo be [usL, cannoL conLenL hlmself wlLh applylng Lhe law. Pe has Lo relnvenL Lhe law each Llme. lf
he wanLs Lo be responslble, Lo make a declslon, be has noL slmply Lo apply Lhe law, as a coded program,
Lo a glven case, buL Lo relnvenL ln a slngular slLuaLlon a new [usL relaLlonshlp, LhaL means LhaL [usLlce
cannoL be reduced Lo a calculaLlon of sancLlons, punlshmenLs, or rewards. 1haL may be rlghL or ln
agreemenL wlLh Lhe law, buL LhaL ls noL [usLlce. !usLlce, lf lL has Lo do wlLh Lhe oLher, wlLh Lhe lnflnlLe
dlsLance of Lhe oLher, ls always unequal Lo Lhe oLher, ls always lncalculable. ?ou cannoL calculaLe [usLlce.
Levlnas says somewhere LhaL Lhe deflnlLlon of [usLlce--whlch ls very mlnlmal buL whlch l love, whlch l
Lhlnk ls really rlgorous--ls LhaL [usLlce ls Lhe relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher. 14 1haL ls all. Cnce you relaLe Lo Lhe
oLher as Lhe oLher, Lhen someLhlng lncalculable comes on Lhe scene, someLhlng whlch cannoL be
reduced Lo Lhe law or Lo Lhe hlsLory
____________________
13 lor a fuller dlscusslon of uerrlda's LreaLmenL of [usLlce and Lhe law, see below, arL ll, chap. 3.
14 See 1oLallLy and lnflnlLy, p. 89 ( lL49/ u!22).
-17-
of legal sLrucLures. 1haL ls whaL glves deconsLrucLlon lLs movemenL, LhaL ls, consLanLly Lo suspecL, Lo
crlLlclze Lhe glven deLermlnaLlons of culLure, of lnsLlLuLlons, of legal sysLems, noL ln order Lo desLroy
Lhem or slmply Lo cancel Lhem, buL Lo be [usL wlLh [usLlce, Lo respecL Lhls relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher as [usLlce.
ln Lhe essays you menLloned [see Cn] l Lrled Lo read a number of LexLs, malnly laLo's 1lmaeus, ln Lerms
of Lhe quesLlon of Lhe place, khra, whlch dlsLurbs and undermlnes Lhe whole laLonlc sysLem, all Lhe
couples of opposlLlon whlch consLlLuLe Lhe laLonlc sysLem. 1hls reflecLlon on khra ls parL of a pollLlcal
dlscusslon. l Lrled Lo reconsLlLuLe Lhls pollLlcal scenarlo ln order Lo suggesL--and LhaL ls all LhaL ls posslble
here, wlLhouL reopenlng laLo's LexL--LhaL, lf you Lake lnLo accounL Lhe sLrange sLrucLure of Lhe khra, of
place, whlch ls Lhe openlng for any lnscrlpLlon, for any happenlng or any evenL, Lhen you have noL only
Lo deconsLrucL Lhe LradlLlonal concepL of pollLlcs, buL Lo Lhlnk of anoLher way of lnLerpreLlng pollLlcs,
LhaL ls, Lhe place for Lhe place, Lhe place for hosplLallLy, 13 Lhe place for Lhe glfL. ?ou have Lo Lhlnk
pollLlcs oLherwlse. 1haL ls parL of a number of gesLures l have made ln recenL years Lo deconsLrucL Lhe
pollLlcal LradlLlon, noL ln order Lo depollLlclze buL ln order Lo lnLerpreL dlfferenLly Lhe concepL of Lhe
pollLlcal, Lhe concepL of democracy, and Lo Lry Lo arLlculaLe Lhese concepLs of Lhe pollLlcal and of
democracy wlLh whaL l sald abouL Lhe glfL and abouL slngularlLy.
1he only Lhlng l would say abouL Lhe glfL--Lhls ls an enormous problem--ls LhaL Lhe glfL ls preclsely, and
Lhls ls whaL lL has ln common wlLh [usLlce, someLhlng whlch cannoL be reapproprlaLed. 16 A glfL ls
someLhlng whlch never appears as such and ls never equal Lo graLlLude, Lo commerce, Lo compensaLlon,
Lo reward. When a glfL ls glven, flrsL of all, no graLlLude can be proporLlonaLe Lo lL. A glfL ls someLhlng
LhaL you cannoL be Lhankful for. As soon as l say "Lhank you" for a glfL, l sLarL cancellng Lhe glfL, l sLarL
desLroylng Lhe glfL, by proposlng an equlvalence, LhaL ls, a clrcle whlch enclrcles Lhe glfL ln a movemenL
of reapproprlaLlon. So, a glfL ls someLhlng LhaL ls beyond Lhe clrcle of
____________________
13 uerrlda's lecLures on "hosplLallLy" are as yeL unpubllshed, buL l have provlded an overvlew of hls
argumenL below, arL 1wo, chap. 4, ln connecLlon wlLh undersLandlng hls heslLaLlons abouL Lhe word
"communlLy."
16 1he mosL lmporLanL dlscusslons of Lhe glfL are ln u1/C1 and uM/Cu, alLhough Lhe noLlon was
already belng analyzed ln Lhe LexLs of Lhe 1970s, mosL noLably Clas. l have LreaLed Lhls noLlon below, arL
1wo, chap. 3.
-18-
reapproprlaLlon, beyond Lhe clrcle of graLlLude. A glfL should noL even be acknowledged as such. As
soon as l know LhaL l glve someLhlng, lf l say "l am glvlng you someLhlng," l [usL canceled Lhe glfL. l
congraLulaLe myself or Lhank myself for glvlng someLhlng and Lhen Lhe clrcle has already sLarLed Lo
cancel Lhe glfL. So, Lhe glfL should noL be rewarded, should noL be reapproprlaLed, and should noL even
appear as such. As soon as Lhe glfL appears as such Lhen Lhe movemenL of graLlLude, of
acknowledgmenL, has sLarLed Lo desLroy Lhe glfL, lf Lhere ls such a Lhlng--l am noL sure, one ls never sure
LhaL Lhere ls a glfL, LhaL Lhe glfL ls glven. lf Lhe glfL ls glven, Lhen lL should noL even appear Lo Lhe one
who glves lL or Lo Lhe one who recelves lL, noL appear as such. 1haL ls paradoxlcal, buL LhaL ls Lhe
condlLlon for a glfL Lo be glven [ u1 23-27/ u111-14].
1haL ls Lhe condlLlon Lhe glfL shares wlLh [usLlce. A [usLlce LhaL could appear as such, LhaL could be
calculaLed, a calculaLlon of whaL ls [usL and whaL ls noL [usL, saylng whaL has Lo be glven ln order Lo be
[usL-LhaL ls noL [usLlce. 1haL ls soclal securlLy, economlcs. !usLlce and glfL should go beyond calculaLlon.
1hls does noL mean LhaL we should noL calculaLe. We have Lo calculaLe as rlgorously as posslble. 8uL
Lhere ls a polnL or llmlL beyond whlch calculaLlon musL fall, and we musL recognlze LhaL. WhaL l Lrled Lo
Lhlnk or suggesL ls a concepL of Lhe pollLlcal and of democracy LhaL would be compaLlble wlLh, LhaL could
be arLlculaLed wlLh, Lhese lmposslble noLlons of Lhe glfL and [usLlce. A democracy or a pollLlcs LhaL we
slmply calculaLe, wlLhouL [usLlce and Lhe glfL, would be a Lerrlble Lhlng, and Lhls ls ofLen Lhe case.
!CPn u. CAu1C: Can we Lalk a llLLle blL abouL Lheology?
!ACCuLS uL88luA: We have sLarLed already, buL we could conLlnue.
!CPn u. CAu1C. ?ou have wrlLLen a book called Clrcumfesslon (Clrconfesslon) whlch ls consLrucLed on
an analogy wlLh SL. AugusLlne's Confesslons. 1haL ls profoundly lnLeresLlng Lo Lhe members of Lhe
vlllanova unlverslLy communlLy, whlch ls an lnsLlLuLlon conducLed by Lhe Crder of SL. AugusLlne, a
CaLhollc rellglous order. Llke SL. AugusLlne, you were born ln whaL ls Loday Algerla. ?ou were even ralsed
on a sLreeL called Lhe rue SalnL-AugusLln.
!ACCuLS uL88luA. 1wo monLhs afLer l was born, l wenL back Lo Lhe house, whlch was ln Alglers, locaLed
on Lhe rue SalnL-AugusLln.
-19-
!CPn u. CAu1C: Cne of Lhe mosL famous Lhemes of Lhe Confesslons LhaL you lnvoke ls LhaL, llke SL.
AugusLlne, your moLher was worrled abouL you, LhaL you Loo were a "son of Lhese Lears" (flllus lsLarum
lacrlmarum). She was worrled abouL wheLher you sLlll belleved ln Cod, and she would noL ask you abouL
lL [cf. Clrcon. 146/Clrcum. 134-133].
!ACCuLS uL88luA. never.
!CPn u. CAu1C: She dld noL dare ask you, so she asked everyone else. ?ou go on Lo say Lhere LhaL,
whlle you "qulLe rlghLly pass for an aLhelsL," sLlll "Lhe consLancy of Cod ln my llfe ls called by oLher names
[Clrcon 146/Clrcum. 134-133]." now, l always been lnLeresLed ln Lhe lnLersecLlon of Lhlnkers llke
Peldegger and Lhe rellglous LradlLlon, my earllesL work was on Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween Peldegger and
MelsLer LckharL. Cne of Lhe Lhlngs LhaL has fasclnaLed me abouL your work, and of whlch l am remlnded
as l llsLen Lo you answerlng rofessor SchmldL's quesLlon abouL [usLlce, ls how much whaL you say abouL
[usLlce resonaLes wlLh Lhe blbllcal noLlons of [usLlce and care for slngularlLy, as opposed Lo Lhe
phllosophlcal noLlon, where [usLlce ls deflned ln Lerms of unlversallLy, of Lhe bllndness of [usLlce. 1he
quesLlon LhaL l would pose Lo you Loday has Lo do wlLh Lhe messlanlc, someLhlng you address ln SpecLers
of Marx. ln Lhls book, Lhe LhemaLlc of a-venlr and vlens!, of Lhe lmposslble fuLure, are framed ln Lerms of
whaL you call a "quasl-aLhelsLlc" messlanlc, whlch you dlsLlngulsh from Lhe hlsLorlcal "messlanlsms,"
Lhose of Lhe rellglons of Lhe 8ook [SdM 263-268/SoM 167-169]. My quesLlon ls, whaL do !udalsm, Lhe
blbllcal LradlLlon generally, and ln parLlcular Lhe propheLlc LradlLlon of [usLlce, mean for you and for your
work? Pow can blbllcal rellglon and deconsLrucLlon communlcaLe wlLh each oLher? Can Lhey do each
oLher any good? Are Lhey on Lalklng Lerms wlLh each oLher?
!ACCuLS uL88luA: llrsL of all, l am really lnLlmldaLed here, noL only by Lhls audlence, buL by Lhls
reference Lo SL. AugusLlne. 1he way l refer Lo SL. AugusLlne ls really noL very orLhodox, lL ls raLher--a sln! l
have Lo confess LhaL my relaLlon Lo SL. AugusLlne's Confesslons ls a llLLle sLrange. lf l had Lo summarlze
whaL l am dolng wlLh SL. AugusLlne ln Clrcumfesslon, l would say Lhls. Cn Lhe one hand, l play wlLh some
analogles, LhaL he came from Algerla, LhaL hls moLher dled ln Lurope, Lhe way my moLher was dylng ln
nlce when l was wrlLlng Lhls, and so
-20-
on. l am consLanLly playlng, serlously playlng, wlLh Lhls, and quoLlng senLences from Lhe Confesslons ln
LaLln, 17 all Lhe whlle Lrylng, Lhrough my love and admlraLlon for SL. AugusLlne--l have enormous and
lmmense admlraLlon for hlm--Lo ask quesLlons abouL a number of axloms, noL only ln hls Confesslons buL
ln hls pollLlcs, Loo. So Lhere ls a love sLory and a deconsLrucLlon beLween us. 8uL l won'L lnslsL on SL.
AugusLlne, here. lL ls Loo dlfflculL, and Lhe way Lhe LexL ls wrlLLen cannoL be Laken lnLo accounL ln a forum
llke Lhls.
1o address, more dlrecLly, Lhe quesLlon of rellglon--agaln, ln an overslmpllfylng way--l would say Lhls.
llrsL, l have no sLable poslLlon on Lhe LexLs you menLloned, Lhe propheLs and Lhe 8lble. lor me, Lhls ls an
open fleld, and l can recelve Lhe mosL necessary provocaLlons from Lhese LexLs as well as, aL Lhe same
Llme, from laLo and oLhers. ln SpecLers of Marx, l Lry Lo reconsLlLuLe Lhe llnk beLween Marx and some
propheLs Lhrough Shakespeare [cf. SdM 73-78/SoM 41-44]. 1hls does noL mean LhaL l am slmply a
rellglous person or LhaL l am slmply a bellever. lor me, Lhere ls no such Lhlng as "rellglon" [cf. lol, 37 ff.].
WlLhln whaL one calls rellglons--!udalsm, ChrlsLlanlLy, lslam, or oLher rellglons--Lhere are agaln Lenslons,
heLerogenelLy, dlsrupLlve volcanos, someLlmes LexLs, especlally Lhose of Lhe propheLs, whlch cannoL be
reduced Lo an lnsLlLuLlon, Lo a corpus, Lo a sysLem. l wanL Lo keep Lhe rlghL Lo read Lhese LexLs ln a way
whlch has Lo be consLanLly relnvenLed. lL ls someLhlng whlch can be LoLally new aL every momenL.
1hen l would dlsLlngulsh beLween rellglon and falLh. lf by rellglon you mean a seL of bellefs, dogmas, or
lnsLlLuLlons--Lhe church, e.g.--Lhen l would say LhaL rellglon as such can be deconsLrucLed, and noL only
can be buL should be deconsLrucLed, someLlmes ln Lhe name of falLh. lor me, as for you, klerkegaard ls
here a greaL example of some paradoxlcal way of conLesLlng rellglous dlscourse ln Lhe name of
____________________
17 uerrlda uses LaLln ln Clrcumfesslon Lo emphaslze Lhe degree Lo whlch Lhe !udalsm ln whlch he
grew up had been asslmllaLed lnLo a ChrlsLlan world--hls famlly, for example, spoke of "bapLlsm" and
"communlon" lnsLead of clrcumclslon and bar mlLzvah. Lacklng a language of hls own, whlch should have
been elLher Pebrew (as a !ew) or Arablc (as an Algerlan), Lhe lrench he speaks ls a "forelgn language,"
Lhe language of Lhe colonlzers, "ChrlsLlan LaLln lrench," and noL hls own. See Clrcon. 264-268/
Clrcum.286-290. lor a furLher dlscusslon of uerrlda's LreaLmenL of Lhe Confesslons ln Clrcumfesslon, see
!ohn u. CapuLo, 1he rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda: 8ellglon WlLhouL 8ellglon ( 8loomlngLon:
lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1997), 18. lor more on Lhe messlanlc, see below, arL 1wo, chap. 6, and
rayers and 1ears, 9-10.
-21-
a falLh LhaL cannoL be slmply masLered or domesLlcaLed or LaughL or loglcally undersLood, a falLh LhaL ls
paradoxlcal. now, whaL l call falLh ln Lhls case ls llke someLhlng LhaL l sald abouL [usLlce and Lhe glfL,
someLhlng LhaL ls presupposed by Lhe mosL radlcal deconsLrucLlve gesLure. ?ou cannoL address Lhe oLher,
speak Lo Lhe oLher, wlLhouL an acL of falLh, wlLhouL LesLlmony. 18 WhaL are you dolng when you aLLesL Lo
someLhlng? ?ou address Lhe oLher and ask, "belleve me." Lven lf you are lylng, even ln a per[ury, you are
addresslng Lhe oLher and asklng Lhe oLher Lo LrusL you. 1hls "LrusL me, l am speaklng Lo you" ls of Lhe
order of falLh, a falLh LhaL cannoL be reduced Lo a LheoreLlcal sLaLemenL, Lo a deLermlnaLlve [udgmenL, lL
ls Lhe openlng of Lhe address Lo Lhe oLher. So Lhls falLh ls noL rellglous, sLrlcLly speaklng, aL leasL lL cannoL
be LoLally deLermlned by a glven rellglon. 1haL ls why Lhls falLh ls absoluLely unlversal. 1hls aLLenLlon Lo
Lhe slngularlLy ls noL opposed Lo unlversallLy. l would noL oppose, as you dld, unlversallLy and slngularlLy.
19 l would Lry Lo keep Lhe Lwo LogeLher. 1he sLrucLure of Lhls acL of falLh l was [usL referrlng Lo ls noL as
such condlLloned by any glven rellglon. 1haL ls why lL ls unlversal. 1hls does noL mean LhaL ln any
deLermlnaLe rellglon you do noL flnd a reference Lo Lhls pure falLh whlch ls nelLher ChrlsLlan nor !ewlsh
nor lslamlc nor 8uddhlsL, eLc.
now, l would say Lhe same Lhlng abouL Lhe messlanlc. 20 When l lnslsLed ln SpecLers of Marx on
messlanlclLy, whlch l dlsLlngulshed from messlanlsm, l wanLed Lo show LhaL Lhe messlanlc sLrucLure ls a
unlversal sLrucLure. As soon as you address Lhe oLher, as soon as you are open Lo Lhe fuLure, as soon as
you have a Lemporal experlence of walLlng for Lhe fuLure, of walLlng for someone Lo come: LhaL ls Lhe
openlng of experlence. Someone ls Lo come, ls now Lo come. !usLlce and peace wlll have Lo do wlLh Lhls
comlng of Lhe oLher, wlLh Lhe promlse. Lach Llme l open my mouLh, l am promlslng someLhlng.
____________________
18 ln hls mosL recenL dlscusslon of rellglon, lol eL Savolr: Les deux sources de la 'rellglon' aux llmlLes
de la slmple ralson, ln La 8ellglon, ed. !acques uerrlda and Clannl vaLLlmo ( arls: Seull, 1996), pp. 9-86,
uerrlda explores Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween falLh and rellglon, aL Lhe end of whlch he elaboraLes upon Lhls
quesLlon of falLh and LesLlmony. lor a commenLary on Lhls LexL ln parLlcular, see CapuLo, rayers and
1ears, 11. 1he quesLlon of LesLlmony ls of growlng lmporLance Lo hlm, all Lhe addlLlons he made ln Lhe
1993 Calllee edlLlon of asslons ( Cn3ff.) Lo Lhe LexL LhaL appeared ln Lngllsh ln 1992 have Lo do wlLh
LesLlmony.
19 ln lol28, uerrlda speaks of messlanlc [usLlce as a "unlversallzable culLure of ," Lhus comblnlng
boLh Lhe slngular and Lhe unlversal lnLo one expresslon.
20 l have dlscussed uerrlda's LreaLmenL of Lhe messlanlc below, arL 1wo, chap. 6.
-22-
When l speak Lo you, l am Lelllng you LhaL l promlse Lo Lell you someLhlng, Lo Lell you Lhe LruLh. Lven lf l
lle, Lhe condlLlon of my lle ls LhaL l promlse Lo Lell you Lhe LruLh. So Lhe promlse ls noL [usL one speech
acL among oLhers, every speech acL ls fundamenLally a promlse. 1hls unlversal sLrucLure of Lhe promlse,
of Lhe expecLaLlon for Lhe fuLure, for Lhe comlng, and Lhe facL LhaL Lhls expecLaLlon of Lhe comlng has Lo
do wlLh [usLlce--LhaL ls whaL l call Lhe messlanlc sLrucLure. 1hls messlanlc sLrucLure ls noL llmlLed Lo whaL
one calls messlanlsms, LhaL ls, !ewlsh, ChrlsLlan, or lslamlc messlanlsm, Lo Lhese deLermlnaLe flgures and
forms of Lhe Messlah. As soon as you reduce Lhe messlanlc sLrucLure Lo messlanlsm, Lhen you are
reduclng Lhe unlversallLy and Lhls has lmporLanL pollLlcal consequences. 1hen you are accredlLlng one
LradlLlon among oLhers and a noLlon of an elecLed people, of a glven llLeral language, a glven
fundamenLallsm. 1haL ls why l Lhlnk LhaL Lhe dlfference, however subLle lL may appear, beLween Lhe
messlanlc and messlanlsm ls very lmporLanL. Cn Lhe slde of messlanlclLy Lhere ls falLh, no doubL. 1here ls
no socleLy wlLhouL falLh, wlLhouL LrusL ln Lhe oLher. Lven lf l abuse Lhls, lf l lle or lf l commlL per[ury, lf l
am vlolenL because of Lhls falLh, even on Lhe economlc level, Lhere ls no socleLy wlLhouL Lhls falLh, Lhls
mlnlmal acL of falLh. WhaL one calls credlL ln caplLallsm, ln economlcs, has Lo do wlLh falLh, and Lhe
economlsLs know LhaL. 8uL Lhls falLh ls noL and should noL be reduced or deflned by rellglon as such.
now, l wlll end Lhls dlscusslon wlLh Lhls polnL. 1he problem remalns--and Lhls ls really a problem for me,
an enlgma--wheLher Lhe rellglons, say, for lnsLance, Lhe rellglons of Lhe 8ook, are buL speclflc examples
of Lhls general sLrucLure, of messlanlclLy. 1here ls Lhe general sLrucLure of messlanlclLy, as Lhe sLrucLure
of experlence, and on Lhls groundless ground Lhere have been revelaLlons, a hlsLory whlch one calls
!udalsm or ChrlsLlanlLy and so on. 1haL ls a posslblllLy, and Lhen you would have a Peldeggerlan gesLure,
ln sLyle. ?ou would have Lo go back from Lhese rellglons Lo Lhe fundamenLal onLologlcal condlLlons of
posslblllLles of rellglons, Lo descrlbe Lhe sLrucLure of messlanlclLy on Lhe groundless ground on whlch
rellglons have been made posslble.
1haL ls one hypoLhesls. 1he oLher hypoLhesls--and l confess LhaL l heslLaLe beLween Lhese Lwo
posslblllLles--ls LhaL Lhe evenLs of revelaLlon, Lhe blbllcal LradlLlons, Lhe !ewlsh, ChrlsLlan, and lslamlc
LradlLlons, have been absoluLe evenLs, lrreduclble evenLs whlch have unvelled Lhls messlanlclLy. We
would noL know whaL messlanlclLy ls
-23-
wlLhouL messlanlsm, wlLhouL Lhese evenLs whlch were Abraham, Moses, and !esus ChrlsL, and so on. ln
LhaL case slngular evenLs would have unvelled or revealed Lhese unlversal posslblllLles, and lL ls only on
LhaL condlLlon LhaL we can descrlbe messlanlclLy. 8eLween Lhe Lwo posslblllLles l musL confess l osclllaLe
and l Lhlnk some oLher scheme has Lo be consLrucLed Lo undersLand Lhe Lwo aL Lhe same Llme, Lo do
[usLlce Lo Lhe Lwo posslblllLles. 1haL ls why--and perhaps Lhls ls noL a good reason, perhaps one day l wlll
glve up Lhls--for Lhe Llme belng l keep Lhe word "messlanlc." Lven lf lL ls dlfferenL from messlanlsm,
messlanlc refers Lo Lhe word Messlah, lL does noL slmply belong Lo a cerLaln culLure, a !ewlsh or ChrlsLlan
culLure. l Lhlnk LhaL for Lhe Llme belng l need Lhls word, noL Lo Leach, buL Lo leL people undersLand whaL l
am Lrylng Lo say when l speak of messlanlclLy. 8uL ln dolng so l sLlll keep Lhe slngularlLy of a slngle
revelaLlon, LhaL ls !ewlsh, ChrlsLlan revelaLlon, wlLh lLs reference Lo Messlah. lL ls a relnLerpreLaLlon of
Lhls LradlLlon of Lhe Messlah [cf. SdM 263-268/SoM 167-169].
LeL me Lell you a sLory, someLhlng l reread recenLly, and whlch l quoLe ln Lhe book on frlendshlp
[ ollLlques de l'amlLle, 33nl], whlch wlll be publlshed ln a few days. Maurlce 8lanchoL Lells Lhls sLory. 21
1he Messlah was aL Lhe gaLes of 8ome unrecognlzed, dressed ln rags. 8uL one man who recognlzed LhaL
Lhls was Lhe Messlah wenL up Lo hlm and asked hlm, "When wlll you come?" l Lhlnk Lhls ls very profound.
lL means LhaL Lhere ls some lnadequaLlon beLween Lhe now and now. Pe ls comlng now, Lhe messlanlc
does noL walL. 1hls ls a way of walLlng for Lhe fuLure, rlghL now. 1he responslblllLles LhaL are asslgned Lo
us by Lhls messlanlc sLrucLure are responslblllLles for here and now. 1he Messlah ls noL some fuLure
presenL, lL ls lmmlnenL and lL ls Lhls lmmlnence LhaL l am descrlblng under Lhe name of messlanlc
sLrucLure.
now, Lhere ls anoLher posslblllLy LhaL l also menLloned ln Lhls book on frlendshlp: LhaL Lhe Messlah ls noL
slmply Lhe one, Lhe oLher, LhaL l am consLanLly walLlng for. 1here would be no experlence wlLhouL Lhe
walLlng on Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher, Lhe comlng of Lhe evenL, and [usLlce. 8uL Lhe Messlah mlghL also be
Lhe one l expecL even whlle l do noL wanL hlm Lo come. 1here ls Lhe posslblllLy LhaL my relaLlon Lo Lhe
Messlah ls Lhls: l would llke hlm Lo come, l hope LhaL he wlll
____________________
21 Maurlce 8lanchoL, 1he WrlLlng of Lhe ulsasLer, Lrans. Ann Smock ( Llncoln: unlverslLy of nebraska
ress, 1986), pp. 141-142.
-24-
come, LhaL Lhe oLher wlll come, as oLher, for LhaL would be [usLlce, peace, and revoluLlon--because ln
Lhe concepL of messlanlclLy Lhere ls revoluLlon--and, aL Lhe same Llme, l am seared. l do noL wanL whaL l
wanL and l would llke Lhe comlng of Lhe Messlah Lo be lnflnlLely posLponed, and Lhere ls Lhls deslre ln
me. 1haL ls why Lhe man who addressed Lhe Messlah sald, "When wlll you come?" 1haL ls a way Lo say,
well as long as l speak Lo you, as long as l ask you Lhe quesLlon, "When wlll you come?", aL leasL you are
noL comlng. And LhaL ls Lhe condlLlon for me Lo go on asklng quesLlons and llvlng. So Lhere ls some
amblgulLy ln Lhe messlanlc sLrucLure. We walL for someLhlng we would noL llke Lo walL for. 1haL ls
anoLher name for deaLh.
!AMLS Mu8P?: l wanL Lo ask you abouL Lhe lnfluence of your work on llLerary LexLs and ln reverse, ln
parLlcular your works on !ames !oyce, where Lhe lnfluence seems Lo go from hlm Lo you, and Lhen from
you back agaln. So you are deconsLrucLlng !oyce whlle !oyce ls deconsLrucLlng you. Could you expand
upon Lhls relaLlonshlp?
!ACCuLS uL88luA: lL ls already very dlfflculL Lo wrlLe on !oyce, buL Lo speak on !oyce ls even more
dlfflculL. 22 neverLheless, l wlll Lry Lo say someLhlng. A long Llme ago, ln 1936-37, l spenL a year aL
Parvard, and whaL l dld Lhere was Lo read !oyce ln Lhe Wldener Llbrary, whlch provlded my encounLer
wlLh ulysses. Slnce Lhen, !oyce has represenLed for me Lhe mosL glganLlc aLLempL Lo gaLher ln a slngle
work, LhaL ls, ln Lhe slngularlLy of a work whlch ls lrreplaceable, ln a slngular evenL--l am referrlng here Lo
ulysses and Lo llnnegan's Wake--Lhe presumed LoLallLy, noL only of one culLure buL of a number of
culLures, a number of languages, llLeraLures, and rellglons. 1hls lmposslble Lask of preclsely gaLherlng ln a
LoLallLy, ln a poLenLlal LoLallLy, Lhe poLenLlally lnflnlLe memory of humanlLy ls, aL Lhe same Llme and ln an
exemplary way, boLh new ln lLs modern form and very classlcal ln lLs phllosophlcal form. 1haL ls why l
ofLen compare ulysses Lo Pegel, for lnsLance, Lo Lhe Lncyclopedla or Lhe Loglc, as an aLLempL Lo reach
absoluLe knowledge Lhrough a slngle acL of memory. 1hls ls made posslble only by loadlng every
senLence, every word, wlLh a maxlmum of equlvocallLles, vlrLual assoclaLlons, by maklng Lhls organlc
llngulsLlc LoLallLy as rlch as posslble. Cf course, aL Lhe same Llme, Lhls aLLempL reassembled
____________________
22 See below, arL 1wo, chap. 7.
-23-
Lhe hlsLory of llLeraLure and lnauguraLed and produced a break ln Lhe hlsLory of llLeraLure. WhaL l Lrled
Lo show also ln my work on !oyce ls LhaL, aL Lhe same Llme, Lhe wrlLlng of Lhese works funcLlons as an
ln[uncLlon Lo Lhe academy, LhaL ls, Lo llLerary crlLlcs Lo come, Lo Lhe lnsLlLuLlon of !oycean scholarshlp, Lo
bulld a sorL of beehlve, an lnflnlLe lnsLlLuLlon of people worklng as lnLerpreLers and phllologlsLs, people
declpherlng !oyce's slgnaLure as a slngular slgnaLure. lrom LhaL polnL of vlew l Lhlnk LhaL !oyce ls a greaL
landmark ln Lhe hlsLory of deconsLrucLlon. 1haL ls why Lhe reference Lo !oyce ls lmporLanL Lo me.
ln my flrsL book on Pusserl [ Pusserl's "Crlgln of CeomeLry": An lnLroducLlon, 1962] l Lrled Lo compare
Lhe way !oyce LreaLs language and Lhe way a classlcal phllosopher such as Pusserl LreaLs language. !oyce
wanLed Lo make hlsLory, Lhe resumlng and Lhe LoLallzaLlon of hlsLory, posslble Lhrough Lhe accumulaLlon
of meLaphorlclLles, equlvocallLles, and Lropes. Pusserl, on Lhe oLher hand, LhoughL LhaL hlsLorlclLy was
made posslble by Lhe LransparenL unlvoclLy of language, LhaL ls, by a sclenLlflc, maLhemaLlcal, pure
language. 1here ls no hlsLorlclLy wlLhouL Lhe Lransparency of Lhe LradlLlon, Pusserl says, whlle !oyce says
Lhere ls no hlsLorlclLy wlLhouL Lhls accumulaLlon of equlvocallLy ln language. lL ls from Lhe Lenslon
beLween Lhese Lwo lnLerpreLaLlons of language LhaL l Lrled Lo address Lhe quesLlon of language [cf. PCdC
104-107/PCC 102-104]
l would menLlon only Lwo oLher polnLs ln !oyce ln reference Lo our currenL dlscusslon. Cne has Lo do
wlLh whaL !oyce calls aL some polnL Lhe legal flcLlon of faLherhood [uC 133/AL 304]. 1hls ls a very
ChrlsLlan momenL, when SLephen uaedalus says LhaL paLernlLy ls a legal flcLlon, and he refers Lo well-
known ChrlsLlan LexLs. Why ls LhaL so? 8ecause one ls supposed Lo know who Lhe moLher ls. 1here ls Lhe
posslblllLy of bearlng wlLness Lo who Lhe moLher ls, whereas Lhe faLher ls only reconsLrucLed, lnferred.
1he ldenLlflcaLlon of Lhe faLher ls always reslgnlng a [udgmenL, you cannoL see Lhe faLher. Cur experlence
Loday ls LhaL lL ls noL only Lhe faLher who ls a legal flcLlon, from whlch lL draws and has drawn lLs
auLhorlLy. lreud conflrms Lhls by saylng LhaL paLrlarchy represenLs progress ln Lhe hlsLory of manklnd,
because Lo deLermlne who Lhe faLher ls, you need reason, whereas Lo deLermlne who Lhe moLher ls, you
need only senslble percepLlon. l Lhlnk he ls wrong, and he has always been wrong buL we know Lhls now
beLLer Lhan ever. lor Loday Lhe moLher ls also a legal flcLlon from LhaL polnL of vlew. MoLherhood ls
someLhlng whlch ls lnLerpreLed, Lhe Lheme
-26-
of a reconsLrucLlon from experlence. WhaL one calls Loday surrogaLe moLhers, for lnsLance, and all Lhe
enormous problems LhaL you are famlllar wlLh, aLLesL Lo Lhe facL LhaL we do noL know who Lhe moLher ls.
Who ls Lhe moLher ln Lhe case of surrogaLe moLhers? And when we reallze LhaL moLherhood ls noL
slmply a maLLer of percepLlon, we reallze LhaL lL has never been so. 1he moLher has always been a
maLLer of lnLerpreLaLlon, of soclal consLrucLlon. 1hls has enormous pollLlcal consequences, whlch we do
noL have Llme Lo deal wlLh now. 8uL lf we had Llme, l would Lry Lo show whaL Lhe equlvocal
consequences would be of Lhls facL LhaL Lhe slLuaLlon of Lhe moLher ls Lhe same as LhaL of Lhe faLher.
1haL ls Lhe flrsL Lhlng l lnslsLed on ln Lhls LexL on !oyce.
1he second Lhlng l would selecL here has Lo do Lhe quesLlon of Lhe "yes." ln my shorL essay on !oyce, l
Lrled Lo deal only wlLh Lhe word "yes" as lL was performed, so Lo speak, ln ulysses. l Lrled Lo show all Lhe
paradoxes LhaL are llnked Lo Lhe quesLlon of Lhe "yes," and Lhls has Lo do wlLh Lhe facL LhaL
deconsLrucLlon ls "yes," ls llnked Lo Lhe "yes," ls an afflrmaLlon. As you know, "yes" ls Lhe lasL word ln
ulysses. When l say "yes" Lo Lhe oLher, ln Lhe form of a promlse or an agreemenL or an oaLh, Lhe "yes"
musL be absoluLely lnaugural. lnauguraLlon ls Lhe Lheme Loday. lnauguraLlon ls a "yes." l say "yes" as a
sLarLlng polnL. noLhlng precedes Lhe "yes." 1he "yes" ls Lhe momenL of lnsLlLuLlon, of Lhe orlgln, lL ls
absoluLely orlglnary. 8uL when you say "yes," you lmply LhaL ln Lhe nexL momenL you wlll have Lo conflrm
Lhe "yes" by a second "yes." When l say "yes," l lmmedlaLely say "yes, yes." l commlL myself Lo conflrm
my commlLmenL ln Lhe nexL second, and Lhen Lomorrow, and Lhen Lhe day afLer Lomorrow. 1haL means
LhaL a "yes" lmmedlaLely dupllcaLes lLself, doubles lLself. ?ou cannoL say "yes" wlLhouL saylng "yes, yes."
1haL lmplles memory ln LhaL promlse. l promlse Lo keep Lhe memory of Lhe flrsL "yes." ln a weddlng, for
lnsLance, or ln a promlse, when you say "yes, l agree," "l wlll," you lmply "l wlll say 'l wlll' Lomorrow," and
"l wlll conflrm my promlse", oLherwlse Lhere ls no promlse. 1haL means LhaL Lhe "yes" keeps ln advance
Lhe memory of lLs own beglnnlng, and LhaL ls Lhe way LradlLlons work. lf, Lomorrow, you do noL conflrm
LhaL Loday you have founded your program, Lhere wlll noL have been any lnauguraLlon. 1omorrow,
perhaps nexL year, perhaps LwenLy years from now, you wlll know wheLher Loday Lhere has been an
lnauguraLlon. We do noL know LhaL yeL. We preLend LhaL Loday we are lnauguraLlng someLhlng. 8uL who
knows? We wlll see. So "yes" has Lo be repeaLed and repeaLed
-27-
lmmedlaLely. 1haL ls whaL l call lLerablllLy. lL lmplles repeLlLlon of lLself, whlch ls also LhreaLenlng,
because Lhe second "yes" may be slmply a parody, a record, or a mechanlcal repeLlLlon. ?ou may say
"yes, yes" llke a parroL. 1he Lechnlcal reproducLlon of Lhe orlglnary "yes" ls from Lhe beglnnlng a LhreaL
Lo Lhe llvlng orlgln of Lhe "yes." So Lhe "yes" ls haunLed by lLs own ghosL, lLs own mechanlcal ghosL, from
Lhe beglnnlng. 1he second "yes" wlll have Lo relnauguraLe, Lo relnvenL, Lhe flrsL one. lf Lomorrow you do
noL relnvenL Loday's lnauguraLlon, you wlll be dead. So Lhe lnauguraLlon has Lo be relnvenLed everyday.
!CPn u. CAu1C: rofessor uerrlda, Lhank you very much.
-28-
A81 1WC
A CommenLary: ueconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell
-29-
1
ueconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell: 1he very ldea (!)
"Cne day, Lwo years ago, when l was ln Cambrldge . . . a [ournallsL Look Lhe mlcrophone and sald,
'Well, could you Lell me, ln a nuLshell, whaL ls deconsLrucLlon?' SomeLlmes, of course, l confess, l am noL
able Lo do LhaL. 8uL someLlmes lL may be useful Lo Lry nuLshells."
-- "8oundLable,"16
1PL AC8L1lCS Cl 1PL nu1SPLLL
ueconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell? Why, Lhe very ldea!
1he very ldea of a nuLshell ls a mlsLake and a mlsundersLandlng, an excess--or raLher a defecL--of
[ournallsLlc hasLe and lmpaLlence, a rldlculous demand puL by someone who has never read a word of
uerrlda 's works ( olnLs406). nuLshells enclose and encapsulaLe, shelLer and proLecL, reduce and
slmpllfy, whlle everyLhlng ln deconsLrucLlon ls Lurned Loward openlng, exposure, expanslon, and
complexlflcaLlon ( olnLs429), Loward releaslng unheard-of, undreamL-of posslblllLles Lo come, Loward
cracklng nuLshells wherever Lhey appear.
1he very meanlng and mlsslon of deconsLrucLlon ls Lo show LhaL Lhlngs--LexLs, lnsLlLuLlons, LradlLlons,
socleLles, bellefs, and pracLlces of whaLever slze and sorL you need--do noL have deflnable meanlngs and
deLermlnable mlsslons, LhaL Lhey are always more Lhan any mlsslon would lmpose, LhaL Lhey exceed Lhe
boundarles Lhey currenLly occupy. WhaL ls really golng on ln Lhlngs, whaL ls really happenlng, ls always Lo
come. Lvery Llme you Lry Lo sLablllze Lhe meanlng of a Lhlng, Lo flx lL ln lLs mlsslonary poslLlon, Lhe Lhlng
lLself, lf Lhere ls anyLhlng aL all Lo lL, sllps away (v 117/S 104). A "meanlng" or a "mlsslon" ls a way Lo
conLaln and compacL Lhlngs, llke a nuLshell, gaLherlng Lhem
-31-
lnLo a unlLy, whereas deconsLrucLlon bends all lLs efforLs Lo sLreLch beyond Lhese boundarles, Lo
Lransgress Lhese conflnes, Lo lnLerrupL and dls[oln all such gaLherlng.
Whenever lL runs up agalnsL a llmlL, deconsLrucLlon presses agalnsL lL. Whenever deconsLrucLlon flnds a
nuLshell--a secure axlom or a plLhy maxlm--Lhe very ldea ls Lo crack lL open and dlsLurb Lhls LranqullllLy.
lndeed, LhaL ls a good rule of Lhumb ln deconsLrucLlon. 1haL ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls all abouL, lLs very
meanlng and mlsslon, lf lL has any. Cne mlghL even say LhaL cracklng nuLshells ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls.
ln a nuLshell.
8uL Lhen have we noL gone Loo far? Pave we noL run up agalnsL a paradox and an aporla? 1o puL ln a
nuLshell whaL refuses Lo leL lLself be so puL, noL [usL because, as a maLLer of facL, deconsLrucLlon ls Loo
compllcaLed Lo summarlze, buL because lL ls, ln prlnclple, opposed Lo Lhe very ldea of a nuLshell and
bends all lLs efforLs Lo cracklng nuLshells. And Lhen Lo see, havlng sald Lhls, LhaL LhaL ls noL a bad way of
puLLlng whaL deconsLrucLlon ls, lf lL ls. Cnce we have dlsmlssed Lhe very ldea of a nuLshell, lndlgnanLly
slammed Lhe door behlnd us, lL swlngs backs and slams us ln reLurn (you know where). LeL us call Lhls
Lhe aporeLlcs of Lhe nuLshell.
SLlll, Lhls aporla ls noL Lhe end of Lhe road. lor Lhe paralysls and lmposslblllLy of an aporla ls [usL whaL
lmpels deconsLrucLlon, whaL rouses lL ouL of bed ln Lhe mornlng, whaL drlves lL on and calls lL lnLo acLlon.
lndeed, one mlghL even say, maybe lL has already been sald, LhaL "Lhe experlence of Lhe lmposslble" (lL
33/u! 13), belng ln an lmposslble flx, ls [usL whaL deconsLrucLlon ls all abouL. 1 lndeed, even when no
one has sLuck a mlcrophone ln hls face, whenever he slmply feels Lhe need Lo summarlze and brlefly
characLerlze deconsLrucLlon, uerrlda ofLen has recourse Lo Lhls expresslon: "experlence of Lhe
lmposslble." Pe even says lL ls Lhe "leasL bad" way Lo deflne deconsLrucLlon, LhaL ls, Lhe leasL bad
nuLshell.
ueconsLrucLlon ls Lhe relenLless pursulL of Lhe lmposslble, whlch means, of Lhlngs whose posslblllLy ls
susLalned by Lhelr lmposslblllLy, of Lhlngs whlch, lnsLead of belng wlped ouL by Lhelr lmposslblllLy, are
acLually nourlshed and fed by lL. uerrlda says he llkes Lhe old word
____________________
1 l have documenLed aL some lengLh Lhe pervaslveness of Lhls expresslon ln uerrl da 's works ln
rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda. A recenL lssue of 1he Cxford LlLerary 8evlew, 13, nos. 1-2 ( 1993),
ed. 1lmoLhy Clark and nlcholas 8oyle, was very nlcely enLlLled "Lxperlenclng Lhe lmposslble."
-32-
"experlence," Laken noL ln Lhe LradlLlonal, dusLy phenomenologlcal sense, whlch means Lo percelve
whaL presenLs lLself, buL raLher when lL ls "dusLed off" a llLLle so LhaL lL can Lake on a deconsLrucLlve
sense. 1hen "experlence" means runnlng up agalnsL Lhe llmlLs of whaL can never be presenL, passlng Lo
Lhe llmlLs of Lhe unpresenLable and unrepresenLable, whlch ls whaL we mosL deslre, namely, Lhe
lmposslble (dS 221, 387/olnLs 207, 373). 1he lmposslble ls more lnLeresLlng Lhan Lhe posslble and
provokes more lnLeresLlng resulLs, provlded LhaL anyLhlng aL all resulLs. 1herefore, lL ls "noL LhaL bad LhaL
we Lry Lo encapsulaLe deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell," Lo glve lL lLs leasL bad deflnlLlon, provlded we do noL
Lry lL Loo ofLen and provlded we admlL, nay, love, Lhe lmposslble slLuaLlon ln whlch lL ls ensnared, by
whlch lL ls lmpassloned.
1haL ls Lhe foolhardy, lmposslble Lask we seL ourselves here. 1o follow uerrlda around Lhe "8oundLable"
as he lays ouL, expounds, "exposes" cerLaln baslc gesLures ln a deconsLrucLlve approach Lo Lhlngs, [usL
enough Lo encapsulaLe lL, Lo mark off lLs sLyle and whaL he hlmself wlll call lLs "slgnaLure," Lo caLch Lhe
splrlL, some of Lhe several and unconLalnable splrlLs, of a cerLaln way Lo read and wrlLe, Lo Lhlnk and acL
called deconsLrucLlon--all along appreclaLlng Lhe aporla ln whlch Lhls lmpllcaLes us. lor Lhe aporla of Lhe
nuLshell ls noL wlLhouL merlL: Lo see LhaL ln deconsLrucLlon wherever we flnd a nuLshell, Lhe ldea ls Lo
crack lL, and--Lhls ls Lhe lmposslble--Lo see LhaL LhaL ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls, LhaL LhaL ls a cerLaln way,
per lmposslblle, Lo condense lL. ln a nuLshell, a cerLaln auLo-deconsLrucLlng nuLshell.
We may read Lhe "8oundLable" as offerlng several such nuLshells, several succlncL encapsulaLlons of
deconsLrucLlon ln Lerms of [usLlce, Lhe glfL, Lhe messlanlc, Lhe lnsLlLuLlon, LradlLlons, hosplLallLy, falLh, Lhe
afflrmaLlon of Lhe oLher, Lhe vlens, Lhe oul, oul, Lhe lmposslble, eLc. lndeed, l wlll go so far as Lo say LhaL,
once you "Lry nuLshells," as uerrlda puLs lL, Lhe preclse problem wlll be noL LhaL deconsLrucLlon cannoL
be conclsely condensed lnLo a nuLshell--l have found many a nuLshell sLrewn around uerrlda's LexLs--buL,
lf anyLhlng, LhaL Lhere are Loo many nuLshells scaLLered hlLher and yon. 1haL ls a resulL aL whlch we
oughL noL Lo express Loo much surprlse or dlsmay, for ln a phllosophy where "dlssemlnaLlon" plays a
ma[or role, we should expecL raLher more dlssemlnaLlve sLrewlng Lhan Peldeggerlan gaLherlng. 8uL lL ls a
well-known phllosophlcal axlom, handed down Lo us by Lhe anclenLs--l am sure lL ls Lo be found
somewhere ln ulogenes LaerLlus--
-33-
LhaL Loo many nuLshells make for no nuLshell aL all, as when a man swears up and down LhaL he ls
maklng now a deep and llfelong vow, LhaL Lhls Lhe deflnlng momenL ln hls llfe, LhaL hls whole llfe ls
condensed lnLo Lhls slngle momenL, buL does Lhls regularly, on Lhe hour, each Llme revlslng hls
resoluLlon.So, Lhen, we wlll need a way Lo Lhlnk abouL Lhe nuLshell, an absLracL, LheoreLlcal model of Lhe
nuLshell, a paradlgm (or Lwo) powerful enough Lo help us "Lhlnk"--ln Lhe LranslLlve mode--Lhe nuLshell ln
lLs very belng and essence, lLs very comlng-lnLo-belng and emerglng lnLo unconcealmenL as a nuLshell, lLs
very Wesen (undersLood verbally, Lo be sure), lf lL has one. Several such complex and advanced models
leap Lo mlnd:
1hlnk of Lhe nuLshell on Lhls dlssemlnaLlve model l [usL menLloned, as a seed Lo planL, Lo be
squlrreled away here and Lhere, llke an acorn or a chesLnuL, wlLhln Lhe nurLurlng soll. 8y planLlng nuLs
LhaL Lhey someLlmes forgeL, whlch Lhen grow lnLo maLure Lrees, squlrrels serve an lmporLanL ecologlcal
and dlssemlnaLlve funcLlon (provlded LhaL Lhelr memorles are weak enough). So, wlLh enough nuLs and
squlrrels, you could have a full-grown foresL, a whole fleld of deconsLrucLlve works and pracLlces.
8uL lf lL Lroubles you Lo Lhlnk of uerrlda and deconsLrucLlon as a bunch of nuLs and squlrrels,
someLhlng we are Lrylng ln facL ln Lhe presenL work devouLly Lo avold, Lhlnk of Lhese llLLle nuLshells,
Lhese llLLle capsules, "pyroLechnlcally"--feu la cendre--whlch, alas, musL evenLually Lurn Lo ash. 2 1hlnk of
Lhem as compacL llLLle flreworks devlces LhaL, when seL off--Lhe Lrlck belng how Lo release Lhelr energy
and power wlLhouL geLLlng burnL--flll Lhe sky wlLh Lhe mosL magnlflcenL dlsplay of color and form, noL Lo
menLlon a Lerrlflc, exploslve boom. ueconsLrucLlon Lhen would be a way Lo llghL Lhe nlghL alr wlLh awe-
lnsplrlng color, wlLh a magnlflcenL pyroLechnlc plumage, beglnnlng wlLh a slmple llLLle saylng or phrase.
Cr you may, ln a relaLed way, Lhlnk of Lhese nuLshells as slx mlsslles flred lnLo Lhe esLabllshmenL's
camp, so LhaL lf Lhe powers LhaL be saw one of Lhem headlng aL Lhelr head Lhey would, afLer shouLlng
____________________
2 As a Lrace and a flgure of Lhe Lrace, as a quasl-belng nelLher qulLe presenL nor absenL, Lhe lmage
of Lhe "clnder" runs LhroughouL uerrlda's work. See Clnders, Lrans. ned Lukacher ( Llncoln: unlverslLy of
nebraska ress, 1991), a blllngual edlLlon conLalnlng Lhe LexL of leu la cendre ( arls: ues femmes, 1987).
-34-
"lncomlng," qulckly scaLLer. 3 1he llmlLaLlons of Lhls and Lhe prevlous model are Lwofold. Cn Lhe
one hand Lhey lnvlLe hls crlLlcs Lo Lhlnk of uerrlda as slmply shooLlng off hls mouLh, whlch agaln ls a
confuslon we alm Lo quell. Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhey glve an unduly negaLlve ldea of deconsLrucLlon, as lf
Lhe alm of deconsLrucLlon ls slmply Lo Lake alm on our mosL cherlshed lnsLlLuLlons and blow Lhem ouL of
Lhe waLer, as lf deconsLrucLlon ls noL Lo be dlsLlngulshed from a slmple desLrucLlon. 4 1haL agaln ls
someLhlng of whlch we mean Lo dlsabuse our readers, lf Lhere are any.
- So, Lhen, ln a flnal gesLure, Lhlnk of Lhese nuLshells, sLlll one more Llme, as samplers Lo be LasLed,
llke Lhose selecLlons of four or flve of Lhe besL producLs of Lhe local mlcrobrewery served on an lnvlLlng
Lray, and Lhlnk of Lhe presenL volume as a "uerrlda Sampler" and [usL such a Lray. 1he resulL of readlng
Lhls llLLle book, Lhen, wlll have been Lo savor some of Lhe several flavors of deconsLrucLlon, Lhe ldea
belng noL Lo slake one's LhlrsL buL Lo sLlr one's deslre, Lo wheL one's appeLlLe Lo drlnk more deeply of Lhe
deconsLrucLlve well.
8uL l musL add a word of cauLlon abouL Lhe advanced, absLracL, and hlghly LheoreLlcal characLer of Lhe
models here proposed, a word Lo Lhe wary abouL whaL l do noL mean by a nuLshell, and Lhls ls lmporLanL
ln order Lo proLecL uerrlda and deconsLrucLlon whenever lL Lrles nuLshells. AlLhough l vow and promlse,
and concenLraLe my enLlre llfe lnLo Lhls resoluLlon, LhaL l wlll speak Amerlcan Lngllsh and noL bury Lhe
reader allve ln [argon, l am noL saylng LhaL whaL follows ls really slmple and easy Lo undersLand, LhaL
deconsLrucLlon can be LreaLed ln a faclle way. AlLhough nuLshells are made for cracklng, Lhey can sLlll be
hard Lo crack, and l do noL mean Lo engage ln false adverLlslng, Lo Lrlck Lhe unwary, lnLo Lhlnklng LhaL l
am golng Lo slmpllfy and summarlze Lo an exLreme. l am Laklng up cerLaln Lhemes, cerLaln moLlfs,
wlLhouL preLendlng Lo Lake up everyLhlng, and exhlblLlng how deconsLrucLlve approaches work (slnce
Lhere ls noL only one and Lhere are many deconsLrucLlons). l wanL Lo show whaL sorLs of moves
deconsLrucLlon makes ln glven slLuaLlons, whaL sorLs of resulLs lL produces under cer-
____________________
3 l borrow Lhls model from a plece by uerrlda on Lhe arms race, "no Apocalypse, noL now (full
speed ahead, seven mlsslles, seven mlsslves)," Lrans. CaLherlne orLer and hlllp Lewls, ulacrlLlcs, 14
(Summer 1984), 20-31.
4 lor example, ln lol62ff., uerrlda worrles abouL grenades or shells ln connecLlon wlLh lslamlc
fundamenLallsm.
-33-
Laln clrcumsLances, whaL are some of lLs characLerlsLlc gesLures, sLraLegles, sLyles, LwlsLs and Lurns. l am
dolng so wlLhln a llmlLed amounL of space, wlLh Lhe hope LhaL, laLer on, readers, havlng been dlsabused
of Lhe abuse heaped on deconsLrucLlon, wlll be moLlvaLed Lo look lnLo Lhese maLLers furLher, Lo Lry Lo
crack Lhese nuLs on Lhelr own, whlch wlll lnvolve buylng a cerLaln amounL of dlfflculLy for Lhemselves.
Llke !ohannes Cllmacus, 3 whose meLhodologlcal dlfflculLy ls also dramaLlzed near Lhe end of 1he Llfe of
8rlan, l am Lrylng by Lhese nuLshells Lo geL Lhe reader, Lo geL you, Lo do someLhlng on your own wlLhouL
lLs belng sald LhaL uerrlda or l goL you Lo do lL and Lhereby made lL easy for you. nelLher uerrlda nor l am
Lrylng Lo rob you of your anxleLy.
1PL AxlCMA1lCS Cl lnulCnA1lCn: 1PL vL8? luLA!
1he ldea wlll be Lo glve Lhe reader an ldea of whaL deconsLrucLlon ls up Lo or abouL, [usL enough, wlLhouL
burylng you ln every mlcrodebaLe lnLo whlch uerrlda and deconsLrucLlon has been drawn, 6 wlLhouL
drawlng you down every complex corrldor of a formldably subLle Lhlnker. 1he quesLlons puL Lo uerrlda by
hls lnLerlocuLors ln Lhe "8oundLable" alm, on Lhe whole, aL dlspelllng Lhe ldea LhaL uerrlda ls a nuL. lL ls
noL uncommon Lo porLray uerrlda as Lhe devll hlmself, a sLreeL-corner anarchlsL, a relaLlvlsL, or
sub[ecLlvlsL, or nlhlllsL, ouL Lo desLroy our LradlLlons and lnsLlLuLlons, our bellefs and values, Lo mock
phllosophy and LruLh lLself, Lo undo everyLhlng Lhe LnllghLenmenL has done--and Lo replace all Lhls wlLh
wlld nonsense and lrresponslble play. 1haL, alas, ls how he ls porLrayed by hls--ofLen very lrresponslble--
crlLlcs who speak ln Lhe name of academlc responslblllLy. LlaboraLlng and documenLlng Lhe way Lhe
"8oundLable" puLs Lhe Lorch Lo Lhls sLupefylng mlsrepresenLaLlon of deconsLrucLlon ls a prlnclpal goal,
nay, Lhe mosL solemn duLy, of Lhe presenL volume.
1he LhrusL of each of Lhe quesLlons puL Lo uerrlda ln Lhe "8oundLable" was Lo press hlm abouL Lhe
relevance of deconsLrucLlon Lo Lhe mosL LradlLlonal values of lnsLlLuLlon, LradlLlon, communlLy, [usLlce,
____________________
3 klerkegaard's Works. xll. 1. Concludlng unsclenLlflc osLscrlpL Lo Lhe "hllosophlcal lragmenLs,"
Lrans. Poward Pong and Ldna Pong ( rlnceLon: rlnceLon unlverslLy ress, 1992), pp. 72-80.
6 lor an accounL of Lhe varlous debaLes lnLo whlch uerrlda has enLered, see nlall Lucy , uebaLlng
uerrlda ( Melbourne: Melbourne unlverslLy ress, 1993).
-36-

and rellglon. 1he occaslon was a solemn momenL ln Lhe llfe of vlllanova unlverslLy, a well-esLabllshed
unlverslLy ln Lhe mlddle of lLs second cenLury of llfe, whlch was lnauguraLlng a new docLoral program ln a
deparLmenL LhaL ls one of Lhe deparLmenLs LhaL deflne--whaL else can l say?--Lhe "mlsslon" of Lhls
unlverslLy. So, all were on Lhelr besL behavlor, Lrylng Lo make deconsLrucLlon (look) respecLable, and
uerrlda was eloquenL abouL Lhe place of deconsLrucLlon aL Lhe hearL of our mosL Llme-honored and
hoary lnsLlLuLlons.
uerrlda was Lrylng Lo persuade us LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls on our slde, LhaL lL means Lo be good news, and
LhaL lL does noL leave behlnd a paLh of desLrucLlon and smolderlng embers. Cf course, he was noL saylng,
Cod forbld, LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls--and he ls also accused of Lhls--a form of conservaLlvlsm. Pe has
always done everyLhlng he can Lo reslsL conservaLlvlsm, has always Lrled Lo be producLlve noL
reproducLlve, Lo reread and revlse Lhe oldesL of Lhe old, Lo unfold whaL has been folded over by and ln
Lhe LradlLlon, Lo show Lhe pllanL mulLlpllclLy of Lhe lnnumerable LradlLlons LhaL are shelLered wlLhln
"LradlLlon." 1he very ldea LhaL Lhe LradlLlon ls one--"Lhe one hlsLory lLself . . . Lhe one LradlLlon"--ls whaL
needs Lo be "conLesLed aL lLs rooL," he says (Sauf 83/Cn 71). A LradlLlon ls noL a hammer wlLh whlch Lo
slam dlssenL and knock dlssenLers senseless, buL a responslblllLy Lo read, Lo lnLerpreL, Lo slfL and selecL
responslbly among many compeLlng sLrands of LradlLlon and lnLerpreLaLlons of LradlLlon. lf you have a
LradlLlon, you have Lo Lake responslblllLy for lL and for lLs mulLlpllclLy (SdM 40/SoM 160). 8uL LhaL, of
course, ls Lhe only way Lo conserve a LradlLlon. 1haL ls why uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable," Lo Lhe
surprlse no doubL of many, "So, you see, l am a very conservaLlve person." lor he sees deconsLrucLlon as
a way Lo keep Lhe evenL of LradlLlon golng, Lo keep lL on Lhe move, so LhaL lL can be conLlnually LranslaLed
lnLo new evenLs, conLlnually exposed Lo a cerLaln revoluLlon ln a self-perpeLuaLlng auLorevoluLlon. 1haL
ls an aporla LhaL conservaLlvlsm can never swallow. 1haL ls why conservaLlvlsm ls such a llmp and
mummlfylng Lheory of a "LradlLlon," whlch ls a blgger, wlder, more dlffuse and moblle, more self-revlslng
and "auLo-deconsLrucLlng" ldea Lhan "conservaLlvlsm."
LeL me rlsk, wlLh fear and Lrembllng, Lhe followlng axlom whlch governs whaL l call a cerLaln "axlomaLlcs
of lndlgnaLlon" LhaL uerrlda seems Lo provoke: Lhe mosL fundamenLal mlsundersLandlng Lo beseL uerrlda
and deconsLrucLlon ls Lhe mlsLaken lmpresslon LhaL ls glven of a klnd of anarchlsLlc relaLlvlsm ln whlch
"anyLhlng goes." Cn Lhls
-37-

vlew, LexLs mean anyLhlng Lhe reader wanLs Lhem Lo mean, LradlLlons are [usL monsLers Lo be slaln or
escaped from, Lhe greaL masLers of Lhe WesLern LradlLlon are dead whlLe male LyranLs whose power
musL be broken and whose name defamed, lnsLlLuLlons are [usL power-plays oppresslng everyone, and
language ls a prlson, [usL a game of slgnlflers slgnlfylng noLhlng, a play of dlfferences wlLhouL reference
Lo Lhe real world. 1hus Lhe domlnanL reacLlon LhaL uerrlda provokes among hls crlLlcs, who do noL
conLenL Lhemselves wlLh slmply dlsagreelng wlLh hlm, ls lndlgnaLlon. Pls crlLlcs seem lmmedlaLely Lo
shlfL lnLo hlgh dudgeon, cloaklng Lhemselves ln a self-rlghLeous "moral" or "eLhlcal" manLle--where
eLhlcs has Lhe look of a self-approvlng good consclence--appolnLlng Lhemselves uefenders of Lhe Cood
and Lhe 1rue. CrlLlcs of deconsLrucLlon feel obllged Lo rush Lo Lhelr closeLs, dusL off and don Lhelr
academlc sulLs of armor, and Lhen collecLlvely charge Lhls enemy of Lhe common good, Lhelr lances
polnLed aL hls hearL. lor lf uerrlda's shenanlgans arouse Lhelr lre when deconsLrucLlon ls conflned Lo
readlng !oyce or Mallarme, you can lmaglne how Lhe Lempers of Lhese knlghLs of Lhe Cood and 1rue
flare when deconsLrucLlon LhreaLens Lo splll over lnLo Lhe sLreeLs, when lL geLs LranslaLed lnLo pollLlcs
and eLhlcs. 1hen Lhe lnfluence of Lhls dreadful nlhlllsm ls lnLolerable, for lL poses a LhreaL Lo Lhe common
good. Lrgo, we, Lhe Cood and Lhe !usL (self-auLhorlzed and self-knlghLed, Lo be sure)--LhaL ls whaL "we"
almosL always means--musL sLamp lL ouL.
!usL ln case you Lhlnk l am exaggeraLlng or maklng Lhls up, leL us revlslL Lhe occaslon Lo whlch uerrlda
brlefly refers when ln Lhe "8oundLable" he adverLs Lo "Lhls Lerrlble honorary degree crlsls ln Cambrldge."
ln Lhe sprlng of 1992 uerrlda was nomlnaLed Lo recelve an honorary degree from Cambrldge unlverslLy.
Cn May 9, 1992, a leLLer was publlshed ln Lhe London 1lmes urglng Lhe faculLy of Cambrldge Lo voLe
agalnsL awardlng Lhls degree Lo uerrlda (see olnLs419421). 1o begln wlLh, we may ask, who had
appolnLed Lhe slgnaLorles proLecLors of Cambrldge unlverslLy? uoes Lhe unlverslLy noL have lLs own
board of proLecLors? Pas lL noL been able Lo geL along for cenLurles wlLhouL such help? Are Lhe dons noL
adulL enough Lo be able Lo make up Lhelr own mlnds? 8e LhaL as lL may, Lhe alleged grounds for Lhls
exLraordlnary lnLervenLlon of ouLslders--Lhls was Lhe flrsL Llme ln LhlrLy years LhaL such a voLe was
requlred 7 --were, among oLher Lhlngs, LhaL
____________________
7 See n. 8oLhwell, "1hose uons and Lhe uerrlda 1o-uo," AusLrallan Plgher LducaLlon SupplemenL,
626 ( May 13, 1992), 13, "Ponour Served ln uerrlda Affalr," lbld., 627 ( May 20, 1992), 13, 20, 8ennlngLon
and uerrlda, !acques uerrlda, p. 331.
-38-
uerrlda's "sLyle defles comprehenslon" and LhaL "where coherenL asserLlons are belng made aL all, Lhese
are elLher false or Lrlvlal." 1he flnal blasL ln Lhls leLLer runs llke Lhls:
Academlc sLaLus based on whaL seems Lo us llLLle more Lhan seml-lnLelllglble aLLacks upon Lhe values
of reason, LruLh, and scholarshlp ls noL, we submlL, sufflclenL grounds for Lhe awardlng of an honorary
degree ln a dlsLlngulshed unlverslLy [ olnLs420-421].
1he slgnaLorles, who say Lhey are slgnlng "slncerely"--lncludlng 8uLh 8arcan Marcus and Wllfred van
Crman Culne (some graLlLude! 8 ) ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes--consLlLuLe a klnd of lnLernaLlonal assoclaLlon of
"offlclals of anLl-deconsLrucLlon" (ass. 41/Cn 17) who, whlle Lrylng very hard Lo make Lhemselves look
lnLernaLlonal (8arry SmlLh geLs Lo slgn hls name Lwlce, once as Lhe agenL provocaLeur and once as
"lnLernaLlonal Academy of hllosophy" aL LlechLensLeln!) are ln facL for Lhe mosL parL lnLensely narrow
"analyLlc" phllosophers. Cf Marcus, ln parLlcular, one mlghL say LhaL she has made a career ouL of--her
"academlc sLaLus seems Lo us based upon"--aLLacklng "conLlnenLal" and more generally non-analyLlc
phllosophers wherever she flnds Lhem, and malnLalnlng Lhe domlnance of a narrow and culLurally
lrrelevanL sLyle of phllosophlzlng ln Lhe Amerlcan hllosophlcal AssoclaLlon and lvy Leagues deparLmenLs
of phllosophy, reslsLanL Lo lLs own hlsLory, Lo hlsLory lLself, and Lo Lhe soclo-pollLlcal maLrlx of
phllosophlzlng ln every age.
ln Lhls, alas, she and her frlends have largely succeeded, wlLh Lhe resulL LhaL phllosophy Loday Lends Lo
be of almosL no lmporLance whaLsoever ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes and ln mosL of lLs ma[or unlverslLles.
lndeed, Lhe only places one can read Pegel--noL Lo menLlon uerrlda--ln Lhese lnsLlLuLlons are Lhe
comparaLlve llLeraLure and modern language deparLmenLs, someLhlng LhaL has served greaLly Lo
promoLe Lhe growLh of deparLmenLs oLher Lhan phllosophy. ln a fasclnaLlng and provocaLlve sLudy, !ohn
McCumber has suggesLed recenLly LhaL Lhls culLural and pollLlcal lsolaLlon, Lhls "bleak house" of analyLlc
phllosophy, was a sLaLe of affalrs acLlvely embraced by analyLlc phllosophy ln
____________________
8 Cne of uerrlda's earllesL publlcaLlons was a LranslaLlon lnLo lrench of an arLlcle by Culne, "Les
fronLleres de la Lheorle loglque," Lrans. !. uerrlda and 8. MarLln, LLudes hllosophlques, 2 ( 1964), 191-
208. Also, ln hls auLoblography, Culne reporLs borrowlng Lhe offlce of uerrlda whlle ln arls for a vlslL.
See W. v. C. Culne, 1he 1lme of My Llfe: An AuLoblography ( Cambrldge: 1he Ml1 ress, 1983), p. 333.
-39-
Lhe era of McCarLhylsm, a way of proLecLlng lLself from aLLack by Lhe Pouse un-Amerlcan AcLlvlLles
CommlLLee ln Lhe 1930s, LhaL has perslsLed, anachronlsLlcally, lnLo our own day. 9 8lchard 8orLy, Lhe
one Amerlcan phllosopher Lo break loose from LhaL church of laLLer-day analyLlc Aufklarers and Lo make
hlmself, ln Lhe splrlL of Wllllam !ames or !ohn uewey, lnLo a publlc lnLellecLual, has been
excommunlcaLed from Lhelr club, no doubL by Lhe unanalyLlc AcLlvlLles CommlLLee-afLer havlng excused
or excommunlcaLed hlmself from Lhelr ranks.
lL ls lnconcelvable Lo me LhaL Lhe slgnaLorles of Lhls leLLer, desplLe Lhelr "yours slncerely," have read
uerrlda wlLh care, lf Lhey have read hlm aL all. WhaL Lhey know of uerrlda, l would beL Lhe farm, lf l had
one, has been gaLhered by hearsay and Lhe publlc press, from secondary, noL Lo say second-raLe sources,
from dlnner-hour gosslp aL annual meeLlngs of groups llke Lhe A..A., from aL mosL a casual scannlng of a
famous LexL or oLher. 1helr condemnaLlon of uerrlda ls noL a carefully reasoned and researched
[udgmenL, buL an allerglc reacLlon Lo someLhlng dlfferenL, an expresslon of conLempL for a dlfferenL
phllosophlcal sLyle by whlch Lhey are shocked and scandallzed, buL lL ls lmposslble Lo belleve Lhey have
carefully sLudled whaL Lhey have denounced. ln oLher words, Lhelr condemnaLlon of uerrlda vlolaLes on
lLs face Lhe very "values of reason, LruLh, and scholarshlp" wlLh whlch Lhey so selfrlghLeously cloak
Lhemselves, ln Lhe name of dlslnLeresLedly "proLecLlng" Cambrldge unlverslLy from lLself. As lf anyone
asked Lhem! As lf, and "Lhls ls also exLremely funny" ( olnLs404) even as lL ls exLremely serlous, Lhe
faculLy of Cambrldge unlverslLy needed Lo be proLecLed from lLself by Lhe lnLernaLlonal Academy of
hllosophy of LlechLensLeln! 10
1he very ldea!
1he very ldea LhaL anyLhlng as lrresponslble as Lhls leLLer could be slgned ln Lhe name of responslble
scholarshlp, LhaL Lhe people who slgned such a Lhlng can sleep aL nlghL, glves one an ldea of Lhe
axlomaLlcs of lndlgnaLlon, of Lhe reacLlon LhaL Lhe name "uerrlda" provokes. So Lhe reader wlll LrusL me
when l say LhaL uerrlda ls a blL of
____________________
10 Pe won Lhe voLe, Lhe flrsL necessary ln LhlrLy years, 336 Lo 204, see 8ennlngLon and uerrlda,
!acques uerrlda, p. 331.
9 See !ohn McCumber, "1lme ln Lhe ulLch: Amerlcan hllosophy and Lhe McCarLhy Lra," ulacrlLlcs,
26, no. 1 (Sprlng 1996), 33-49. McCumber also suggesLs LhaL Lhe record of Lhe Amerlcan hllosophlcal
AssoclaLlon ln defendlng lLs own members from aLLacks by Lhe PuAC was slngularly "unpleasanL."
-40-
a bLe nolre ln cerLaln basLlons of Lhe academlc esLabllshmenL, boLh Amerlcan and lrench. Alas, Lhe
meanness of splrlL and lnLellecLual shorLslghLedness of lL all! lor uerrlda's analyses ofLen converge wlLh,
and have even Laken Lhelr polnL of deparLure from, "analyLlc" phllosophers. uerrlda paLlenLly explores
Lhe meanlngs and use of words wlLh a senslLlvlLy--aL cerLaln momenLs even maLchlng Lhe same level of
Ledlousness of analyLlc phllosophy--LhaL would be Lhe envy of any lvy league dlsserLaLlon dlrecLor. 11
?ou wlll belleve me, Lhen, alLhough l wlll also documenL lL, LhaL uerrlda and "deconsLrucLlon," as we wlll
see, have been blamed for almosL everyLhlng. lor rulnlng Amerlcan deparLmenLs of phllosophy, Lngllsh,
lrench, and comparaLlve llLeraLure, for rulnlng Lhe unlverslLy lLself (provlded LhaL Lhey are rulned), for
dlmmlng Lhe llghLs of Lhe LnllghLenmenL, for undermlnlng Lhe law of gravlLy, for desLroylng all sLandards
of readlng, wrlLlng, reason--(and 'rlLhmeLlc, Loo)--and also for Mormon polygamy. uerrlda even geLs a
flnger (polnLed aL hlm) for Lhe naLlonallsL wars ln CenLral Lurope and for PolocausL revlslonlsm, even as
he has been accused, lf lL ls posslble Lo be gullLy of all Lhese Lhlngs aL once, of an apollLlcal aesLheLlclsm,
for belng a flower chlld of Lhe 1960s sLlll belng read ln Lhe 1990s, a quasl-academlc 1lmoLhy Leary
lnvlLlng us Lo Lune lnLo LexLuallLy and drop ouL of reallLy. 1he llsL goes on.
(lor Mormon polygamy?)
1he way ouL of Lhese mlsundersLandlngs of uerrlda--whlch lncldenLally also accuse hlm of undermlnlng
Lhe very ldea of mlsundersLandlng anyLhlng, slnce "anyLhlng goes" ( olnLs401)--ls Lo see LhaL, far from
belng nlhlllsLlc, deconsLrucLlon ls deeply and profoundly "afflrmaLlve." Cul, oul. 1o be sure,
deconsLrucLlon does noL afflrm whaL ls, does noL fall down adorlngly before whaL ls presenL, for Lhe
presenL ls preclsely whaL demands endless analysls, crlLlclsm, and deconsLrucLlon. (An old and hoary
LradlLlon--n'esL-ce pas?--LhaL goes back Lo SocraLes, wlLh whom phllosophy, on some accounLlng, opened
lLs doors.) Cn Lhe conLrary, deconsLrucLlon afflrms whaL ls Lo come, a
____________________
11 1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL red faces are found lacklng among ConLlnenLallsL crlLlcs. !. Claude Lvans,
SLraLegles of ueconsLrucLlon: uerrlda and Lhe MyLh of Lhe volce ( Mlnneapolls: unlverslLy of MlnnesoLa
ress, 1991) seems Lo me also Lo puncLuaLe hls argumenLs agalnsL uerrlda wlLh a flow of lnsulLs,
debaLlng aL lengLh wheLher uerrlda's readlng of Pusserl ls a [oke or wheLher we are supposed Lo Lake lL
serlously.
-41-
venlr, whlch ls whaL lLs deconsLrucLlon of Lhe presenL, and of Lhe values of presence, ls all abouL. So
radlcal ls Lhls deconsLrucLlve lmpulse LhaL Lhe a venlr lLself ls noL Lo be consLrued ln Lerms of presence,
vlz., as Lhe "fuLure presenL," as someLhlng LhaL wlll evenLually roll around lf we are paLlenL, buL raLher as
someLhlng LhaL ls sLrucLurally and necessarlly Lo come, always sLlll ouLsLandlng, never presenL.
ueconsLrucLlve analysls deprlves Lhe presenL of lLs presLlge and exposes lL Lo someLhlng LouL auLre,
"wholly oLher," beyond whaL ls foreseeable from Lhe presenL, beyond Lhe horlzon of Lhe "same."
ueconsLrucLlon, l wlll argue here, ls Lhe endless, boLLomless afflrmaLlon of Lhe absoluLely
undeconsLrucLlble.
8uL leL us keep Lhe meLaphorlcs of Lhe nuLshell sLralghL: Lhe "undeconsLrucLlble" does noL mean Lhe
"uncrackable" buL, raLher, LhaL ln vlrLue of whlch nuLshells can be cracked, ln order Lo make an openlng
for Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher. 1he undeconsLrucLlble, lf such a Lhlng exlsLs, ls LhaL ln vlrLue of whlch
whaLever exlsLs, whaLever poses as assured and secure, whole and meanlngful, ensconced, enclrcled,
and encapsulaLed ls prled open--cracked open and deconsLrucLed.
Accordlngly, everyLhlng ln deconsLrucLlon--here comes a nuLshell (heads up!)--ls organlzed around whaL
uerrlda calls l'lnvenLlon de l'auLre, Lhe ln-comlng of Lhe oLher, Lhe promlse of an evenL Lo come, Lhe
evenL of Lhe promlse of someLhlng comlng. lndeed, l wlll argue below, deconsLrucLlon ls besL LhoughL of
as a cerLaln lnvenLlonallsm. lor lf uerrlda ls anyLhlng buL an essenLlallsL, someone who hangs everyLhlng
on Lhe hook of unchanglng essences, LhaL does noL mean he ls a convenLlonallsL, whlch ls buL an
alLernaLlve way Lo hang Lhlngs up (or Lle Lhem down), Lhls Llme by way of a cerLaln seLLled buL conLlngenL
way Lhlngs have Lended hlsLorlcally Lo have fallen ouL. 8oLh essenLlallsm and convenLlonallsm are Loo
blndlng for hlm, Loo much lncllned Lo hang Lhlngs up or Lle Lhem down, whereas Lhe buslness of
deconsLrucLlon ls Lo open and loosen Lhlngs up. ueconsLrucLlon means Lo be essenLlally anLl-essenLlal
and hlghly unconvenLlonal, noL Lo leL lLs eyes wax over aL Lhe LhoughL of elLher unchanglng essences or
ageless LradlLlons, buL raLher Lo advocaLe an ln-venLlonallsLlc lncomlng, Lo sLay consLanLly on Lhe lookouL
for someLhlng unforeseeable, someLhlng new. ueconsLrucLlon ls a way of glvlng Lhlngs a new LwlsL, lL ls
benL on glvlng Lhlngs a new benL, whlch ls whaL seLs Lhe nerves of boLh essenLlallsLs and convenLlonallsLs
on edge.
lor example, and Lhls ls noL [usL an example buL Lhe very ldea of
-42-
deconsLrucLlon, everyLhlng ln deconsLrucLlon ls Lurned Loward a "democracy Lo come." lor even lf Lhe
exlsLlng democracles are Lhe besL we can do aL presenL, Lhe leasL bad way Lo organlze ourselves, sLlll Lhe
presenL democraLlc sLrucLures are deeply undemocraLlc. 1hey are corrupLed, among oLher Lhlngs, by Lhe
money LhaL blaLanLly buys voLes, by corporaLe conLrlbuLlons Lo pollLlclans and pollLlcal parLles LhaL frees
Lhelr corporaLe hand Lo flll Lhe alr and waLer wlLh carclnogens, Lo encourage smoklng by Lhe youngesL
and pooresL people ln our socleLy, by cowardly pollLlclans who belleve ln noLhlng, who change Lhelr
vlews wlLh each new poll, who perpeLuaLe Lhemselves wlLh demagoglc promlses, who appeal Lo Lhe
worsL and lowesL lnsLlncLs of Lhe populace, by medla LhaL corrupL naLlonal dlscourse, LhaL fuel Lhe flres
of naLlonallsL resenLmenL and raclsm and sLampede voLers. (8aLher Lhe way Lhe leLLer ln Lhe London
1lmes Lrled, unsuccessfully, l am happy Lo reporL, Lo sLampede Lhe Cambrldge dons.)
Amerlcan pollLlclans regularly predlcaLe Lhelr careers on promlses Lo lower Laxes, exclude lmmlgranLs,
Lhrow Lhe weakesL and mosL defenseless people ln our socleLy--usually black and Plspanlc women and
chlldren--on Lhelr own under Lhe cloak of "reform" and "freedom," Lhereby fllllng Lhe pockeLs of Lhe
rlchesL members of socleLy. ln Lhe hlghesL hypocrlsy of all, Lhey Lry Lo ram down every one's LhroaL a
rlghL wlng, xenophoblc, reacLlonary ChrlsLlanlLy LhaL has noLhlng Lo do wlLh, whlch flles ln Lhe face of,
!esus's propheLlc fervor and hls sLand wlLh Lhe weakesL and mosL ouLcasL among people. 1hey clalm LhaL
Lhe unlLed SLaLes was founded on ChrlsLlan prlnclples whlle dlsmlsslng Lhe mass genoclde of naLlve
Amerlcans by Lhe colonlzlng, ChrlsLlanlzlng, mlsslonary Luropeans. 1helr "ChrlsLlan" message of haLred
for Lhe oLher and self-aggrandlzemenL, Lhelr sklll aL Lurnlng Lhe cruclflxlon lnLo a proflLable buslness, has
more Lo do wlLh Lhe selfrlghLeous hypocrlsy of whaL klerkegaard called "ChrlsLendom" Lhan wlLh !esus's
propheLlc denunclaLlon of Lhe powers LhaL be. 12
uemocracy does noL exlsL, and Lhe corrupLlon of exlsLlng democracles musL become Lhe sub[ecL of
endless analysls, crlLlque, and decon-
____________________
12 lor a way Lo read klerkegaard--someLhlng LhaL l am always lnLeresLed ln--LhaL shows hls
convergence wlLh "posL-modernlsm," whaLever LhaL means, leL us say wlLh recenL ConLlnenLal LhoughL,
lncludlng uerrlda, whlch Lakes klerkegaard, and noL [usL nleLzsche, as an anLecedenL of recenL
ConLlnenLal LhoughL, see klerkegaard and osLModernlLy, ed. MarLln MaLusLlk and Merold WesLphal
( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1993).
-43-
sLrucLlon, for Lhese democracles are hardly democraLlc. 1he ldea of such analyses ls noL Lo level
democraLlc lnsLlLuLlons Lo Lhe ground buL Lo open Lhem up Lo a democracy Lo come, Lo Lurn Lhem
around from whaL Lhey are aL presenL, whlch ls Lhe pre-venLlon of Lhe oLher, forces LhaL foresLall ln
advance anyLhlng dlfferenL or radlcally new. 1he very ldea, Lhe very ln-venLlonallsL ldea, of
deconsLrucLlon ls Lo open democracy Lo lLs own promlse, Lo whaL lL promlses Lo become: Lo provlde a
chance or an openlng for Lhe lnvenLlon, Lhe ln-comlng, of Lhe oLher (whlch ls noL a bad way Lo deflne
lmmlgraLlon). reparlng for Lhe lncomlng of Lhe oLher, whlch ls whaL consLlLuLes a radlcal democracy-
LhaL ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls (sy. 39-60/8u8 60), someLhlng LhaL would also be, on my accounLlng, a
llLLle more blbllcal and a loL less hypocrlLlcal.
(ln a nuLshell).
1haL ls why Lhe "8oundLable" Look Lhe form lL dld, Lo provlde uerrlda wlLh Lhe opporLunlLy Lo address a
more or less LradlLlonal audlence on lssues on whlch he has provoked a more or less (mosLly more)
lndlgnanL reacLlon. lssues such as Lhese--LradlLlon, communlLy, [usLlce, democracy, rellglon, and
lnsLlLuLlonal llfe--are close Lo Lhe hearLs of everyone, lf Lhey have a hearL. 8emember, Lhls very
dlscusslon was an lmporLanL momenL ln Lhe llfe of a LradlLlonal lnsLlLuLlon LhaL lnvlLed !acques uerrlda Lo
be Lhe man of Lhe momenL, Lhe man who was asked Lo lllumlnaLe Lhls lnaugural momenL. uerrlda was
Lrylng Lo look respecLable, whlch ls noL hard, because he and deconsLrucLlon are worLhy of Lhe hlghesL
respecL. lndeed, and here comes anoLher nuLshell, one mlghL go so far as Lo say deconsLrucLlon ls
respecL, respecL for Lhe oLher, a respecLful, responslble afflrmaLlon of Lhe oLher, a way lf noL Lo efface aL
leasL Lo dellmlL Lhe narclsslsm of Lhe self (whlch ls, qulLe llLerally, a LauLology) and Lo make some space
Lo leL Lhe oLher be. 1haL ls a good way Lo sLarL ouL Lhlnklng abouL lnsLlLuLlons, LradlLlons, communlLles,
[usLlce, and rellglon.
ACLCClA: An LxCuSL lC8 vlCLLnCL
l should say a word or Lwo abouL Lhe presenL formaL, abouL Lhe mulLlple vlolence of forclng uerrlda Lo
speak ln Lngllsh (when he complalns LhaL Lhe whole world ls gradually belng forced Lo speak Lngllsh), Lo
-44-
make hlmself undersLood by a mlxed audlence composed of people from across all Lhe colleges and
deparLmenLs ln Lhe unlverslLy, buL, above all, Lo glve relaLlvely compacLed answers wlLhln Lhe conflnes of
abouL an hour and a half. 1o begln wlLh, l openly confess Lo a proper and proporLlonaLe amounL of gullL
for perpeLraLlng such vlolence, abouL whlch uerrlda qulLe rlghLly complalns LhroughouL Lhe
"8oundLable." Cur conflLemur deo sclenLl ( Clrcum.19/ Clrcum.18)? uerrlda says aL one polnL ln Lhe
"8oundLable," [usL afLer anoLher lmposslble quesLlon had been puL Lo hlm, "lf l were more responslble, l
would slmply say 'no, l won'L, l won'L parLlclpaLe ln Lhls game.'" AfLer whlch, he proceeds Lo say
someLhlng very lnLeresLlng ln response Lo Lhe quesLlon. (1he aporeLles of Lhe nuLshell.) 8uL l would also
propose, ln my own defense, LhaL Lhere ls someLhlng very flLLlng abouL puLLlng uerrlda on Lhe spoL llke
Lhls and hence l offer Lhe followlng "apology" for all Lhls vlolence.
uerrlda ls very much a publlc phllosopher, an urban, cosmopollLan lnLellecLual--conLrary Lo Peldegger,
say, who beaL a hasLy reLreaL Lo hls PllLLe ln Lhe Schwarzwald whenever Lhe opporLunlLy presenLed lLself.
8y Lhls l mean LhaL he ls someone whose work, whose producLlvlLy, has never been lnsulaLed from Lhe
lnLernaLlonal reacLlon lL provokes, whose work has flourlshed ln an ongolng lnLeracLlon wlLh an
lnLernaLlonal readershlp. Pls publlshed wrlLlngs, by and large, are collecLlons of papers glven aL
conferences and lecLureshlps around Lhe world Lo whlch he has been lnvlLed by people who have been
readlng hls work aL Lhe Llme and who have reason Lo belleve LhaL he would have someLhlng Lo say on a
glven Loplc. Pls wrlLlng always arlses, he says, "from some exLernal provocaLlon,""some requesL,
lnvlLaLlon, or commlsslon" ( dS363/ olnLs332, cf. 128/119). Pls hosLs Lhlnk Lhey can predlcL whaL
uerrlda wlll say on Lhls or LhaL lssue, so Lhey lnvlLe hlm, and hls [ob ls Lo surprlse Lhem wlLhouL
dlsappolnLlng Lhem, Lo llve up Lo Lhe lnvlLaLlon and a very conslderable repuLaLlon whlle sLarLlng ouL
from scraLch, de novo.
1haL, of course, ls parLly a reflecLlon of Lhe [eL age, whlch makes lnLernaLlonal phllosophlzlng and
conferenclng posslble. (lL ls lnLeresLlng Lo ponder how Lhe ease of lnLernaLlonal Lravel would have
affecLed kanL, who never lefL knlgsberg. Would kanL, llke Peldegger, have been conLenL Lo sLay aL home
and waLch Lhese blg blrds fly overhead?) 8uL l Lhlnk Lhls lnLernaLlonal colloqulallzlng has, ln addlLlon, a
loL Lo do wlLh uerrlda's own phllosophlcal sLyle or slgnaLure. Pls works do
-43-
noL reflecL a long-range plan or prlvaLe program sLaked ouL ln advance years ago LhaL he has been
relenLlessly and slngle-mlndedly carrylng ouL. Pe has noL been grlmly sLalklng some phllosophlcal prey.
Lach Llme he Lakes up a Loplc, he says, lL ls as lf he has never wrlLLen anyLhlng before, as lf he ls sLarLlng
all over agaln ln Lhe face of an overwhelmlng novelLy and sLrangeness ( dS363/ olnLs332).
So, lf uerrlda has a sLyle, a slgnaLure, a domlnanL Lone, a unlLy of purpose, lf hls works weave a cerLaln
fabrlc, lL ls up Lo someone else Lo Lrace LhaL slgnaLure ouL laLer on, Lo counLer-slgn lL for hlm. lL ls noL hls
buslness and lL would be sLulLlfylng for hlm Lo have Lo obey any such lnLernal lmperaLlve, Lo censor
hlmself, Lo pursue such an lmage, Lo ablde by a conLracL LhaL has been slgned for hlm wlLhouL hls
consenL.
"l have never had a 'fundamenLal pro[ecL,'" he says ln an lnLervlew ( dS367/ olnLs336). 13 Pe has noL
pro[ecLed Lo wrlLe Lhree greaL crlLlques, as kanL dld, nor do hundreds of asslsLanL professors, ln heaL over
promoLlon and Lenure, pour over hls works and flll Lhe [ournals wlLh arLlcles speculaLlng on Lhe llkely
conLenLs of Lhe mlsslng parL of a greaL LreaLlse LhaL he lefL unflnlshed, ln whlch he would flnally
announce Lhe meanlng of 8elng. Lven Cf CrammaLology, Lhe closesL Lhlng Lo a comprehenslve LreaLlse ln
hls wrlLlngs, sLarLed ouL as a dlscusslon arLlcle on Lhree books publlshed ln Lhe early 1960s. 14 Pls LexLs
Lhus embody Lhe very occaslonallsm, chance, and openness Lo Lhe comlng of someLhlng unforeseeable
LhaL he loves so much as a LheorlsL. Lach work wresLles anew, de novo, wlLh Lhe ldlosyncrasles of ever
shlfLlng slngularlLles. Pls works reflecL Lhe ablllLy, Lo be descrlbed below, Lo keep hls head wlLhouL havlng
a headlng (cap), Lo forge ahead ln anoLher way Lhan wlLh a headlng, Lo move ahead wlLhouL havlng a
plan LhaL programs Lhlngs ln advance, whlch ls parL of Lhe LwlsL he glves Lo Lhe LlLle of a llLLle book of hls
called 1he CLher Peadlng. (1haL ls also noL a bad way, lncldenLally, Lo condense deconsLrucLlon lnLo a
nuLshell.)
uerrlda has done a greaL deal of hls work ln publlc, or aL leasL noL far from Lhe publlc: wrlLlng on
alrplanes, Lrylng Lo flnlsh papers ln Llme
____________________
13 1o Lhe exLenL Lhere ls such a pro[ecL, lL ls one LhaL ls noL Lo be carrled ouL: "As for a book pro[ecL,
l have only one, Lhe one l wlll noL wrlLe, buL LhaL guldes, aLLracLs, seduces everyLhlng l read. LveryLhlng l
read ls elLher forgoLLen or else sLored up ln vlew of Lhls book" ( dS131/ olnLs142).
14 "ue la grammaLologle," CrlLlque, no. 223 ( uecember 1963), 16-42, no. 224 ( !anuary, 1966): 23-
33. See uLC7n1/ CC323n1 ("reface").
-46-
for conferences he ls Lo address, formulaLlng LlLles over Lhe Lelephone, ln more or less conLlnual
conversaLlon wlLh oLhers, on boLh sldes of Lhe ALlanLlc, a loL of Lrans-ALlanLlc phone calls, sleeplng ln
more hoLel rooms Lhan he cares Lo remember, respondlng Lo quesLlons and worrylng over hls response,
Laklng advanLage of Lhe several graces of Lhe momenL LhaL geL hlm Lhrough Lhe day, especlally lf ls lL a
day on whlch he ls asked Lo puL deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell. lor a whlle he was wary abouL belng
phoLographed and glvlng personal lnLervlews, buL slnce he has glven ln, hls lnLervlews have proven Lo be
lmmensely lllumlnaLlng and have provlded one of Lhe mosL helpful enLrees Lo hls work, as any reader of
olnLs. . . can LesLlfy.
So, whlle we confess, ln publlc, and beg boLh hls and hls readers' forglveness, Lo dolng hlm vlolence, Lo
forclng compacLed answers ouL of hlm on Lhe spoL, ln fronL of a large audlence, wlLh a mlcrophone ln hls
face, lL ls aL leasL a vlolence Lo whlch he has become accusLomed and wlLh whlch he has learned Lo cope
wlLh an amlcable grace and fellclLy, wlLh a charm and clarlLy LhaL surprlses only Lhose who do noL know
hlm. 1here ls no pure non-vlolence, buL only degrees and economles of vlolence, some of whlch are
more frulLful Lhan oLhers. (1haL ls a uerrldean way of saylng LhaL nobody ever sald llfe ls easy.)
nu1SPLLLS, Slx Cl 1PLM
l have Lrled ln Lhe presenL commenLary Lo presenL uerrlda as sLralghLforwardly as Lhe LwlsLs and Lurns of
deconsLrucLlon permlL. ln anoLher work, 1he rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda: 8ellglon WlLhouL
8ellglon, Lo whlch l commend Lhe reader as a follow-up Lo Lhe presenL "lnLroducLlon," l have ralsed Lhe
sLakes of my lnLerpreLaLlon and puL a fasLer spln on my readlng. Whlle l would beL Lhe farm, agaln, LhaL l
am rlghL abouL uerrlda's "prayers and Lears," LhaL Lhls represenLs Lhe way uerrlda loves Lo be read, l wlll
admlL LhaL rayers and 1ears ls a hlgh-rlsk readlng ln whlch l have venLured Lo speak of whaL uerrlda
hlmself has called "my rellglon," or aL leasL hls rellglon "wlLhouL" rellglon, "wlLhouL" (sans) belng for hlm
a Lechnlcal Lerm. l Lhlnk LhaL Lhls rellglo-messlanlc LwlsL glves deconsLrucLlon Lhe rlghL benL, LhaL lL well
descrlbes lLs procllvlLy and propenslLy, lLs Lendency Loward whaL ls Lo come. 1haL messlanlc Lendency ls
dlscussed ln ChapLer 7 of Lhe presenL work, and lL ls developed furLher ln rayers and 1ears, whlch
-47-
Lhe presenL readers are cordlally lnvlLed Lo vlslL. 1he presenL work means Lo be more sLralghLforward
and Lo pay aLLenLlon Lo Lhe way LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls dlsLorLed by lLs crlLlcs. lor lL ls one Lhlng Lo glve
deconsLrucLlon Lhe rlghL LwlsL and qulLe anoLher Lo bend lL ouL of shape.
1he presenL "CommenLary" slmply follows uerrlda around Lhe "8oundLable" as he, prompLed by hls
lnLerlocuLors, and full of fear and Lrembllng, serves up a number of nuLshells ln Lhe course of respondlng
Lo slx quesLlons abouL hls work. Llke a duLlful LxLraskrlver, servlng as a supplemenLary clerk Lo Lhe quasl-
phllosophy of Lhe supplemenL, 13 l Lake up each quesLlon ln Lhe order ln whlch lL ls asked and, as besL l
can, Lry Lo flll ln hls exLemporaneous remarks by elaboraLlng upon Lhe more careful exploraLlons of Lhese
Lhemes ln hls publlshed wrlLlngs.
8emember, Loo, boLh Lhe splrlL and Lhe leLLer of Lhe occaslon, LhaL uerrlda has been lnvlLed as Lhe guesL
of honor on a day seL aslde Lo lnauguraLe a new docLoral program ln phllosophy. lndulge yourself ln Lhe
flcLlon LhaL, llke !ames !oyce's ulysses (or "Plll SLreeL 8lues," lf you haven'L read ulysses), Lhls all Lakes
place on a slngle day, and LhaL Lhe quesLlon of lnauguraLlons ls on everybody's mlnd, so LhaL Lhe
dlscusslon beglns and ends wlLh Lhe quesLlon of Lhe day, wlLh Lhe quesLlon of beglnnlngs, of how
someLhlng geLs sLarLed.
1he slx Lhemes ralsed by Lhe lnLerlocuLors do excellenL servlce for geLLlng us under way Loward
deconsLrucLlon, servlng up, leL us say, slx nuLshells, all of whlch have someLhlng Lo do wlLh Lhe
connecLlon of deconsLrucLlon wlLh Lhe mosL honorable elemenLs of "our" "LradlLlons." Allowlng myself
Lo be led by Lhe varlous knlghLs of Lhls uerrldean "8oundLable" (who look llke Lax collecLors Lo me), l wlll
argue LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls, ln Lurn: Lhe rlghL Lo phllosophy, Lhe love of Lhe Creeks, a communlLy
wlLhouL communlLy, [usLlce, Lhe messlanlc (a cerLaln rellglon), and flnally, yes, afflrmaLlon, yes.
ln a nuLshell. Slx of Lhem.
Maybe more.
____________________
13 lor more on belng an "LxLraskrlver," see klerkegaard's Works. vl. lear and 1rembllng and
8epeLlLlon, Lrans. Poward Pong and Ldna Pong ( rlnceLon: rlnceLon unlverslLy ress, 1983), p. 7. lor a
uerrldean sLaglng of Lhe scene creaLed by all LxLraskrlver, see my AgalnsL LLhlcs: ConLrlbuLlons Lo a
oeLlcs of CbllgaLlon wlLh ConsLanL 8eference Lo ueconsLrucLlon ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress,
1993).
-48-
2
1he 8lghL Lo hllosophy
"l brlng good news."
--CC 209
"So, you see, l am a very conservaLlve person. l love lnsLlLuLlons and l spenL a loL of Llme parLlclpaLlng
ln new lnsLlLuLlons, whlch someLlmes do noL work."
--8oundLable," 8
Cl 8lCP1S, 8LSCnSl8lLl1? Anu A nLW LnLlCP1LnMLn1
1hough lL obvlously ralses an eyebrow or Lwo ln many quarLers, noLhlng ls more flLLlng Lhan Lo lnvlLe
uerrlda Lo speak aL Lhe lnauguraLlon of a new program ln phllosophy--"new," "program," and
"phllosophy" all belng words LhaL uerrlda has LhoughL abouL aL greaL lengLh. uesplLe Lhe popular lmage
of deconsLrucLlon as some sorL of lnLellecLual "compuLer vlrus" ( olnLs406) LhaL desLroys academlc
programs, dlsclpllnary speclallzaLlons, lnsLlLuLlonal sLrucLures, lndeed Lhe unlverslLy and--where wlll lL
end?--reason lLself, 1 deconsLrucLlon ls ln facL a phllosophy--and pracLlce--of lnsLlLuLlons, and uerrlda ls a
lover of
____________________
1 See Amy CuLmann, "8elaLlvlsm, ueconsLrucLlon, and Lhe Currlculum," ln Campus Wars, pp. 37-
69. CuLmann never once clLes !acques uerrlda buL slmply uses Lhe word "deconsLrucLlon" Lo sLand for
Lhe vlew LhaL lnLellecLual sLandards are noLhlng more Lhan masks for Lhe wlll Lo power (pp. 60 -61), LhaL
ls, more generally, for everyLhlng bad, argulng among oLher Lhlngs LhaL deconsLrucLlon leaves us
defenseless agalnsL Mormon polygamy (pp. 64 -68)! See also !ohn Searle, "osLmodernlsm and Lhe
WesLern 8aLlonallsL 1radlLlon," ln lbld., pp. 28-48, "1he SLorm Cver Lhe unlverslLy," 1he new ?ork 8evlew
of 8ooks, 27, no. 19 ( uecember 6, 1990), 34-42, and "ls 1here a Crlsls ln Amerlcan Plgher LducaLlon?"
1he 8ulleLln of Lhe Amerlcan Academy of ArLs and Sclences, 46, no. 4 ( !anuary 1993), 24-47. 1he Searle-
uerrlda debaLe goes all Lhe way back Lo "SlgnaLure LvenL ConLexL" ( 1971) ( Md363ff./ Mo307ff.).
1hen, of course, Lhere ls always Lhe unforgeLLable Allan 8loom, 1he Closlng of Lhe Amerlcan Mlnd ( new
?ork: Slmon & SchusLer, 1987).
-49-
lnsLlLuLlons (especlally ones LhaL honor hlm--Lhere belng, afLer all, only degrees of narclsslsm!). lf we
repeaL wlLh a dlfference an old [oke abouL marrlage--Lhe unlverslLy ls a greaL lnsLlLuLlon, buL who wanLs
Lo llve ln an lnsLlLuLlon?--we geL an ldea of whaL deconsLrucLlon ls up Lo. As a phllosophy of lnsLlLuLlons,
deconsLrucLlon ls, whlle susplclous of lnsLlLuLlonal power, lnLenL on maklng lnsLlLuLlons llvable-
openended, porous, and on Lhe qul vlve--and sLrucLured around programs LhaL do noL Lry Lo program
everyLhlng ( uu393/ Sendoffs19). lLs alm, uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable," ls "Lo open Lhe lnsLlLuLlon
Lo lLs own fuLure" ( 816), and even, whenever posslble, Lo open new lnsLlLuLlons. ueconsLrucLlon loves Lo
aLLend openlngs, lf noL Lo preslde over aL leasL Lo asslsL ln openlngs. lar from belng an academlc
renegade and anLagonlsL of phllosophy and phllosophy programs, one more underLaker ln Lhe long
"hlsLory of Lhe deaLhs of phllosophy," one more apocalypLlc proclalmlng sLlll agaln "Lhe end of
phllosophy," uerrlda ls one of phllosophy's sLaunchesL advocaLes, an acLlvlsL sLrongly commlLLed Lo Lhe
ldea LhaL phllosophy ls Loday all Lhe more necessary ( dS118/ olnLs 110). lL wlll surprlse only Lhose
who know llLLle abouL uerrlda 2 LhaL, over Lhe course of an acLlve llfe, he has conslsLenLly rallled Lo Lhe
defense of phllosophy and underLaken varlous pracLlcal lnlLlaLlves almed aL promoLlng Lhe Leachlng of
phllosophy.
LeL Lhe word go forLh and leL Lhere be no mlsLake: phllosophy for uerrlda ls one of our mosL
fundamenLal rlghLs. 8uL leL Lhe word also go forLh LhaL "rlghLs" ls noL Lhe flrsL word ln deconsLrucLlon,
whlch ls Lhe cenLral polnL Lo be consldered ln flgurlng Lhe dlfference beLween a "new" LnllghLenmenL he
has called for ( uu496/ 819) and Lhe old one defended by Searle and CuLmann. lor rlghLs come afLer
responslblllLy, whlch ls Lhe flrsL word, lf Lhere ls one. lf uerrlda ls a renegade, a word he would noL
uLLerly renounce, he ls a hlghly responslble one. 1he work of deconsLrucLlon ls seL ln moLlon, engaged
(engage) only by
____________________
2 lor example, neoconservaLlve apologlsL CerLrude Plmmelfarb lncludes uerrlda ln her Llrade
agalnsL Lhe lnfluence of "posL-modernlsLs" ln Amerlcan unlverslLles ln her Cn Looklng lnLo Lhe Abyss:
unLlmely 1houghLs on CulLure and SocleLy ( new ?ork: knopf, 1994). ln a revlew of Plmmelfarb, Mlchael
Poward, a former 8eglus rofessor of PlsLory aL Cxford, says LhaL "uerrlda has Lrled Lo evade Lhe
problem [of Lhe PolocausL] by emlLLlng a dense cloud of unlnLelllglble verblage" and goes on Lo call hlm
one of a group of "frlvolous game-players who make a vlrLue of Lhelr moral lrresponslblllLy" who
undermlne Lhe sLandards of scholarshlp and Lhe unlverslLy. 1he new ?ork 1lmes 8ook 8evlew, March 6,
1994, pp. 11-12. 1hls, of course, ls all sald ln Lhe name of careful readlng!
-30-
a pledge (gage) of responslblllLy, lndeed of unllmlLed responslblllLy, because a "llmlLed responslblllLy"
(drawlng oneself lnLo a "corporaLe" clrcle) ls [usL an excuse Lo credlL oneself wlLh a good consclence
( uu 108). lor uerrlda, deconsLrucLlon ls seL ln moLlon by someLhlng LhaL calls upon and addresses us,
overLakes (sur-prlses) and even overwhelms us, Lo whlch we musL respond, and so be responslve and
responslble. Lndlessly.
Whenever anyLhlng very hallowed and revered comes lnLo quesLlon ln deconsLrucLlon, as someLlmes
happens--be lL rellglon or law, sclence or democracy, even knowledge or phllosophy lLself--such
quesLlonlng, be assured, arlses from Lhe helghL--or depLhs--of responslblllLy (whlchever lmage glves you
more comforL or warmer assurance). WhaLever Lrouble uerrlda manages Lo make, whaLever seams he
manages Lo expose ln our mosL venerable garmenLs, whaLever dlsLurbance can be Lraced back Lo hlm--
LhaL ls all rooLed ln Lhe deepesL sense of responslveness Lo someLhlng LhaL ls sllenLly asLlr ln Lhese hoary
and presLlglous sLrucLures. ueconsLrucLlon ls noL lrresponslble. Pow could lL be--lf deconsLrucLlon ls
responslblllLy lLself, lf Lhere ls such a Lhlng? Whenever someLhlng ls deconsLrucLed, or, beLLer, whenever
someLhlng ls allowed Lo auLo-deconsLrucL lLself rlghL before our eyes, as someLlmes happens, LhaL ls Lo
say, whenever deconsLrucLlon geLs under way, LhaL always happens ln Lhe name of an
"undeconsLrucLlble responslblllLy" ( uu33), whlch ls whaL seLs Lhe hearL of uerrlda aflame, and of
deconsLrucLlon, Loo (lf lL has a hearL).
1hls sense of responslblllLy belng well undersLood, we may say LhaL deconsLrucLlon reserves Lhe rlghL
(drolL) Lo ask any quesLlon, Lo Lhlnk any LhoughL, Lo wonder aloud abouL any lmprobablllLy, Lo lmpugn
Lhe veraclLy of any of Lhe mosL venerable verlLles. 8uL do noL be mlsled: LhaL seemlngly self-rlghLeous,
even legallsLlc characLerlzaLlon does noL mean LhaL deconsLrucLlon Lakes lLself Lo be Lhe masLer and
[udge of all lL surveys. lndeed Lhe very ldea LhaL phllosophy ls some sorL of supreme Lrlbunal slLLlng ln
[udgmenL on all LhaL passes ln revlew before lLs [udlclal eye ls Lhe very sorL of Lhlng uerrlda would
unseaL. (uerrlda does noL llke courLs and lawyers any more Lhan Lhe resL of us.) Pe does noL wanL
phllosophy Lo be a slLLlng [udge buL raLher a wanderer and nomad, on Lhe move, on call, wlLhouL Lhe
wherewlLhal Lo lay down lLs head, hasLenlng hlLher and yon whenever Lhe call of Lhe "oLher" summons lL
lnLo acLlon. 1hls seemlngly lmpudenL and self-asserLlve sense of Lhe rlghLs of phllosophy sprlngs from a
boundless, maybe even
-31-
vaguely blbllcal, sense of responslblllLy for Lhe nelghbor and Lhe sLranger.
lor deconsLrucLlve Lhlnklng ls acuLely senslLlve Lo Lhe conLlngency of our consLrucLlons, Lo Lhe deeply
hlsLorlcal, soclal, and llngulsLlc "consLrucLedness" of our bellefs and pracLlces. 8uL LhaL ls noL because lL
has appolnLed lLself Lhe supreme arblLer of whaL ls Lrue and false. Cn Lhe conLrary, lL ls because lL
confesses LhaL lL does noL "know" Lhe "secreL" LhaL slLs ln Lhe mlddle and smlles aL our lgnorance. ln
oLher words, deconsLrucLlve Lhlnklng ls a way of afflrmlng Lhe lrreduclble alLerlLy of Lhe world we are
Lrylng Lo consLrue--as opposed Lo Lhe sLupefylng nonsense LhaL deconsLrucLlon reduces Lhe world Lo
words wlLhouL reference. So Lhe phllosopher on uerrlda's Lelllng ls noL an Aufklarer who slLs ln [udgmenL
over all our [udgmenLs, a meLa-[udge or hyper[udge presldlng over our [udgmenLs as a courL of lasL
appeal (uu 89ff.), plcklng Lhlngs Lo pleces. 1haL ls Lhe seaL Lhe old LnllghLenmenL seeks Lo flll. 8uL ln Lhe
new LnllghLenmenL, qulLe Lhe opposlLe ls Lhe case. lor uerrlda, Lhe phllosopher ls a blL of a "rag plcker"
hlmself, 3 looklng for Lhe blLs and pleces LhaL Lend Lo drop from slghL ln Lhe prevalllng vlew of Lhlngs,
llsLenlng wlLh cocked ear for Lhe sLlll small volces of whaL he, followlng Levlnas, calls Lhe "oLher" or even
Lhe "wholly oLher" (LouL auLre). A deconsLrucLlve "Lhlnklng," even before lL becomes phllosophy, "flnds
lLself engaged, lnscrlbed ln Lhe space opened and closed by Lhls pledge (gage)--glven Lo Lhe oLher,
recelved from Lhe oLher" ( uu28). 1he lmage of Lhe rag plcker Lakes on added lmpacL when lL ls
connecLed wlLh 8lanchoL's use of Lhe sLory of Lhe Messlah dressed ln rags LhaL uerrlda dlscusses ln Lhe
"8oundLable." 1hls flgure, whlch Cornell borrows from 8en[amln, ls also a hlghly blbllcal lmage, and
consLlLuLes a much more humble form of "gaLherlng" LhaL sLands ln dellclous conLrasL Lo Peldeggerlan
gaLherlng, whlch gaLhers Lhe glorles of phalnesLhal lnLo a Creco-Cerman glow.
1haL ls why, llke a blL of a rag plcker (WalLer 8en[amln), llke a collecLor of "fragmenLs" ( !ohannes
Cllmacus), Lhls new LnllghLenmenL puLs responslblllLy (Lo Lhe oLher) before rlghLs (of Lhe self), why lL
puLs heLeronomy before auLonomy, pace kanL, who ls someLhlng of a
____________________
3 See urucllla Cornell's wonderful deplcLlon of uerrlda, borrowlng from WalLer 8en[amln, as a rag
plcker (chlffonnler) ln her 1he hllosophy of Lhe LlmlL ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1992), chap. 3.
-32-
faLher of Lhe modern unlverslLy. 4 We may Lhlnk of lL Lhls way: deconsLrucLlon reserves Lhe rlghL Lo ask
any quesLlon buL lL ls noL Lhe rlghL Lo quesLlon LhaL comes flrsL. 8aLher, Lhe flrsL quesLlon, lf Lhere were
such a Lhlng, would lLself have already come as an answer, a response Lo Lhe address of Lhe oLher, whose
advance, whose comlng or lncomlng-l'lnvenLlon de l'auLre, Lhe lncomlng of Lhe oLher--deconsLrucLlon all
along afflrms. 1o puL lL ln a nuLshell: deconsLrucLlon ls Lhe afflrmaLlon of Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher
( sy.39-60/ 8u860), Lo whlch comlng lL ls all along respondlng, abouL whlch lL ls belng very responslble.
rlor Lo any quesLlon, precedlng, passlng Lhrough, and surpasslng quesLlonlng, ls a more orlglnal
afflrmaLlon, a "yes" Lo Lhe oLher, Lo Lhe nelghbor and Lhe sLranger, a "yes" LhaL comes before Lhe
quesLlon, before sclence and crlLlque and research, even before phllosophy, an afflrmaLlon of someLhlng
Lo come. 3 Any quesLlon LhaL ls puL ln deconsLrucLlon always comes as a quesLlon en reLour, a quesLlon
puL ln reLurn or response Lo a prevlous sollclLaLlon, a way of answerlng back by quesLlonlng back, as a
quesLlon puL ln response Lo a prlor quesLlon, a second quesLlon LhaL comes afLer one has already been
puL ln quesLlon. So whaL sounds llke a sassy and legallsLlc "rlghL" Lo ask any quesLlon ls someLhlng LhaL
has surrendered all lLs rlghLs ln order flrsL Lo say yes Lo someLhlng LhaL comes flrsL. CuesLlons are noL Lhe
flrsL word buL Lhe second, Lhe second yes (oul, oul).
So, remember, and Lhls ls one of Lhe axloms ln Lhls axlomaLles of Lhe nuLshell, whenever deconsLrucLlon
seems Lo cause or geL lLself lnLo Lrouble, or even Lo look a llLLle negaLlve and desLrucLlve and llkely Lo
ralse Lhe wraLh of Lhe Cood and Lhe !usL, remember LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls belng very responslble and
afflrmaLlve, lndeed LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls afflrmaLlon, responslblllLy, engagemenL, whlch are Lhe
LouchsLones of a new LnllghLenmenL.
1he ldea of our "rlghL" Lo Lhls or LhaL, whlch nowadays has been exLended Lo anlmals and Lrees, noL
wlLhouL reason, ls one of Lhe mosL
____________________
4 uerrlda's readlng of kanL on unlverslLy sLudles may be found ln "Mochlos, or, 1he ConfllcL of Lhe
laculLles," Lrans. 8lchard 8and and Amy WyganL, ln Logomachla: 1he ConfllcL of laculLles ( Llncoln:
unlverslLy of nebraska ress, 1992). 1he oLher sLudles ln Lhls valuable volume are an effecLlve anLldoLe
Lo Lhe nonsense perpeLraLed ln Lhe work of 8loom, Searle, CuLmann, and Plmmelfarb (see above, nn. 1-
2).
3 CrlLlclsm ln SocleLy, lnLervlews by lmre Saluslrlszky ( new ?ork and London: MeLhuen, 1987), p.
20.
-33-
honorable legacles of Lhe LnllghLenmenL. Whlle uerrlda ls ofLen made ouL Lo be Lhe sworn enemy of Lhe
LnllghLenmenL, he would conLend, and we wlLh hlm, LhaL ln facL Lhe deconsLrucLlon he advocaLes ls a
conLlnuaLlon of whaL ls besL abouL Lhe LnllghLenmenL, buL by anoLher means. Pls ldea of Lhe rlghL LhaL
deconsLrucLlon reserves Lo ask any quesLlon lllusLraLes very nlcely uerrlda's relaLlonshlp Lo Lhe
LnllghLenmenL, whlch ls noL uncompllcaLed. As he ofLen says, hls lnLeresLs lle ln provoklng noL an anLl-
LnllghLenmenL buL a new LnllghLenmenL, ln quesLlonlng Lhe "axloms and cerLalnLles of LnllghLenmenL,"
buL Lo do so preclsely ln order Lo effecL "whaL should be Lhe LnllghLenmenL of our Llme" ( olnLs428).
1rue, he ls a crlLlc of Lhe LnllghLenmenL, buL crlLlque ls Lhe mosL honorable of LnllghLenmenL works, even
when lL ls dlrecLed aL Lhe LnllghLenmenL, whlch musL be Lhlck-sklnned enough Lo undergo self-crlLlque.
lor lL may be LhaL whaL Lhe LnllghLenmenL seeks cannoL be found on Lhe basls LhaL Lhe LnllghLenmenL
lays. 1haL ls preclsely whaL uerrlda Lhlnks abouL rlghLs. lor hls ldea of a rlghL ls noL a rlghL rooLed ln an
auLonomous raLlonal sub[ecL, Lhe seaLed rlghL of an (old) Aufklarer who ls Lhe slLLlng [udge and masLer of
all lL surveys. lL ls a moblle rlghL Lo respond Lo a call by whlch one has been vlslLed--"before any conLracL"
( lL33/ u!, 23)--a rlghL LhaL one has Lo answer whenever one has been addressed. nor ls hls rlghL a rlghL
lnscrlbed ln naLure lLself, a naLural rlghL, a unlversal essence, slnce lL preserves Lhe rlghL Lo quesLlon Lhe
very ldea of naLure and essence. So, lf deconsLrucLlon were Lo have a consLlLuLlon, Lhe "blll of rlghLs"
would come second, afLer Lhe "blll" or, beLLer, Lhe "confesslon of responslblllLles," and lLs declaraLlon of
lndependence would come rlghL afLer lLs declaraLlon of dependence, for rlghLs are rooLed ln
responslblllLy.
1he Lalk abouL rag plcklng helps us see LhaL parL of Lhe dlfference beLween Lhe old and Lhe new
LnllghLenmenL ls a quesLlon of sLyle. uerrlda's more avanL-garde sLyle makes Lhe old Aufklarers nervous,
even when Lhelr alms are ofLen Lhe same as hls. CuLmann and uerrlda, for example, are boLh serlously
lnLeresLed ln democracy and "democraLlc educaLlon," and Lhey share more ln common Lhan her loose
Lalk abouL deconsLrucLlon suggesLs. 6 uerrlda's doubLs abouL Lhe absoluLe [udlclal auLhorlLy clalmed by
and for LnllghLenmenL 8eason, by and for "pure 8eason" (caplLallzed), do noL consLlLuLe an ouLrlghL
aLLack
____________________
6 See Amy CuLmann, uemocraLlc LducaLlon ( rlnceLon: rlnceLon unlverslLy ress, 1987).
-34-
upon reason, upon glvlng good reasons, Lhe besL you can under Lhe clrcumsLances. lf Lhe old
LnllghLenmenL makes everyLhlng Lurn on "8eason," Lhe new LnllghLenmenL wanLs Lo know Lhe reason
for reason, wanLs Lo Lake responslblllLy for whaL aL a speclflc polnL ln hlsLory calls lLself reason and Lhe
age of reason, and Lo conslder carefully whaL ls belng declared "lrraLlonal" ln Lhe name of reason,
lnsLead of slmply marchlng Lo lLs Lune ( uu473-474/ 89). nor does uerrlda deslre Lo break wlLh Lhe old
LnllghLenmenL's deslre for "emanclpaLlon" (u! 28) 8aLher, deconsLrucLlon means Lo conLlnue Lhe
sLruggle for emanclpaLlon buL by anoLher means and ln anoLher key, by Laklng a second look aL Lhe very
Lhlngs Lhe old LnllghLenmenL Lended Lo devalue-llLeraLure, falLh, and Lhe messlanlc, for example--[usL ln
order Lo look for Lhe sorLs of Lhlngs LhaL Lend Lo drop Lhrough Lhe grlds of Lhe old LnllghLenmenL. Llke
one who plcks among Lhe rags, uerrlda "consorLs" wlLh susplclous characLers, llke all Lhe sLrange flgures
ln CeneL's novels who appear ln Lhe rlghL-hand column of Clas Lo Lhe greaL scandal of Pegel's "absoluLe
knowledge." 8uL Lhe effecL of Lhls new LnllghLenmenL would be noL Lo [eLLlson reason buL Lo redeflne
and redescrlbe lL, for example, by sLeerlng clear of Lhe slmple opposlLlon of reason and falLh and seelng
Lhe exLenL Lo whlch reason ls deeply saLuraLed by falLh, noL Lo [eLLlson emanclpaLlon buL Lo conLlnue Lo
seek lL ln places LhaL are overlooked by Lhe old LnllghLenmenL. ln Lhe new LnllghLenmenL, Lhlngs are
always more unllkely and compllcaLed Lhan Lhe slmple opposlLlons favored by Lhe old Aufklarers--llke
kanL and Marx--mlghL suggesL.
hllosophy ls Lhe rlghL Lo ask any quesLlon abouL all LhaL we hold sacred, even and especlally abouL
reason and phllosophy lLself. uoes LhaL mean LhaL phllosophy lLself comes lnLo quesLlon ln
deconsLrucLlon? 1o be sure, buL always from a love of phllosophy, or from a love of whaL phllosophy
loves--knowledge and LruLh (no caplLals, please) and eLhlcs and every oLher honorable and presLlglous
name ln phllosophy's lnLlmldaLlng reperLolre. 8uL ln deconsLrucLlon Lhls love demands LhaL we admlL
LhaL phllosophy does noL have Lhe lasL word on Lhe Lhlngs LhaL we love.
1he "rlghL Lo phllosophy" (le drolL a la phllosophle), boLh Lo sLudy and Lo Leach lL, Lo read and wrlLe,
dlscuss and publlsh lL, ls everyone's. lL ls ln parLlcular noL Lhe prlvaLe properLy of a self-valldaLlng
academlc esLabllshmenL comforLably housed ln presLlglous academlc lnsLlLuLlons, of professors whose
works clrculaLe wlLhln a closed clrcle of lnsLlLu-
-33-
Llons, [ournals, publlshers, and assoclaLlons ( uu13). lL ls preclsely Lhe LhreaL posed by deconsLrucLlon
Lo Lhelr closed clrcle LhaL arouses Lhe wraLh of analyLlc phllosophers llke 8arry SmlLh 7 and 8uLh Marcus.
8uL Lhls does noL mean LhaL uerrlda denles LhaL phllosophy ls a Lechnlcal, dlsclpllnary speclalLy. Pe has
always lnslsLed, as he repeaLs ln Lhe "8oundLable," on Lhe need for speclallzed, dlsclpllnary Lralnlng ln a
"phllosophy deparLmenL," much llke hls own very Lechnlcal Lralnlng ln Pusserl's LranscendenLal
phenomenology. Pls mlslnformed crlLlcs noLwlLhsLandlng, he has always baLLled agalnsL dlssolvlng
phllosophy lnLo llLeraLure or Lhe humanlLles. 1he rlghL Lo phllosophy does noL mean you can go "rlghL
Lo--sLralghLaway Lo--phllosophy" (drolL a phllosophle)--wlLhouL careful preparaLlon and dlsclpllned work (
uu 14-13).
8uL Lhls speclallzaLlon, he says, ls "paradoxlcal" and should noL be made Lo serve conservaLlve ends. lor
over and beyond Lhls Lechnlcal speclalLy, phllosophy ls noL [usL one dlsclpllne among many, Lhe one
housed ln Lhe "phllosophy deparLmenL." hllosophy musL be ex-posed, dls-locaLed, ex-proprlaLed and
ex-paLrlaLed, made Lo undersLand LhaL lL cannoL be wholly conflned wlLhln Lhe llmlLs of a dlsclpllnary
speclallzaLlon ( uu22-23). hllosophy musL be audaclous and made Lo "cross Lhe borders" ( 817) of Lhe
dlsclpllnes. hllosophy cannoL conLaln whaL lL conLalns. unllke oLher speclallzed dlsclpllnes phllosophy
should have noL be flnally conLalned by dlsclpllnary horlzons, and whaL horlzons phllosophy has lL should
press Lo Lhe llmlLs, so LhaL lL consLanLly pushes beyond lLs famlllar ob[ecLs, Lhemes, and cerLlLudes
( uu32-33).
lor uerrlda, phllosophlcal quesLlonlng, proceedlng from Lhe basls of a Lechnlcal speclalLy, Lends Lo shade
off lnLo Lhe larger space of a general deconsLrucLlve Lhlnklng (une pensee deconsLrucLlce, uu28) whlch,
Laken ln lLs broadesL sense, means Lhe unfeLLered freedom Lo Lhlnk, Lhe rlghL Lo ask any quesLlon. As he
says ln a 1989 lnLervlew:
1he only aLLlLude (Lhe only pollLlcs--[udlclal, medlcal, pedagoglcal and so forLh) l would absoluLely
condemn ls one whlch, dlrecLly or lndlrecLly, cuLs off Lhe posslblllLy of an essenLlally lnLermlnable
quesLlonlng, LhaL ls, an effecLlve and Lhus Lransformlng quesLlonlng [ dS, 232/ olnLs239].
____________________
7 See Luropean hllosophy and Lhe Amerlcan Academy, ed. 8arry SmlLh ( LaSalle, lll.: Cpen CourL,
Pegeler lnsLlLuLe, 1994).
-36-
1o be sure, some of Lhe mosL powerful examples of such quesLlonlng, of "Lhlnklng," are Lo be found ln
Lhe canonlcal "hlsLory of phllosophy"--from Lhe Creeks Lo AugusLlne, neoplaLonlsm, and Lhe hlgh mlddle
ages, from uescarLes, kanL, and Pegel up Lo Pusserl and Peldegger. AbouL Lhe unclrcumvenLable
necesslLy Lo sLudy closely and falLhfully Lhese greaL dead whlLe Luropean males (alLhough SL. AugusLlne
may have been a sllghLly swarLhy norLh Afrlcan), Lo read Lhem wlLh dlsclpllnary rlgor and
lnLerdlsclpllnary lnvenLlveness, uerrlda does noL enLerLaln Lhe sllghLesL doubL. 1hese are wrlLers upon
whom he hlmself has exLenslvely and lovlngly commenLed, and LhaL work he regards as "an lnflnlLe
Lask." ( 8110) "[L]ach Llme LhaL l read kanL," he says, "lL ls always Lhe flrsL Llme" ( uu81). ln Lhe
"8oundLable," he says, "[P]owever old l am, l am on Lhe Lhreshold of readlng laLo and ArlsLoLle. l love
Lhem and l feel l have Lo sLarL agaln and agaln and agaln. lL ls a Lask whlch ls ln fronL of me, before me."
LeL LhaL word go forLh as well, clearly and unamblguously!
SLlll, lL ls lmporLanL Lo preserve Lhe "Lenslon" ln uerrlda's aLLlLude Lo "phllosophy." 1he llghL LhaL shlnes
ln Lhe new LnllghLenmenL consLanLly lllumlnaLes a scene LhaL ls more compllcaLed Lhan we flrsL LhoughL.
lor lL ls from Lhe same sense of "responslblllLy" LhaL uerrlda ls engaged ln Lhe baLLle for phllosophy, Lo
exLend Lhe rlghL Lo Leach and sLudy Lhe greaL dead whlLe masLers of phllosophy as far as posslble, Lo
follow wlLh palnsLaklng deLall Lhe elaboraLe and well-formed sysLem of dlsLlncLlons and opposlLlons LhaL
mark Lhe work of laLo, kanL, or Pusserl and yeL also Lo underLake Lhe mosL vlgllanL deconsLrucLlon of
Lhese opposlLlons, Lo learn Lo read Lhe masLers "oLherwlse" (auLremenL), Lo hear wlLhln Lhem Lhe sLlrrlng
of oLher posslblllLles, Lhe ln-comlng of oLher evenLs. hllosophy and lLs deconsLrucLlon, Lhe
deconsLrucLlon of phllosophy, phllosophy as deconsLrucLlon--all belong Lo a slngle operaLlon, and lf one
does noL undersLand how Lhese Lwo go LogeLher, Lhen one does noL undersLand elLher separaLely. lor
deconsLrucLlon ls noL--we wlll repeaL Lhls agaln and agaln--a desLrucLlon or demollLlon, buL a way of
releaslng and respondlng, of llsLenlng and openlng up, of belng responslble noL only Lo Lhe domlnanL
volces of Lhe greaL masLers, buL also Lo oLher volces LhaL speak more genLly, more dlscreeLly, more mlldly
ln Lhe LexLs of dead whlLe Luropean males and ln qulLe a few oLher LexLs, Loo ( uu88-89).
1he Lhlnklng LhaL Lakes place ln phllosophy, Lhus, cannoL ln Lhe end be conflned Lo Lechnlcal phllosophy,
or Lo Lhe canonlcal hlsLory of
-37-
phllosophy, even lf LhaL ls Lhe place one sLarLs, lL ls also Lo be soughL and found ln many oLher places, ln
law, llngulsLlcs, and psychoanalysls. Above all, Lhe Lhlnklng LhaL occurs ln phllosophy communlcaLes ln a
very speclal way for uerrlda hlmself wlLh llLeraLure. lf phllosophy ls a quesLlonlng LhaL pushes agalnsL Lhe
llmlLs of language and knowledge, LhaL ls no less Lrue of llLeraLure and of lLs experlence of language,
boLh phllosophy and llLeraLure push agalnsL Lhe lmposslble ( dS387/ olnLs372-374). Pence, llke
phllosophy, "llLeraLure" Loo flucLuaLes beLween a narrow, dlsclpllnary sense and a more general sense
where lL Lends Lo shade off lnLo a general deconsLrucLlve Lhlnklng. lL ls Lhls more general sense LhaL he
has ln mlnd when he says LhaL "llLeraLure" ls "Lhe rlghL Lo say everyLhlng," "a cerLaln noncensure," "Lhe
space of a cerLaln democraLlc freedom." "no democracy wlLhouL llLeraLure, no llLeraLure wlLhouL
democracy" ( ass.63/ Cn28). Cf phllosophy, Lhe rlghL Lo Lhlnk, and of llLeraLure, Lhe rlghL Lo wrlLe, we
can say Lhe same Lhlng: Lhey represenL "Lhe unllmlLed rlghL Lo ask any quesLlon, Lo suspecL all
dogmaLlsm, Lo analyze every presupposlLlon, even Lhose of eLhlcs or Lhe pollLlcs of responslblllLy"
( ass.63-66/ Cn28).
!acques uerrlda hlmself has never, personally, been able Lo declde beLween phllosophy and llLeraLure or
Lo leave one behlnd for Lhe oLher ( AL34). 8 As Lhe "roLean" rlghL Lo say anyLhlng and everyLhlng, Lhe
unllmlLed rlghL of wrlLlng and readlng, Lhe rlghL Lo defy laws of prohlblLlon, Lo engender flcLlons agalnsL
Lhe prevalllng sense of reallLy, llLeraLure ls an "lnsLlLuLlon whlch Lends Lo overflow Lhe lnsLlLuLlon," whlch
even desLablllzes Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween naLure and lnsLlLuLlon. ConLrary Lo hls crlLlcs, uerrlda ls noL
argulng LhaL "anyLhlng goes" nor ls he Lurnlng LruLh over Lo caprlce, buL he ls argulng sLrongly for a
democraLlc open-endedness LhaL makes Lhose who have appolnLed Lhemselves Lhe Cuardlans of 1ruLh
nervous.
____________________
8 Cne effecL of Lhls flucLuaLlon on uerrlda's parL ls LhaL Lhere has Lended Lo be someLhlng of a war
beLween hls more phllosophlcal and hls more llLerary readers. lor a sarcasLlc revlew of Lhls baLLle, see
Ceoffrey 8ennlngLon's "ueconsLrucLlon and Lhe hllosophers (1he very ldea)," ln hls LeglslaLlons: 1he
ollLlcs of ueconsLrucLlon ( London: verso, 1994). 8ennlngLon ls dlscusslng, among oLher Lhlngs,
8odolphe Casche , 1he 1aln of Lhe Mlrror ( Cambrldge, Mass.: Parvard unlverslLy ress, 1986) and lrene
Parvey, 1he Lconomy of ulfferance ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1986), boLh of whlch
appeared ln Lhe same year and wagged Lhelr flngers aL Lhe llLerary LheorlsLs for mlsslng Lhe hard,
sLralghL, serlous phllosophlcal slde of uerrlda, Lhereby conLrlbuLlng mlghLlly Lo Lhe popular lmage of hlm
as a relaLlvlsL and sub[ecLlvlsL. l have also revlewed Lhese pleces ln "uerrlda: A klnd of hllosopher,"
8esearch ln henomenology, 17 ( 1987), 243-239.
-38-
Cn a pracLlcal and pollLlcal level, he ls Lalklng abouL censorshlp--of whlch khomelnl's "conLracL" on
Salmon 8ushdle ls perhaps Lhe paradlgmaLlc case, Lhe ne plus ulLra of censorshlp ( AL37). Pe ls resoluLe
abouL preservlng Lhe rlghL Lo say Lhlngs LhaL are noL allowed, Lo analyze and crlLlclze whaL Lhe powers
LhaL be conslder a closed quesLlon. ConcepLually, he ls argulng LhaL Lhe very ldea of llLLera, of "leLLers," of
wrlLlng, phllosophlcal or llLerary, sclenLlflc or pollLlcal, ls reslsLanL Lo Lhe posslblllLy of closlng a quesLlon
down. lor Lhe leLLer, by lLs very sLrucLure, ls repeaLable, dlssemlnaLlve, publlc, unconLalnable, unfeLLered
Lo any flxed meanlng, deflnlLlon, desLlnaLlon, or conLexL. Pe ls argulng noL LhaL our dlscourse has no
meanlng or LhaL anyLhlng goes buL, on Lhe conLrary, LhaL lL has Loo many meanlngs so LhaL we can flx
meanlng only LenLaLlvely and only so far. And LhaL does noL spell anarchlsm, lL ls noL bad news. 1he leLLer
noL only permlLs buL requlres and releases endless readlng and respondlng, re-readlng and repeaLlng,
commenLary and counLer-slgnlng. lndeed, lf we dld noL know beLLer, lf we were less vlgllanL Aufklarers,
we mlghL be LempLed Lo say LhaL releaslng Lhese readlngs represenLs Lhe deflnlng mlsslon of
deconsLrucLlon around whlch Lhe LoLallLy of lLs work ls cenLered! So leL us say lnsLead LhaL such release,
such cracklng open, belongs Lo Lhe aporeLlc axlomaLlcs of Lhe nuLshell.
LlLeraLure and phllosophy are noL lngredlenL elemenLs ln a democracy for uerrlda, buL deflnlng and
creaLlve forces LhaL open up Lhe space of democracy, LhaL consLlLuLe democracy, consLlLuLlng uerrlda's
declaraLlon of lndependence. 1he rlghL Lo phllosophy ls noL one more elemenL ln a homogeneous fleld of
rlghLs, llke Lhe rlghL Lo work, because phllosophy ls presupposed a prlorl ln every "rlghL Lo" Lhls or LhaL
( uu64-63). uemocracy survlves and flourlshes [usL Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL lL preserves Lhe rlghL of all Lo
phllosophy and llLeraLure, whlch ls Lhe rlghL of a democracy Lo crlLlclze and correcL lLself, Lo ask any
quesLlon abouL lLself, whlch ls why phllosophy and llLeraLure and rlghL go Lo Lhe hearL of whaL uerrlda
calls a "democracy Lo come." 1he very ldea of a rlghL ls a phllosophlcal one--derlvlng from Lhe phllosophy
of Lhe LnllghLenmenL. 1herefore, Lhe sLaLe musL preserve Lhe rlghL Lo phllosophlze, even lf, paradoxlcally,
Lhe rlghL Lo phllosophlze, Lo ask any quesLlon, would lead phllosophers beyond Lhe LnllghLenmenL, or
beyond a cerLaln LnllghLenmenL and lLs LradlLlon of "naLural rlghLs" ( u 68-69), slnce deconsLrucLlon ls
Lhe conLlnuaLlon of Lhe LnllghLenmenL
-39-
by anoLher means, a way of Lhlnklng rlghLs oLherwlse, and hence Lhe lnvenLlon of an oLher
LnllghLenmenL.
lor rlghLs ln deconsLrucLlon, as we have seen, derlve noL from naLure or from Lhe essence of
auLonomous raLlonal agenLs--as ln Lhe LnllghLenmenL--buL raLher, ln someLhlng of a posL-LnllghLenmenL
or posL-crlLlcal way, from very heLeronomlc and responslble paLlenLs, from Lhe depLhs of responslblllLy,
whlch ls undeconsLrucLlble. So, lf lL ls Lrue enough LhaL democracles provlde Lhe suresL elemenL wlLhln
whlch Lhe rlghL Lo phllosophy can be exerclsed--as 8lchard 8orLy llkes Lo remlnd us--lL ls no less Lrue LhaL
Lhe rlghLful exerclse of phllosophy enLalls Lhe rlghL Lo analyze and crlLlclze, Lo deconsLrucL, boLh Lhe
LnllghLenmenL and all exlsLlng democracles, ln Lhelr presenL and acLual deLermlnaLlons, lncludlng even ln
Lhelr very foundaLlons ln Lhe LnllghLenmenL. lor all Lhls ls underLaken ln deconsLrucLlon ln Lhe name of
democracy, of an undeconsLrucLlble democracy Lo come, whlch ls Lhe "promlse of an evenL and Lhe
evenL of a promlse. An evenL and a promlse whlch consLlLuLe Lhe democraLlc" ( uu70-71).
1haL ls why uerrlda ls glad Lo be on hand, ls honored Lo be lnvlLed, lf someone wanLs Lo sLarL a new
program ln phllosophy.
lnS1l1u1lCnAL lnl1lA1lvLS
Cver Lhe years, uerrlda has been personally acLlve on a number of pollLlcal fronLs. Larly on, an opponenL
of Lhe lrench war ln Algerla and Lhe Amerlcan war ln vleLnam ( Md131-133/ Mo111-114), he has
been acLlve on behalf of nelson Mandela, 9 was one of Lhe founders of Lhe !an Pus AssoclaLlon, a socleLy
formed Lo express solldarlLy wlLh persecuLed Czech lnLellecLuals (whlch earned hlm a nlghL ln [all),
supporLs Lhe rlghLs of alesLlnlans, and parLlclpaLes ln lnLernaLlonal assoclaLlons almed aL proLecLlng Lhe
rlghLs of wrlLers everywhere. 10 8ecenLly, uerrlda has Laken an acLlve parL ln calllng for a new Lrlal for
Mumla
____________________
10 See Lhe blographlcal skeLch by 8ennlngLon ln !acques uerrlda, pp. 323-336.
9 See uerrlda, 1he Laws of 8eflecLlon: nelson Mandela, ln AdmlraLlon, Lrans. Mary Ann Caws and
lsabelle Lorenz, ln lor nelson Mandela, ed. !acques uerrlda and MuLapha 1llll ( new ?ork: Penry PolL,
1987), pp. 13-42, and, for a commenLary, see 8oberL 8ernasconl, ollLlcs 8eyond Pumanlsm: Mandela
and Lhe SLruggle AgalnsL AparLheld, ln Worklng 1hrough uerrlda, ed. Cary Madlson ( LvansLon, lll.:
norLhwesLern unlverslLy ress, 1993), pp. 94-119.
-60-
Abu-!amal, a broadcasL [ournallsL and Afrlcan-Amerlcan, who was convlcLed of kllllng a hlladelphla
pollceman ln a Lrlal LhaL has been wldely crlLlclzed by legal scholars. Pavlng llved on deaLh row slnce hls
1982 convlcLlon, Abu-!amal has been frusLraLed ln hls aLLempLs Lo wln a new Lrlal, desplLe Lhe
unearLhlng of a conslderable body of new evldence, ln no small parL because he ls deallng wlLh a
ennsylvanla governor who campalgned on Lhe deaLh penalLy. Abu-!amal drew lnLernaLlonal aLLenLlon Lo
hls pllghL when he publlshed Llve from ueaLh 8ow, a searlng lndlcLmenL of Amerlcan crlmlnal [usLlce, and
uerrlda has conLrlbuLed a preface Lo Lhe lrench LranslaLlon, whlch has [usL appeared. 11
1haL ls why Lhe "deaLh of phllosophy" would be, as a pracLlcal, pollLlcal, and lnsLlLuLlonal maLLer, noLhlng
shorL of a dlsasLer for uerrlda. lL would spell Lhe end of democracy, of Lhe promlse of democracy,
dlmmlng Lhe very ldea, lf lL ls an ldea, of whaL ls Lo come. lar from belng a maLLer for re[olclng or a resulL
aL whlch deconsLrucLlon alms, as hls crlLlcs charge, Lhe end of phllosophy would spell Lerror, Lhe
suppresslon of dlssenL and quesLlonlng, Lhe end of readlng, an encloslng LoLallzaLlon, a LoLallzlng closure.
Cn a pracLlcal level, Lhls ls LranslaLed lnLo uerrlda's deep alarm aL any aLLempL Lo curb or consLraln
phllosophlcal lnsLrucLlon ln Lhe schools, even as he ls alarmed by efforLs Lo suppress or llmlL Lhe rlghLs of
wrlLers.
lurLhermore, uerrlda has, over Lhe years, underLaken a serles of 'lnsLlLuLlonal' lnlLlaLlves" ( uu96), as
he menLlons ln Lhe "8oundLable," lncludlng hls efforLs ln 1973 Lo expand Lhe Leachlng of phllosophy ln
Lhe lrench hlgh school (lycee) beyond Lhe flnal year ( 1ermlnale), hls cenLral role ln Lhe creaLlon of Lhe
"College lnLernaLlonal de hllosophle" ln 1983, and Lhe 1990 8eporL of Lhe Commlsslon on hllosophy
and LplsLemology, Lhe relevanL documenLs of whlch are collecLed ln uu drolL a phllosophle, fllllng over
slx hundred pages. 12
ueconsLrucLlon ls an analyLlc operaLlon almed aL keeplng Lhlnklng
____________________
11 See Mumla Abu-!amal, Ln dlrecL du coulolr de la morL ( arls: La uecouverLe, 1996), Lhe lrench
LranslaLlon of Llve from ueaLh 8ow ( new ?ork: Avon 8ooks, 1996). ALLorney Leonard Welnglass presenLs
Abu-!amal's case ln Lhe "AfLerword," pp. 167-183.
12 A LranslaLlon of Lhe mosL lmporLanL of Lhese documenLs has been pro[ecLed for some Llme now
by Parvard unlverslLy ress under Lhe LlLle lnsLlLuLlons of hllosophy, ed. ueborah Lsch and 1homas
keenan. See Wllllam 8. SchulLz and Lewls L. 8. lrled , !acques uerrlda: An AnnoLaLed rlmary and
Secondary 8lbllography ( new ?ork: Carland, 1992), p. 48 (A19).
-61-
and wrlLlng allve, keeplng Lhem open Lo surprlse, by keeplng on Lhe alerL Lo Lhe lnsLlLuLlons ln whlch
Lhey are housed. lf language ls Lhe house of belng, lnsLlLuLlons are Lhe house of language. 1haL ls why
uerrlda descrlbes deconsLrucLlon as "an lnsLlLuLlonal pracLlce for whlch Lhe concepL of lnsLlLuLlon
remalns a problem" ( u88). lndeed, we are apL Lo be mlsled by speaklng of "houslng" as lf Lhe
lnsLlLuLlon were merely exLernal. ueconsLrucLlon ls lnLegrally, and noL merely passlngly or lncldenLally,
devoLed Lo an analysls of Lhe way phllosophy funcLlons ln an lnsLlLuLlonal seLLlng, of phllosophy and
llLeraLure ln Lhe "lnsLlLuLlon," as an lnsLlLuLlon or "esLabllshmenL," as a soclo-pollLlco-[urldlcolnsLlLuLlonal
sLrucLure. lor lnsLlLuLlonal sLrucLures Lend Lo harden over and Lo proLecL phllosophy from Lhe
resLlessness and anarchlc freedom of wrlLlng ln whlch phllosophy ls lnscrlbed. lnsLead of proLecLlng
phllosophy, lnsLlLuLlons can easlly end up proLecLlng us from phllosophy. lL has never been Lrue LhaL
deconsLrucLlon conslsLed ln some merely "lnLernal" and "apollLlcal" analysls of LexLs, lsolaLed and
lnsulaLed from Lhe lnsLlLuLlons ln whlch Lhese LexLs are read and by whlch Lhese readlngs are monlLored.
lor Lhe lnsLlLuLlonal "conLexL" belongs lnLegrally Lo Lhe "general" LexL, Lhe archl-LexLuallLy of whlch
deconsLrucLlon ls Lhe analysls. lnsLlLuLlons reach all Lhe way down lnLo Lhe so-called lnLernal sLrucLure of
Lhe LexL, maklng Lhe very dlsLlncLlon beLween lnLernal and exLernal quesLlonable, Lurnlng Lhe lnslde ouL
and leLLlng Lhe ouLslde ln. 1he classlcal ldea LhaL lnsLlLuLlons are merely exLernal sLrucLures havlng
noLhlng Lo do wlLh phllosophy lLself, ln lLs lnLernal essence, ls a conservaLlve llluslon. ueconsLrucLlon has
always been a pollLlcal and lnsLlLuLlonal analysls. 13
So, when lL comes Lo Lhe rlghL Lo phllosophy, uerrlda has been all along advanclng on Lwo fronLs. ln Lhe
course of a very conslderable amounL of pracLlcal acLlvlLy he has also sLeadlly accumulaLed an exLenslve
body of LheoreLlcal reflecLlon on educaLlonal lnsLlLuLlons. uu drolL a la phllosophle, ln whlch Lhese
wrlLlngs are collecLed, ls noL only a call Lo acLlon buL Lhe name of a very large book almed aL
Lransformlng phllosophy from an "esLabllshmenL" lnLo a "provocaLlon" ( 8361). LeL us look brlefly aL
Lwo of hls mosL well-known pracLlcal lnLervenLlons, Lhe Lwo uerrlda slngles ouL ln Lhe "8oundLable": Lhe
flrsL under a conservaLlve governmenL, Lhe nexL under lLs soclallsL successor.
____________________
13 See Lhe flrsL Lwo lnLervlews ln olnLs for an lllumlnaLlng dlscusslon by uerrlda of Lhe senslLlvlLy of
deconsLrucLlon Lo lLs lnsLlLuLlonal and pollLlcal maLrlx ( dS130181/ olnLs3-77). olnLs ls a parLlcularly
valuable lnLroducLlon Lo deconsLrucLlon.
-62-
(1) uerrlda was Lhe cenLral flgure ln Lhe foundaLlon ln 1973 of C8LP (Le Croupe de 8echerches sur
l'LnselgnemenL hllosophlque), 8esearch Croup on hllosophlcal 1eachlng (see uu146-133). C8LP
was formed ln order Lo offer reslsLance Lo an aLLempL on Lhe parL of a posL-1968 conservaLlve lrench
governmenL LhaL was benL on dlmlnlshlng Lhe role of phllosophy ln lrench culLure. ln Lhls connecLlon,
C8LP made conLacL wlLh publlc medla and sponsored a number of conferences, Lhe besL known of
whlch was Lhe "LsLaLes Ceneral of hllosophy" ln 1979, all ln an efforL Lo "enlarge Lhe space for
phllosophlcal Leachlng and phllosophlcal research," as he says ln Lhe "8oundLable."C8LP moblllzed ln
parLlcular agalnsL Lhe governmenL's program of curLalllng Lhe Leachlng of phllosophy ln Lhe Lycee
( dS93-94/ olnLs88). Such a curLallmenL would have weakened Lhe crlLlcal" componenL ln lycee
educaLlon, and, needless Lo say, would have been felL ln Lhe unlverslLles, Loo, where Lhe need Lo Lraln
such Leachers would have been correspondlngly ellmlnaLed. 1o llmlL Lhe Leachlng of phllosophy, even
and especlally on Lhe hlgh school level, ls Lo llmlL Lhe unllmlLed rlghL Lo quesLlon, Lo nlp Lhlnklng ln Lhe
bud. Calllng lnLo quesLlon Lhe nesL of assumpLlons--abouL phllosophy, socleLy, and Lhe educaLlonal
process--whlch lead Lo Lhe concluslon LhaL phllosophy could noL be sLudled aL an early age, C8LP
advocaLed Lhe expanslon of phllosophlcal educaLlon and even experlmenLed wlLh Leachlng phllosophy Lo
chlldren aged 10 or 11. 14 8eyond pursulng Lhese pracLlcal measures, C8LP was lnLeresLed ln Lhe very
concepL of Leachlng phllosophy: ln Lhe ways ln whlch phllosophy ls affecLed by lLs belng LaughL, Lhe ways
ln whlch Leachlng ls affecLed when lL ls phllosophy LhaL ls Lo be LaughL, ln Lhe hlsLory and evoluLlon of Lhe
"phllosophy professor," Lhe modes of recrulLlng phllosophy Leachers, and Lhe characLer and make-up of
Lhe lnsLlLuLlons ln whlch lL ls LaughL, Lhe soclal and hlsLorlcal conLexL ln whlch phllosophy ls LaughL, Lhe
pollLlcal sLakes of Leachlng phllosophy.
(2) ln 1982, shorLly afLer Lhe elecLlon of lranols MlLLerand and of a soclallsL ma[orlLy, Lhe new MlnlsLer
of 8esearch and lndusLry, !eanlerre ChevenemenL, reverslng Lhe "reforms" of Lhe prevlous
admlnlsLraLlon, commlssloned a sLudy Lo be headed up by uerrlda LhaL led dlrecLly Lo esLabllshlng Lhe
College lnLernaLlonal de hllosophle ( uu
____________________
14 CrlLlclsm ln SocleLy, ed. Saluslnszky, pp. 13-14.
-63-
377 ff./ Sendoffs7-8). 13 1he College, whlch opened lLs doors on CcLober 10, 1983, wlLh uerrlda servlng
a one-year Lerm as lLs flrsL elecLed ulrecLor (he was succeeded by LyoLard), lllusLraLes qulLe nlcely whaL
Lhe rlghL Lo phllosophy oughL Lo look llke ln Lhe concreLe for uerrlda, and lL repays a closer look. 1hls can
be convenlenLly organlzed around Lhe name of Lhe lnsLlLuLlon.
College. lnasmuch as Lhe College ls lLself an lnsLlLuLlon, lL flnds lLself ln an lmposslble slLuaLlon: for whlle
lL means Lo be susplclous of all lnsLlLuLlonal power and hlerarchy, programs and programmlng, mlsslons
and desLlnaLlons, Lhe College needs Lo have some sorL of lnsLlLuLlonal sLrucLure and dlrecLlon. 1o be sure,
a paralyzlng lmposslblllLy ls noL an ob[ecLlon for uerrlda, buL raLher an lmpulse and an lndlcaLor LhaL
Lhlngs are really geLLlng lnLeresLlng. Accordlngly, Lhe College musL noL exempL lLself from lLs own
analyses, lLs founders musL recognlze LhaL Lhe College lLself, and Lhe Loplcs lL pursues, wlll--lf lLs founders
are successful--Lend Lo acqulre "leglLlmacy" and become "esLabllshed" ( uu394/ Sendoffs20). So, Lhe
College musL make every efforL Lo be vlgllanL abouL lLs colleglallLy ( uu374-376) lL musL be so
sLrucLured as Lo brlng LogeLher scholars and researchers ln such an open-ended way as preclsely Lo reslsL
any "sLable hlerarchy," Lo provlde for a free and auLonomous assoclaLlon LhaL preserves maxlmum
moblllLy as regards boLh Lhe Lhemes LhaL are sLudled Lhere and Lhe scholars and researchers who Leach
Lhere ( uu374). 1he mlsslon--lLs mlsslon wlLhouL mlsslon, wlLhouL narrowlng and conflnlng deflnlLlon--
of Lhe College wlll be:
[1]o organlze research on ob[ecLs--Lhemes, whlch are noL sufflclenLly represenLed ln exlsLlng
lnsLlLuLlons ln lrance or ouLslde lrance. Cb[ecLs and Lhemes whlch are marglnallzed or repressed or noL
sufflclenLly sLudled ln oLher lnsLlLuLlons, phllosophlcal or noL phllosophlcal lnsLlLuLlons [ CC210].
____________________
13 lor Lhe relevanL documenLs see "1lLres," uu331-376, "Coups d'envol," uu 377-618/
Sendoffs7-43. lor furLher lnformaLlon, see Lhe lnLervlew wlLh lmre Salusln szky , ln CrlLlclsm ln SocleLy,
ed. Saluslnszky, pp. 9-24, vlncenL LelLch, "8esearch and LducaLlon aL Lhe Crossroads: A 8eporL on Lhe
College lnLernaLlonal de hllosophle," SubsLance, no. 30 ( 1986), 101-114. LelLch's plece ls lnformaLlve
buL onesldedly "po-mo": whlle Lhe word "responslblllLy" never appears, "rhlzomaLlc" ls spread all over lLs
surface, agaln, LelLch concludes, qulLe amazlngly, by saylng LhaL "posLmodern" movemenLs llke
deconsLrucLlon dlsplay "less concern" wlLh "[usLlce" Lhan wlLh "novelLy" (p. 113 ), whereas uerrlda says
LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls [usLlce. See above, "8oundLable," n. 1.
-64-
1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL whaL ls sLudled ln exlsLlng lnsLlLuLlons, baslc courses ln laLo and ArlsLoLle, for
example, ls noL lmporLanL, or LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls conducLlng a war on Lhe canon or sLandard currlcula
or Lhe Lechnlcal Lralnlng of phllosophers. lL ls never a quesLlon of chooslng beLween provlng oneself
accordlng Lo Lhe mosL LradlLlonal dlsclpllnary sLandards and puLLlng Lhose sLandards Lo Lhe LesL ( uu
491/ 817). 8uL Lhe speclflc mlsslon of Lhe College lLself ls Lo LhemaLlze whaL ls noL sLudled or leglLlmlzed
ln Lhese esLabllshed lnsLlLuLlons, whaL ls excluded by Lhelr mlsslonary zeal, whaL Lends Lo drop Lhrough
Lhe grlds of exlsLlng lnsLlLuLlons--and Lhls on Lhe beL or Lhe rlsk LhaL someLhlng ls always belng losL when
Lhlngs operaLe ln regularlzed and rouLlnlzed ways. 8uL as he says ln Lhe "8oundLable," lL ls never
necessary Lo chose beLween Lhe canon and "new works, new ob[ecLs, new flelds, new culLures, new
languages." ( 8111) ("lL ls never a quesLlon of chooslng beLween . . ." ls anoLher nuLshell.)
1he College wlll Lhus have no Lenure or chalrs, no academlc "ranks," no flxed or core currlculum, no
grades or sLandard degrees. lL wlll especlally noL be an "arlsLocraLlc and closed 'cenLer for advanced
sLudles' " ( dS119/ olnLs111), aL Lhe very sound of whlch name knees everywhere Lurn Lo waLer. 1he
sole crlLerlon for Leachlng or dolng research Lhere ls wheLher one can propose an ob[ecL for research
LhaL has been "marglnallzed or excluded or dlsquallfled ln oLher lnsLlLuLlons" ( CC211), "lnsufflclenLly
'leglLlmaLed'" ( dS119/ olnLs110)--and LhaL promlses Lo repay sLudy, slnce noL every blzarre, unusual,
or llleglLlmaLe ldea ls a good one.
hllosophy. lurLhermore, lL musL be undersLood LhaL Lhe College ls Lo be a college of phllosophy because
phllosophy ls noL dead and over wlLh:
As soon as you glve up phllosophy, or Lhe word phllosophy, whaL happens ls noL someLhlng new or
beyond phllosophy, whaL happens ls LhaL some old hldden phllosophy under oLher name--for lnsLance
Lhe name of llLerary Lheory or psychology or anLhropology and so on--go on domlnaLlng Lhe research ln a
dogmaLlc or lmpllclL way. And when you wanL Lo make Lhls lmpllclL phllosophy as clear and as expllclL as
posslble, you have Lo go on phllosophlzlng. . . . 1haL's why l am Lrue Lo phllosophy [ CC218].
1o dance over Lhe deaLh of phllosophy ls Lo end up danclng Lo some old and now forgoLLen phllosophlcal
Lune, whlch ls why lL ls necessary
-63-
Lo keep phllosophy as open-ended and unllmlLed quesLlonlng allve. 1he conLlnual efforL Lo worry over
presupposlLlons, Lo keep on quesLlonlng and Lalklng, ls whaL ls called phllosophy, and LhaL musL be kepL
golng.
1he ldea behlnd Lhe College ls Lo dlsLurb Lhe relgnlng and con[olned ldeas of phllosophy and Lhe
unlverslLy LhaL go back Lo Lhe foundlng of Lhe unlverslLy of 8erlln ln 1810 whlch have "deflned Lhe role of
phllosophy ln Lhe unlverslLy" ever slnce ( CC210). Cn Lhls "paradoxlcal" model Lhe phllosopher ls boLh
everyLhlng and noLhlng. As a klnd of neo-kanLlan overseer and surveyor of Lhe whole of academlc space,
phllosophy sLands aLop an academlc pyramld sLaklng ouL Lhe domaln of Lhe varlous dlsclpllnes LhaL are
locallzed ln Lhe dlfferenL "deparLmenLs" down below. 1hus far, Lhe phllosopher ls Laken Lo be a cerLaln
omnlpoLenL phllosopher-klng. 8uL, aL Lhe same Llme, Lhe "deparLmenL of phllosophy" ls lLself locallzed ln
one of Lhese parLlcular comparLmenLs, and hence becomes a "sub[ecL" of Lhe klng, enllsLed Lhus ln Lhe
servlce of Lhe whole. A "deparLmenL of phllosophy" ls Lhus boLh lmpoLenL and omnlpoLenL ( uu372-
373). 1he ulLlmaLe effecL of Lhls paradoxlcal model ls more and more Lo "reduce Lhe space of
phllosophlcal Leachlng and phllosophlcal research" ( CC211) Lo a small deparLmenL ln a large unlverslLy
or mulLl-verslLy, whlch ls why we Loday are worrled abouL Lhe end or deaLh of phllosophy.
1hls model of phllosophy, whlch holds sway from kanL Lo 8elng and 1lme, goes back Lo kanL's ldea of
phllosophy as a crlLlcal Lrlbunal, as a [udge who marks off Lhe llmlLs of posslble experlence and Lhe
boundarles of Lhe varlous domalns of knowledge, morals, arL, and rellglon. lor kanL Lhe flrsL quesLlon of
phllosophy ls Lhe quesLlon quld [urls, wlLh whaL rlghL do we clalm Lo know or be obllged Lo do Lhls or
LhaL. 1he kanLlan schema of phllosophy Lakes Lhe form of whaL uerrlda calls a "hyper[udlclallsm," where
Lhe phllosopher ls noL merely a [udge buL a hyper-[udge, a [udge of Lhe [udges, who surveys and
leglLlmaLlzes Lhe rules of [udgmenL for Lhe several reglons of human [udgmenL. 1he phllosopher noL only
glves Lhe law (drolL) of a sub[ecL maLLer, buL also Lhe LruLh of Lhe law and of lLs [udgmenLs, for Lhe
exerclse of whlch kanL says Lhe phllosophlcal faculLy needs Lhe absoluLe rlghL Lo speak Lhe LruLh.
hllosophy ls noL [usL one parLlcular domaln of leglLlmaLe [udgmenL, buL Lhe absoluLe source of all
leglLlmaLlon, "Lhe law of Lhe law, Lhe [usLlce of [usLlce," le drolL du drolL, la [usLlce de la [usLlce ( uu96-
97), as such.
-66-
kanL's "crlLlcal phllosophy, " whlch elevaLes Lhe phllosopher Lo a supreme Lrlbunal, Lranscendlng Lhe
parLlcular dlsclpllnes, Lhus forms a modern, crlLlcal--"LranscendenLal"--counLerparL Lo Lhe pre-crlLlcal
asplraLlon of classlcal "meLaphyslcs" for "Lranscendence" (epekelna Les ouslas). kanL glves Lhe
phllosopher a symbollc masLery of Lhe world, before whlch everyLhlng musL pass ln revlew--even lf ln
facL (quld facLl) Lhe phllosopher ls a professor (and noL a klng) wlLh llLLle or no real power. 1he world ls a
sysLem, phllosophy ls lLs encyclopedla, and Lhe unlverslLy ls a meLonym for Lhe unlverse and socleLy as a
whole. Lven lf Lhe LnllghLenmenL denounces LoLallLarlanlsm, Lhls ls a very LoLallzlng ldeal ( uu98-99).
lL should also noL go unnoLlced LhaL, ln Lhls hyper-[udlclal scheme, Lhe phllosopher hlmself reserves Lhe
rlghL Lo be lgnoranL of Lhe speclflc conLenLs of Lhe parLlcular domalns of Lhe encyclopedla, even whlle
clalmlng Lhe rlghL Lo speak of Lhe essence of knowledge ln general and of Lhe meanlng of each reglon of
belng or ob[ecLlvlLy. Lven lf phllosophers ln facL do know abouL oLher Lhlngs (ln lrance Lhey Lend Lo know
Lhe humanlLles and soclal sclences, ln Anglo-Amerlca Lhey Lend Lo know maLhemaLlcs and Lhe physlcal
sclences), phllosophy, as Lhe sclence of sclence, ls "sLrucLurally" lgnoranL, such knowledge ls Laken Lo be
unnecessary and exLerlor Lo Lhe phllosophlcal acL. 1hls supreme phllosopher-[udge, resLlng aLop hls
Lrlbunal, serenely asklng quld [urls of everyLhlng passlng ln revlew before hlm, has an "lmpoLenL power"
( uu100-101). 1he neo-kanLlan phllosopher/[udge, on uerrlda's Lelllng, ls llke a sldewalk beggar
halluclnaLlng LhaL everyone passlng before hlm needs hls permlsslon Lo pass.
1o reslsL LhaL ldea of phllosophy and LhaL lnsLlLuLlonal framlng of phllosophy ls Lhe reason deconsLrucLlon
has come lnLo Lhe world. Such reslsLance would be lLs mlsslon, lf deconsLrucLlon dld noL also reslsL Lhe
ldea of havlng a mlsslon. 1he College seL ouL Lo dlsLurb Lhe pyramld and Lo effecL a more horlzonLal--and
hosplLable--arrangemenL. 1hls lL does noL by way of "lnLerdlsclpllnary" work ( uu369ff., dS118/
olnLs110), whlch ls an essenLlal buL already well-leglLlmaLed pracLlce wlLhln exlsLlng lnsLlLuLlons,
someLhlng LhaL has already become a "classlcal" concepL ( lCA213). lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy conflrms (raLher
Lhan deconsLrucLlng) dlsclpllnarlLy by esLabllshlng llnes of communlcaLlon among already consLlLuLed
dlsclpllnes, collaboraLlve work among people wlLh dlfferenL compeLencles--as when sLudenLs of hlsLory,
llLera+00Au Lure, phllosophy, and Lheology come LogeLher ln a "medleval sLudles"
-67-
program. 1he College, on Lhe oLher hand, ls ln search of new ob[ecLs for whlch Lhere are no exlsLlng
compeLencles, ob[ecLs for whlch no one has had "Lralnlng," Loplcs abouL whlch no Leam of speclallsLs can
be assembled. 1haL lLself requlres LhaL Lhere be no expecLaLlon of Lhe lmmedlaLe appllcablllLy of Lhls
work, no demand LhaL lL serve an lmmedlaLe and evldenLly useful purpose. Such ob[ecLs are sLudled ln
whaL ls called aL Lhe College slx dlfferenL "lnLersecLlons," vlz., phllosophy ln lnLersecLlon wlLh sclence, arL
and llLeraLure, pollLlcs, psychoanalysls, lnLernaLlonallLles--and wlLh phllosophy lLself. All Lhls ls almed aL
provoklng phllosophy lnLo "new moves" ln a "new space" ln whlch lL does noL "recognlze lLself," exposed
Lo an oLher whlch ls noL lLs oLher--LhaL negaLlon of lLself by whlch lL medlaLes lLself lnLo a hlgher form of
lLself--whlch moves phllosophy lnLo an exposure wlLh "oLhers" lL cannoL reapproprlaLe.
ln Lhe reporL Lo M. ChevenemenL, uerrlda lllusLraLes Lhe general caLegorles of "Lhemes" or "ob[ecLs" he
would propose lnvesLlgaLlng, among whlch l would menLlon hls lnLeresL ln Lhe problems of Lhe
Lechnology of LelecommunlcaLlons ( uu608-610/ Sendoffs32-33), and Lhe phllosophlcal lmpllcaLlons of
Lhe llfe sclences, problems lssulng from Lhe new medlcal Lechnologles, llke quesLlons surroundlng organ
LransplanLs, geneLlc englneerlng, new Lechnlques of LorLure, Lhe new ways we have found Lo occupy
ouLer space, lnformaLlon Lechnologles, "smarL" weapons and Lhe new modes of warfare ( uu600-603/
Sendoffs23-29). ln Lhe flrsL year, for example, Lhere was a semlnar on phllosophlcal problems
surroundlng hosplLal auLopsles. 16
lnLernaLlonal. llnally, whlle Lhe College ls noL Lhe flrsL lnsLlLuLlon Lo regard lLself as lnLernaLlonal,
lnLernaLlonal here ls lnLended Lo mean someLhlng dlfferenL ( CC213-217). 1he College wlshes noL only
Lo lnvlLe forelgn vlslLors buL also Lo lnclude Lhem ln Lhe College as declslon-maklng "organlc members,"
wlLh Lhe effecL even of dellmlLlng Lhe auLhorlLy of Lhe lrench language wlLhln Lhe College. noL only does
Lhe College pursue Lhe famlllar lnLernaLlonal llnks, lrench and Cerman, for example, or lrench and
Amerlcan, or even Lhe much more dlfflculL lrench and 8rlLlsh, buL lL also seeks Lo cross barrlers wlLh
nonLuropean languages, culLures, and phllosophy LhaL are hardly known
____________________
16 LelLch, "8esearch and LducaLlon aL Lhe Crossroads,"102.
-68-
ln lrance, llke Aslan and Afrlcan phllosophy ( CC223), of whlch Lhe debaLe over laclde 1empel's 8anLu
hllosophy serves as an example. 17
1hls lnLernaLlonallsm ls no LnllghLenmenL unlversallsm LhaL would mean Lo spread a monochromaLlc
Luropean unlversal over Lhe globe, Lo palnL Lhe whole world Luropean, and Lo LreaL whaL ls noL
Luropean as "pre-Luropean," whlch means pre-raLlonal, buL a klnd of llnklng or neLworklng LhaL breaks
open whaL would oLherwlse be self-enclosed naLlonallsms and leLs oLherwlse sllenced volces be heard. lL
does noL seek Lo dlssolve Lhe naLlonal ldenLlLles lnLo a unlversal medlum. lLs ldea of LranslaLlon ls Lo cope
wlLh Lhe dlfferenL and ldlomaLlc naLlonal dlfferences--LranslaLlon ls boLh necessary and lmposslble--and
Lo keep Lhem exposed Lo one anoLher Lo prevenL self-enclosure. lndeed, one of Lhe problems LhaL
lnLeresLs uerrlda ls Lhe growlng and lncreaslngly hegemonlc unlversallLy of Lhe Lngllsh language around
Lhe world whlch Lends Lo wlpe ouL dlfference. lf by LnllghLenmenL one means a unlform unlversallsm,
Lhen LhaL ls someLhlng Lo deconsLrucL. 8uL, by Lhe same Loken, lnsofar as Lhe LnllghLenmenL dlssolves
obscuranLlsm, auLhorlLarlanlsm, and fanaLlclsm, noLhlng ls more aufklarlsch Lhan deconsLrucLlon
( CC220-221).
8L1WLLn 1PL "uLA81MLn1 Cl PlLCSCP?" Anu A PlLCSCP? 1C CCML
lf one asks where, ln Lhe unlverslLy, one flnds deconsLrucLlon, ln whaL deparLmenL, one would have Lo
say LhaL lL lnhablLs Lhe dlsLance beLween Lhe deparLmenLallzed academlc speclalLles of phllosophy or
llLeraLure or law, or archlLecLure, or rellglous sLudles, eLc., and someLhlng absoluLely new, absoluLely
slngular, and unprecedenLed:
l dream of a wrlLlng LhaL would be nelLher phllosophy nor llLeraLure, nor even conLamlnaLed by one or
Lhe oLher, whlle sLlll keeplng--l have no deslre Lo abandon Lhls--Lhe memory of llLeraLure and phllosophy
[ AL73].
____________________
17 See aulln !. PounLond[l, Afllcan hllosophy: MyLh and 8eallLy, 2nd ed. ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana
unlverslLy ress, 1996) for a crlLlque of laclde 1empels's vlew LhaL Lhere ls an lndlgenous, dlsLlncLly non-
WesLern "Afrlcan phllosophy" as an eLhnocenLrlc myLh.
-69-
ueconsLrucLlon ls nourlshed by a dream of Lhe lnvenLlon of Lhe oLher, of someLhlng Lo come, someLhlng
absoluLely unlque and ldlomaLlc, Lhe lnvenLlon, Lhe ln-comlng, of an absoluLe surprlse. Such a work
would llkewlse lnvolve Lhe lnvenLlon of lLs readers, Lhe formlng or consLlLuLlng of a new communlLy of
readers around lL, a communlLy whlch does noL exlsL--how could lL? Such readers would geL on-Lhe[ob
Lralnlng, on Lhe spoL, when lL comes ( AL72) lndeed, Lhls ls a general rule, a nuLshell, of deconsLrucLlon: lL
always lnhablLs Lhe dlsLance beLween someLhlng lmposslble, [usLlce or Lhe glfL, say, of whlch we dream,
and all Lhe exlsLlng acLuallLles and foreseeable posslblllLles, wlLh whlch we are more or less dlsconLenL.
8uL how are such Lhlnkers Lo be Lralned ln Lhe meanLlme? lor lL ls always Lhe meanLlme, Lhe ln-beLween
Llme, [usL because whaL ls comlng ls always Lo come, a venlr. ln Lhe meanLlme, lL would be necessary Lo
undergo Lhe mosL rlgorous and classlcal Lralnlng ln deparLmenLs of phllosophy and llLeraLure, of rellglon
and law, eLc. Where else? 1haL ls why uerrlda ls happy Lo be on hand when a new program ln phllosophy
ls belng lnsLlLuLed, why he ls Lhe perfecL guesL for such an occaslon. 8uL Lhese programs musL always be
open-ended, porous, experlmenLal, nonprogrammable, vlgllanL, self-quesLlonlng, self-revlslng, exposed
Lo Lhelr oLher, lnvenLlve of Lhe oLher.
ln a nuLshell, deconsLrucLlve.
-70-
3
khra: 8elng Serlous wlLh laLo
"l am on Lhe Lhreshold of readlng laLo and ArlsLoLle. l love Lhem and l feel l have Lo sLarL agaln and
agaln and agaln. lL ls a Lask whlch ls ln fronL of me, before me."
--"8oundLable," 9
"We have goLLen more Lhan we Lhlnk we know from 'LradlLlon,' buL Lhe scene of Lhe glfL also obllgaLes
us Lo a klnd of flllal lack of pleLy, aL once serlous and noL so serlous, as regards Lhe Lhlnklng Lo whlch we
have Lhe greaLesL debL."
--dS 139/olnLs 130
A PCAx
Cn May 18, 1996, 1he new ?ork 1lmes reporLed on lLs fronL page a sLory of a hoax LhaL was played on
Soclal 1exL, Lhe chlef ouLleL of Lhe "culLural sLudles" movemenL, Lhe headllne of Lhe sLory ran
"osLmodern CravlLy ueconsLrucLed, Slyly." 1he 1lmes reporLed a sLory LhaL had [usL appeared ln Llngua
lranca and subsequenLly creaLed qulLe a conLroversy, ln whlch a physlclsL named Alan Sokal revealed
LhaL he had submlLLed a saLlre enLlLled "1ransgresslng Lhe 8oundarles: 1oward a 1ransformaLlve
PermeneuLlc of CuanLum CravlLy" almed aL maklng whaL posLmodernlsL soclologlsLs of sclence say
abouL "gravlLy" look sllly, whlch ls whaL Lhe 1lmes meanL by "deconsLrucLed." 1he edlLors of Soclal 1exL
Look lL qulLe serlously and had [usL publlshed lL, whlch led Lo Sokal's "goLch'ya." 1aklng on a look of
perfecL gravlLy, Sokal Look on whaL he Look Lo be Lhe relaLlvlsm of Lhe culLural sLudles movemenL,
parLlcularly as regards "hard sclence"--Lhe gravely serlous lssue of Lhe
-71-
prlnclple of gravlLy ln maLhemaLlcal physlcs. 1 Sokal, for whom "gravlLy" ls noL a suggesLlon, buL Lhe law,
sald LhaL he defended Lhe LruLh of "Lhe sllllesL quoLes abouL maLhemaLlcs and physlcs from Lhe mosL
promlnenL academlcs . . . . l lnvenLed an argumenL pralslng Lhem and llnklng Lhem LogeLher. All Lhls was
very easy Lo carry off because my argumenL wasn'L obllged Lo respecL any sLandards of evldence or
loglc."
Sokal feels obllged Lo rlse Lo Lhe defense of "sclence" agalnsL lLs "bashers," whlch ls obvlously whaL he
Lhlnks "deconsLrucLlon" means. Sokal's raklsh clalm was LhaL ln a posLmodern perspecLlve "Lhe
spaceLlme manlfold ceases Lo exlsL as an ob[ecLlve physlcal reallLy, geomeLry becomes relaLlonal and
conLexLual, and Lhe foundaLlonal concepLual caLegorles of prlor sclence--among Lhem, exlsLence lLself--
become problemaLlzed and relaLlvlzed." uefendlng hlmself Lo Lhe 1lmes reporLer, SLanley AronowlLz, co-
founder of Lhe [ournal and ClLy unlverslLy of new ?ork professor, sald Sokal ls "lll-read and half-
educaLed" and "goL lL wrong." 1haL does noL seem llke much of a defense, as lL leaves Lhe reader Lo
wonder whaL "sLandards of evldence or loglc" edlLor AronowlLz uses when he accepLs arLlcles for
publlcaLlon ln hls [ournal. SLanley llsh, among oLher Lhlngs LxecuLlve ulrecLor of uuke unlverslLy ress,
whlch publlshes Soclal 1exL, was lncensed LhaL anyone should dlsLurb, dlsrupL, Lransgress, mlme, saLlrlze,
or subverL posLmodernlsLs (who spend Lhelr Llme, of course, dolng [usL LhaL Lo everybody else). llsh sald
he was noL amused, LhaL Lhls was a bad [oke, noL funny aL all, and Lhen, llke an aglng Shakespeare
scholar, lnvoked Lhe mosL classlcal and sLralghL sLandards of academlc proprleLy agalnsL Sokal.
CuesLlonlng Lhe very eLhlcs of Alan Sokal, llsh Look all Lhls very serlously and lndlgnanLly argued LhaL Lhe
soclology of sclence ls ln Lhe serlous buslness of dellmlLlng sclence, noL of bashlng lL, of showlng Lhe
exLenL Lo whlch sclenLlflc clalms are embedded ln soclal, pollLlcal, and even sexual sysLems possessed of
serlous pollLlcal lmpllcaLlons. 2
____________________
1 See Alan u. Sokal, "1ransgresslng Lhe 8oundarles: 1oward a 1ransformaLlve PermeneuLlcs of
CuanLum CravlLy," Soclal 1exL ( Sprlng/Summer 1996), 217-232, and "A hyslclsL LxperlmenLs wlLh Soclal
SLudles," Llngua lranca ( May/!une 1996), 62-64. Sclence Wars, ed. Andrew 8oss ( uurham, n.C.: uuke
unlverslLy ress, 1996) ls a separaLe prlnLlng of Lhls lssue of Soclal 1exL, whose conLrlbuLors are
respondlng Lo a wave of crlLlclsm headed by aul Cross and norman LevlLL's Plgher SupersLlLlon
( 8alLlmore: 1he !ohns Popklns unlverslLy ress, 1994), whlch presenLs Lhe culLural sLudles crlLlque of
"value-free sclence" as "sclence-bashlng."
2 SLanley llsh, "rofessor Sokal's 8ad !oke," 1he new ?ork 1lmes, May 21, 1996, p. 23, "Cp-ed"
page. 1he dlsanalogy, lf l may welgh ln on Lhls dlspuLe, beLween Lhe
-72-
ln a leLLer senL ouL over Lhe lnLerneL whlch he had wlLhdrawn from publlcaLlon because Lhe 1lmes
would noL publlsh lL ln full, Sokal says LhaL he knows all LhaL and LhaL he ls lnLeresLed only ln exposlng
Lhe excesses of Lhe soclology of sclence!
Sokal's saLlre, Lhe 1lmes reporLer commenLs, ls an "lmpeneLrable hodgepodge" bolsLered wlLh lengLhy
fooLnoLes and clLaLlons of Lhe work of AronowlLz and "Lhe llkes of !acques uerrlda." 1he llkes of !acques
uerrlda! Alas, LhaL uerrlda should llve Lo hear hls name used as a slgn of non-sense and reslsLance Lo
gravlLy! Alas, LhaL someLhlng as serlous as "deconsLrucLlon" would come Lo do servlce for such sllllness!
8esLorlng Lhe gravlLy of deconsLrucLlon, showlng LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls serlous buslness, clearlng Lhe
name of a very responslble man, seelng Lhe serlous slde of whaL uerrlda and oLhers call "Lransgresslon,"
whlch Llckles Sokal's funny bone--LhaL ls serlous buslness.
1he lasL Lhlng uerrlda ls lnLeresLed ln dolng ls undermlnlng Lhe naLural sclences or sclenLlflc knowledge
generally. A "deconsLrucLlon" of naLural sclence, were lL underLaken serlously and wlLh a sufflclenL sense
of gravlLy, would be good news. lLs effecL would be Lo keep Lhe laws of sclence ln a self-revlslng, self-
quesLlonlng mode of openness Lo Lhe "oLher," whlch here would mean Lhe sclenLlflc "anomaly," Lhe
Lhlng LhaL defles or Lransgresses Lhe law (nomos). A deconsLrucLlve approach Lo sclence would keep Lhe
sclenLlflc communlLy open Lo Lhe upsLarLs, Lhe new ldeas, Lhe audaclous young graduaLe sLudenLs who
come up wlLh unexpecLed hypoLheses LhaL aL flrsL look a llLLle funny and Lhen a llLLle brllllanL. A
deconsLrucLlve approach Lo naLural sclence would malnLaln LhaL Lhe "laws" of sclence are always
deconsLrucLlble (revlsable) [usL ln vlrLue of an sclence Lo come, one LhaL ls presenLly unforeseeable. A
deconsLrucLlve approach Lo sclence would be good news and hard sclence. 1he sneaklng susplclons LhaL
someLhlng may be wrong wlLh whaL we currenLly belleve, whlle keeplng a waLchful eye LhaL currenL
paradlgms noL be Laken dogmaLlcally, LhaL someLhlng else, someLhlng oLher, sLlll Lo come, ls belng
mlssed--LhaL deeply decon-
____________________
rules of baseball and Lhe law of gravlLy seems Lo me Lo ouLwelgh Lhe analogy. lor a LwlL of llsh's
lndlgnaLlon, see also 1om lrank, "1exLual 8eckonlng," ln 1hese 1lmes ( May 27, 1996), 22-24. 1he new
?ork 8evlew of 8ooks used Lhls opporLunlLy Lo Lake a shoL aL uerrlda ln SLeven Welnberg, "Sokal's Poax,"
1he new ?ork 8evlew of 8ooks ( AugusL 8, 1996), 11-13, Welnberg, a nobel laureaLe ln physlcs, says we
need "Lo proLecL ourselves from Lhe lrraLlonal Lendencles LhaL sLlll beseL humanlLy," lmplylng LhaL lf
uerrlda and deconsLrucLlon geL hold of our chlldren's mlnds, lL wlll noL be long unLll "burnlng wlLches"
makes a come-back (p. 13).
-73-
sLrucLlve frame of mlnd goes Lo Lhe hearL of hardball sclence, lf lL has a hearL!
So, lf deconsLrucLlon would have lnLeresLlng and consLrucLlve Lhlngs Lo say abouL sclence, very much ln
Lhe splrlL of Lhe mosL responslble and serlous kuhnlan and posL-kuhnlan phllosophers of sclence, Anglo-
Amerlcans phllosophers all, l mlghL add, 3 lf deconsLrucLlon ls gravlLy lLself, lf, more generally, a
"deconsLrucLlon" of sclence or Lheology, of llLeraLure or law, of whaLever, ls always an aLLempL Lo open lL
up, noL bash lL or knock lL senseless, Lhen how dld uerrlda's good name geL dragged lnLo Lhls hoax? Pow,
Lo puL lL ln a nuLshell, do "uerrlda" or "deconsLrucLlon" evenLually come Lo mean Lhe devll hlmself?
ln Lhe "8oundLable," Lhe case ln polnL ls noL physlcs buL Creek phllosophy. 8uL Lhe serlous sLudy of Creek
phllosophy, of laLo and ArlsLoLle, for example, wlll serve very well Lo sLake ouL uerrlda's vlews abouL
dolng serlous work, abouL sLandards and crlLerla ln any academlc dlsclpllne--from lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe laws
of gravlLy Lo Lhe sLudy of Crlglnal Sln--and, hence, Lo dlssoclaLe hlm from Lhe sllllness, Lhe sLupldlLy, Lhe
sLupefylng nonsense, LhaL he Lhlnks LhaL anyLhlng goes.
uLCCnS18uC1lCn lS SL8lCuS 8uSlnLSS
"uolng deconsLrucLlon," lf deconsLrucLlon ls someLhlng Lo do, ls noL a maLLer of Lhe very laLesL, up-Lo-
daLe, ahead-of-lLself, avanL-garde, posLmodern one-upmanshlp. ueconsLrucLlon has Lo do wlLh Lhe
oldesL of Lhe old as well as wlLh whaL ls comlng. lf Lhere ls anyLhlng aL all Lo deconsLrucLlon, Lhen whaL lL
descrlbes, namely, a cerLaln auLo-deconsLrucLlng Lendency bullL rlghL lnLo Lhlngs, ls as old as Lhe hllls, as
anclenL as laLo, as medleval as 1homas Aqulnas, as modern and enllghLened as uescarLes, kanL, and
Pegel--and newLon. ln Lhe "8oundLable," uerrlda reafflrms hls love of Lhe greaL LradlLlon of Creek
phllosophy and of laLo and ArlsLoLle ln parLlcular. Pe Lells us LhaL as regards Lhe Creeks he ls a perpeLual
beglnner, LhaL Lhey are always ahead of hlm, LhaL readlng Lhem ls an lnflnlLe Lask LhaL ls always "be-
____________________
3 l have made a halLlng, lmperfecL beglnnlng for myself ln Lhls dlrecLlon ln my 8adlcal
PermeneuLlcs: 8epeLlLlon, ueconsLrucLlon, and Lhe PermeneuLlc ro[ecL ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana
unlverslLy ress, 1987), chap. 8. 1he work of 8oberL Crease ls among Lhe mosL lnLeresLlng ln Lhls fleld of
a "hermeneuLles" of Lhe naLural sclences, whlch ls, l Lhlnk, lmporLanLly consonanL wlLh a deconsLrucLlve
approach Lo sclence.
-74-
fore" hlm. uerrlda ls perfecLly serlous. ConLrary Lo Lhe popular mlsrepresenLaLlons of deconsLrucLlon as
some sorL of enemy of Lhe LradlLlon, someLhlng LhaL lgnores or dlsLorLs Lhe greaL "canon," uerrlda LreaLs
greaL dead whlLe Luropean males llke laLo wlLh scrupulous and lovlng care. So, Lo "do deconsLrucLlon"--
and do lL we musL lesL lL be done unLo us--we musL Lake Lhe Creeks serlously, and especlally laLo, whose
dlscusslon of Lhe khra ln 1lmaeus48-32 draws uerrlda's parLlcular lnLeresL. 4 ueconsLrucLlon, afLer all,
ls serlous buslness! lL ls gravlLy lLself, lf lL has an lLself.
ln Lhe currenL chapLer, ln order Lo geL some ldea of Lhe serlousness of uerrlda's approach Lo Lhe
LradlLlon, l wlll begln by seLLlng forLh whaL he called early on hls "exorblLanL meLhod", Lhen l wlll Lake up
Lhe "example" he proposes Lo us of a deconsLrucLlve analysls: hls LreaLmenL of laLo's khra. llnally, l wlll
offer an oplnlon abouL why lL ls LhaL uerrlda's lnLeresL ls drawn Lo Lhe khra. l wlll show how laLo's
LreaLmenL of Lhe khra serves uerrlda as a "sur-name" for dlfferance, LhaL ls, a klnd of "allegory" of
dlfferance. lor khra exposes a cerLaln "lmpurlLy" (khra 94/Cn 126) and lnLracLablllLy aL Lhe very core
of phllosophlcal concepLs, a cerLaln reLreaL and recesslon from phllosophy's grasp, rlghL Lhere ln laLo,
who ls Lhe very paradlgm of whaL we mean by phllosophy, Lhe horse's mouLh of phllosophy, Lhus leadlng
us up Lo Lhe very llmlLs of phllosophy--and Lo Lhe hearL of deconsLrucLlon, lf lL has a hearL.
laLo and ArlsLoLle, uerrlda says, are always ahead of hlm. 8eadlng Lhem ls always a maLLer of sLarLlng
over agaln, always an lnflnlLe Lask. "We"--always an lmmensely problemaLlc Lerm for uerrlda--are all
____________________
4 AcLually, laLo drew uerrlda's lnLeresL early on, as well, ln an exLremely famous arLlcle enLlLled
"laLo's harmacy" ( 1968), Lhe flrsL parL of ulssemlnaLlon, a wellknown plece LhaL has been exLenslvely
commenLed on, whlch ls menLloned ln Lhe quesLlon puL Lo hlm by rofessor 8rogan ln Lhe "8oundLable."
lor Lhls reason, l have chosen Lo gloss, lnsLead, uerrlda's laLer lnLeresL ln laLo, whlch ls also Lhe one LhaL
ls on hls mlnd ln Lhe "8oundLable," whlch he worked ouL ln Lwo essays wrlLLen some LwenLy years laLer,
"Pow noL Lo Speak: uenlals" ( 1983) and "khra" ( 1987). lor help wlLh "laLo's harmacy," see WalLer
8rogan, laLo's harmakon: 8eLween 1wo 8epeLlLlons, ln uerrlda and ueconsLrucLlon, ed. Pugh
Sllverman ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1989), pp. 7-23. lor a very helpful commenLary on uerrlda's laLo,
early and laLe, see CaLherlne P. ZuckerL, osLmodern laLos ( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress,
1996), chaps. 7-8. lor crlLlclsms of "laLo's harmacy," see SLanley 8osen , PermeneuLlcs as ollLlcs
( new ?ork: Cxford unlverslLy ress, 1987), and, more recenLly, ?oaf 8lnon, "1he 8heLorlc of !acques
uerrlda. l. 'laLo's harmacy,'" 8evlew of MeLaphyslcs, 46 ( 1992), 369-386, "1he 8heLorlc of !acques
uerrlda. ll. 'haedrus,'" 8evlew of MeLaphyslcs, 46 ( 1993), 337-338.
-73-
chlldren of Lhe Creeks. AL leasL Lhe Creeks form a conslderable parL of "our" grandparenLage, of aL leasL
some of "us," slnce Lhose of "us" who hall from Asla or were hauled unwllllngly from sub-Saharan Afrlca
have dlfferenL genealogles and usually do noL feel all LhaL Creek. Whlle uerrlda's admlraLlon for
Peldegger should noL be underesLlmaLed, he wanLs no parL of Peldegger's "Creco-" and "Luro-
cenLrlsm," whlch goes hand ln hand wlLh Peldegger's concomlLanL myLhologlzlng and Lheologlzlng of Lhe
"homeland" of 8elng, of 8elng's moLher Longue, and of Lhe Cermans-as-Pelrs-of-Lhe-Pellenes, Lhe
masLer myLh (and myLh of Lhe masLers) LhaL sLeered much of Peldegger's LhoughL and abomlnable
pollLlcs. 1haL ls boLh wlldly funny, uerrlda says, and exLremely dangerous (uLL 109-110/CS 68-69). SLlll,
desplLe Peldegger's excesses, lf "we" means boLh Lhe nA1C-ese world of LuroAmerlcans and Lhe
colonlzlng reach LhaL world has made lnLo Lhe resL of Lhe world, Lhen we are always bound Lo sLudy Lhe
Creeks lf we wanL Lo undersLand who we are and whaL we can become and whaL ls golng on around Lhe
globe.
8uL Lhls readlng of Lhe Creeks ls noL Lo be "conservaLlve" or reproducLlve, noL because uerrlda re[ecLs
Lhe very ldea of such a readlng, buL because such a readlng ls always a flrsL readlng, preparaLory,
prellmlnary, ground-laylng, conLexLuallzlng. 1hls flrsL readlng ls Lo be followed by a more "producLlve,"
flne-gralned, dlsLlncLly deconsLrucLlve readlng, whlch explores Lhe Lenslons, Lhe loose Lhreads, Lhe llLLle
"openlngs" ln Lhe LexL whlch Lhe classlcal readlng Lends Lo close over or puL off as a problem for anoLher
day, whlch ls really [usL a way Lo forgeL Lhem. 8uL LhaL means LhaL Lhe very ldea of a deconsLrucLlve
readlng presupposes Lhls more reproducLlve and classlcal readlng LhaL sLays on all Lhe expressways and
does noL pursue Lhe llLLle slderoads or venLure lnLo unmarked areas. 1he classlcal readlng follows whaL
we mlghL call Lhe domlnanL Lendencles of Lhe LexL, Lhe smooLh superhlghways wlLh numbered exlLs.
Cnly afLer LhaL readlng, or Lhrough lL, or besL of all along wlLh lL, does a deconsLrucLlve readlng seLLle ln
Lo polnL ouL Lhe dead-ends and aporlas and Lo make Lhlngs more dlfflculL. As Peldegger sald,
auLhenLlclLy ls a modlflcaLlon of lnauLhenLlclLy, belng dlfferenL ls always a modlflcaLlon LhaL glves a new
benL and LwlsL Lo Lhe same. 8uL always, please remember, all Lhls ls ln order Lo open Lhlngs up, Lo flnd a
way Lo read "oLherwlse" (auLremenL), ln Lhe name of Lhe lncomlng of Lhe oLher (l'lnvenLlon de l'auLre).
1he relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe flrsL and Lhe second readlngs, beLween
-76-
Lhe domlnanL and Lhe deconsLrucLlve readlngs, may be seen Lo mlrror Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe
malnsLream lnsLlLuLlons and Lhe College. 1he ldea ls noL Lo [eLLlson Lhe classlcal dlsclpllne, buL Lo dlsLurb
lL by way of explorlng whaL sysLemaLlcally drops Lhrough lLs grld and, by so dlsLurblng lL, Lo open lL up.
1here ls a falr amounL of confuslon abouL Lhls, l Lhlnk, ln Lhe popular represenLaLlons of uerrlda. Alan
Sokal, 1he new ?ork 1lmes, and 1he new ?ork 8evlew of 8ooks cerLalnly goL Lhemselves confused abouL
lL. Such crlLlcs Lend Lo see deconsLrucLlon and whaLever ls meanL by "Lransgresslon" as an "anyLhlng
goes" hermeneuLlcs glven over Lo arblLrary and, desplLe lLs crlLlque of sub[ecLlvlLy, hlghly sub[ecLlvlsL
readlngs LhaL are of noL much help Lo serlous sLudenLs--of Creek phllosophy or Lhe law of gravlLy or
anyLhlng else, noL all LhaL far removed from wlLch-burnlng! 1hus, Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween flrsL and
second readlngs, beLween classlcal and deconsLrucLlve readlngs, Lends Lo be consLrued popularly as Lhe
dlsLlncLlon beLween gravlLy (llLerally!) and levlLy, beLween serlous (scholarly, "responslble") readlngs on
Lhe one hand and sllly (unscholarly, lrresponslble, even dangerous) readlngs on Lhe oLher. 8uL, for
uerrlda, a deconsLrucLlve readlng ls exceedlngly close, flne-gralned, meLlculous, scholarly, serlous, and,
above all, "responslble," boLh ln Lhe sense of belng able Lo glve an accounL of lLself ln scholarly Lerms
and ln Lhe sense of "respondlng" Lo someLhlng ln Lhe LexL LhaL Lends Lo drop ouL of vlew. lndeed, uerrlda
has llLLle paLlence wlLh Lhe nonsense LhaL ls ofLen lmporLed under Lhe label of Lhe "play of slgnlflers."
"1he lnferences," he says, "Lo whlch Lhese games of assoclaLlon and socleLy pasLlmes have for a long
Llme been glvlng rlse are faclle, Ledlous, and nalvely [ubllaLory" (uC 111/AL 289).
An LxC88l1An1 ML1PCu
8ecause of Lhe confuslon over Lhls lssue, and Lhe lmporLance of geLLlng uerrlda rlghL on Lhls polnL, leL us
follow a passage LhaL ls ofLen overlooked ln Cf CrammaLology, even Lhough lL appears ln Lhe famous
dlscusslon of deconsLrucLlon as an "exorblLanL meLhod," exorblLance of course presupposlng an orblL Lo
dlsplace. uerrlda ls abouL Lo scandallze Lhe Cood and Lhe !usL, Lhe knlghLs of Cood Consclence, by saylng
"Lhere ls noLhlng ouLslde Lhe LexL" ( uLC226-227/ CC137138), whlch he calls "Lhe axlal proposlLlon of
Lhls essay" ( uLC233/
-77-
CC163). 1haL ls Lhe famous, scandalous parL, and one of Lhe mosL Lhoroughly mlsrepresenLed
uLLerances ln conLemporary phllosophy. A deconsLrucLlve readlng, uerrlda says, always seLLles lnLo Lhe
dlsLance beLween whaL Lhe auLhor consclously lnLends or means Lo say (voulolrdlre), LhaL ls, whaL she
"commands" ln her LexL, and whaL she does noL command, whaL ls golng on ln Lhe LexL, as lL were,
behlnd her back and so "sur-prlses," over-Lakes, Lhe auLhor herself. 1haL dlsLance, or gap, ls someLhlng
Lhe deconsLrucLlve readlng musL "produce." Clearly, such a sLrucLure, or relaLlonshlp, cannoL be
produced by a respecLful, reproducLlve, doubllng, self-effaclng commenLary LhaL follows Lhe consclous
cholces Lhe auLhor ls maklng, slnce LhaL, Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL lL ls posslble, wlll plck up only one end, Lhe
consclous lnLenLlonallLy, of Lhe relaLlonshlp.
8uL aL Lhls polnL uerrlda says, and Lhls ls Lhe parL LhaL ls overlooked by hls crlLlcs (and Loo ofLen by hls
admlrers):
1hls momenL of doubllng commenLary should no doubL have lLs place ln a crlLlcal readlng. 1o recognlze
and respecL all lLs classlcal exlgencles ls noL easy and requlres all Lhe lnsLrumenLs of LradlLlonal crlLlclsm
[uLC 227/CC 138].
1o read laLo and ArlsLoLle well, one musL learn Creek, learn as much as posslble abouL Lhelr
predecessors, conLemporarles, and successors, abouL Lhelr rellglous, soclal, pollLlcal, and hlsLorlcal
presupposlLlons, undersLand Lhe complex hlsLory of subsequenL lnLerpreLaLlons of Lhelr works, eLc. 1hls
ls "noL easy", lndeed, lL ls an lnflnlLe Lask, and deconsLrucLlon ls noL a llcense Lo clrcumvenL lL. lor
oLherwlse, lf Lhls readlng does noL Lake place, Lhen "anyLhlng goes," and readers may say of a LexL
whaLever comes lnLo Lhelr heads:
WlLhouL Lhls recognlLlon and Lhls respecL, crlLlcal producLlon would rlsk developlng ln any dlrecLlon aL
all and auLhorlze lLself Lo say almosL anyLhlng [ uLC227/ CC138].
?eL Lhls respecLful commenLary ls necessary buL noL sufflclenL:
8uL Lhls lndlspensable guardrall has always only proLecLed, lL has never opened a readlng [ uLC227/
CC138].
We cannoL esLabllsh Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween whaL Lhe auLhor commands and does noL command lf we
do noL flrsL geL a command of whaL of Lhe auLhor says or, beLLer, whaL ls belng sald ln Lhe LexL. Such
-78-
a classlcal exlgency, uerrlda says, provldes guardralls, parameLers, horlzons wlLhln whlch lnLerpreLaLlon
Lakes lLs flrsL sLeps. now, lf such guardralls are enforced absoluLely, Lhey wlll grlnd Lhe "LradlLlon" Lo a
halL, "mummlfy" lL, as nleLzsche would say, so LhaL Lhe LradlLlon of readlng laLo and ArlsLoLle wlll
become a maLLer of handlng on readymade resulLs, passlng along flnlshed formulas for mechanlcal
repeLlLlon and reclLaLlon. 1hen Lhe LradlLlonal crlLlclsm wlll noL proLecL aL all, unless you regard
embalmlng as a form of proLecLlon. So, Lhe only way Lo be really loyal Lo a LradlLlon, LhaL ls, Lo keep lL
allve, ls noL Lo be Loo loyal, Loo reproducLlve, Lhe only way Lo conserve a LradlLlon ls noL Lo be a
conservaLlve.
1haL ls why Lhe posslblllLy musL be kepL allve of readlng oLherwlse, whlch means always passlng Lhrough
Lhe classlcal dlsclpllne, and never havlng abandoned or [eLLlsoned lL, Lo explore whaL lL omlLs, forgeLs,
excludes, expels, marglnallzes, dlsmlsses, lgnores, scorns, sllghLs, Lakes Loo llghLly, waves off, ls [usL noL
serlous enough abouL! AbouL all Lhese omlLLed--"de-leglLlmaLed"--elemenLs, Lhe deconsLrucLlve readlng
ls scrupulous, gravely ln earnesL, deadly serlous. A deconsLrucLor ls llke an lnspecLor who ls gravely
concerned wlLh a llLLle crack he observes ln an alrplane's fuselage (glven Lhe laws of gravlLy), whlle
everyone else on Lhe lnspecLlon Leam ls eager Lo break for lunch--Lhus reverslng Lhe popular sLereoLype
LhaL Lhe deconsLrucLlve readlng ls sllly and sloppy.
1he deconsLrucLlve readlng ls "Lransgresslve" of Lhe proLecLlon LhaL Lhe LradlLlonal readlng affords. ln
whaL sense? 1haL, uerrlda says, can be answered negaLlvely. lL does noL mean: (1) saylng whaLever
comes lnLo your head abouL Lhe LexL, however absurd and rldlculous-alLhough LhaL ls evldenLly whaL
Amy CuLmann, Alan Sokal, CerLrude Plmmelfarb, Wllllam 8enneLL ( uu488n1/ 813n8), and 1he new
?ork 1lmes Lhlnk "deconsLrucLlon" ls--whlch ls why CuLmann Lhlnks lL glves ald and comforL Lo Mormon
polygamy whlle SLeven Welnberg ls worrled abouL wlLch burnlng!
(2) nor does Lhls Lrans-gresslon conslsL ln an acL of absoluLe Lranscendence by means of whlch one llfLs
oneself ouL of one's LexLual booLs or peeks around behlnd Lhe LexL Lo some sorL of naked, prellngulsLlc,
hors-LexLual, ahlsLorlcal, unlnLerpreLed facL of Lhe maLLer called Lhe Lhlng-ln-lLself, or 8eal 8elng, or Lhe
"LranscendenLal slgnlfled," or whaLever seLs your hearL aflame. We are all always and already, on
uerrlda's Lelllng, embedded ln varlous neLworks--soclal, hlsLorlcal, llngulsLlc, pollLlcal, sexual neLworks
(Lhe llsL goes on nowadays Lo ln-
-79-
clude elecLronlc neLworks, worldwlde webs)--varlous horlzons or presupposlLlons, whlch ls whaL uerrlda
means by Lhe "general LexL" or "archl-LexL" or "LexLuallLy" or, here, [usL "LexL." And lL ls ln Lhls conLexL
LhaL he formulaLes Lhe memorable LexL, "1here ls noLhlng ouLslde of Lhe LexL" ("ll n'y a pas de hors-LexL")
( uLC227/ CC138). lor, on uerrlda's vlew, lf ever we Lry Lo lay aslde Lhe enframlng LexLs of laLo and
ArlsLoLle and look "dlrecLly" aL Lhe Lhlngs Lhemselves of whlch Lhey spoke, we wlll do so only Lhrough
oLher frames, oLher horlzons, oLher soclo-hlsLorlco-llngulsLlco-pollLlcal presupposlLlons, oLher
"dlfferenLlal" relaLlonshlps or neLworks, whlch ln uerrlda's language are descrlbed as Lhe "dlfferenLlal
play" of Lhe "Lrace" or of ecrlLure (abouL whlch more shorLly). uerrlda ls noL Lrylng Lo bury Lhe ldea of
"ob[ecLlvlLy" buL, a llLLle llke kanL, Lo force us Lo formulaLe a more senslble verslon of lL Lhan of some
ahlsLorlcal ulng-an-slch.
Cf Lhls "LexLual" polnL, llLeraLure ls an exemplary example. 1here really ls no !ane Lyre (alas, l love her
madly) ouLslde Lhe LexL of !ane Lyre whom we may consulL, say, Lo flnd ouL lf she really dld hear Mr.
8ochesLer call her name, "!ane," from across Lhe moors, and, havlng publlshed her book, CharloLLe
8ronLe has losL all rlghL auLhorlLaLlvely Lo seLLle Lhese maLLers for us. 8uL whaL llLeraLure exhlblLs
"purely," exemplarlly, as lL were, ls Lrue ln varylng ways and degrees of every oLher dlscourse. no one
ever geLs prlvlleged access Lo Lhe SecreL LhaL slLs smlllng behlnd all language and lnLerpreLaLlon walLlng
for us buL Lo knock, we are all ln Lhe same LexLual boaL LogeLher, forced Lo do Lhe besL we can wlLh such
slgns and Lraces as we can plece LogeLher, worklng ouL of one worldwlde-web slLe or anoLher. lL ls noL
LhaL LexLs and languages have no "referenLs" or "ob[ecLlvlLy" buL LhaL Lhe referenL and ob[ecLlvlLy are noL
whaL Lhey pass Lhemselves off Lo be, a pure LranscendenLal slgnlfled. uerrlda ls noL Lrylng Lo desLroy
LexLs or Lhe ablllLy Lo read LexLs or Lo Lurn everyLhlng--Lhe greaL Creeks, laLo and ArlsLoLle,
maLhemaLlcal physlcs and Lhe law of gravlLy lncluded--lnLo flcLlon, or Lo deny Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween
reallLy and flcLlon, he ls Lrylng, raLher, Lo dlsrupL "Lhe Lranqull assurance LhaL leaps over Lhe LexL Loward
lLs presumed conLenL, ln Lhe dlrecLlon of Lhe pure slgnlfled" ( uLC228/ CC139). "ll n'y a pas de hors-LexL"
means: Lhere ls no reference wlLhouL dlfference, LhaL ls, wlLhouL recourse Lo Lhe dlfferenLlal sysLems--be
Lhey llLerary or maLhemaLlcal--we have aL our dlsposal.
Well, Lhen, whaL does uerrlda mean by "Lransgresslon"?
-80-
A Lransgresslon requlres someLhlng Lo Lransgress, a border LhaL prohlblLs passage, a llmlL LhaL forblds
Lrespass, a forbldden apple Lo lnvlLe Lhe blLe. We musL, accordlngly, learn Lo read laLo and ArlsLoLle,
sLudy hard and pass our exams ln our leglLlmaLed "lnLermedlaLe Creek" and "PlsLory of AnclenL
hllosophy" courses, submlL ourselves Lo Lhe mosL classlcal exlgencles of "professlonal rlgor and
compeLence," pass Lhrough Lhe asceLlclsm of Lhe mosL LradlLlonal "dlsclpllne," leglLlmaLe ourselves
accordlng Lo Lhe mosL classlcal norms ( uu491/ 817) -- ln shorL, Lake whaLever Lhe masLers of
leglLlmaLlon can hand ouL. 8uL Lhls musL noL become an excuse for conservaLlsm, for a conservaLlve,
reproducLlve LradlLlonallsm LhaL does noL "produce" anyLhlng, or allow an openlng for Lhe oLher, for Lhe
lnvenLlon of Lhe oLher. 1he lnvenLlon of Lhe oLher requlres flrsL Lhe convenLlons of Lhe same ln reference
Lo whlch one seLs ouL Lo flnd someLhlng conLravenlng and counLerconvenLlonal, someLhlng Lransgresslve
of Lhe horlzon of leglLlmaLlon. 1ransgresslon ls a conLrolled conLravenLlon or lnvenLlon, requlrlng Lhe
dlsclpllne of an already sLandlng frame or horlzon Lo Lransgress, whlch ls why lL ls descrlbed as a "double
gesLure." 1ransgresslon Lhus ls a passage Lo Lhe llmlL (passage a llmlLes, a fronLleres), Lhe crosslng of a
well-drawn border LhaL we all share, glvlng someLhlng sLralghL a new benL or lncllnaLlon or LwlsL. Cne
can lmaglne LhaL uerrlda has ln mlnd an lmpudenL docLoral sLudenL ln physlcs glvlng Lhe sLandard
paradlgm, noL Lo menLlon Lhe full professors, a cerLaln amounL of hell, whlch ls qulLe dlfferenL from
unlnformed crlLlclsm!
uerrlda's ldea ls noL Lo leL Lhe flrsL readlng become Lhe lasL word and noL Lo break Lhe "Lenslon"
beLween Lhe domlnanL, classlcal readlngs and Lhe Lransgresslve readlngs, beLween Lhe much revered
sLandlng paradlgms and Lhe anomalles LhaL clrculaLe wlLhln and evenLually open up Lhe sysLem.
ConservaLlsm breaks Lhe Lenslon ln one way, by Laklng lLs sLand wlLhln Lhe sLandlng horlzons and presenL
paradlgms, shooLlng ouL of Lhe skles everyLhlng Lransgresslve, whlle Lhe sllllness descrled by Alan Sokal
or Amy CuLmann--and !acques uerrlda!--breaks lL ln Lhe opposlLe way, by noL passlng Lhrough Lhe
classlcal dlsclpllne and so removlng any borders Lo Lrespass.
WlLhouL an example, all of Lhls mlghL sound llke so much smoke and mlrrors, a blL of lnLellecLual razzle-
dazzle. uerrlda's example ln Lhe "8oundLable" ls laLo. Lven and especlally ln a phllosopher as
"canonlcal" as laLo, who ln a cerLaln sense seLs Lhe scene for and deflnes Lhe Lerms of Lhe canon, who ls
Lhe canon for Lhe canon, even
-81-
here "Lhe posslblllLles of rupLure are always walLlng Lo be effecLed" and "Lhe mosL radlcally
deconsLrucLlve moLlfs are aL work" ( AL33). An lmporLanL meLaphyslcal LexL llke laLo's ls never
"homogeneous," never self-ldenLlcal, "never LoLally governed by 'meLaphyslcal assumpLlons'" ( AL33).
8adlcal moLlfs can always be deLecLed and released:
lL can always be shown (l have Lrled Lo do so, for example, ln relaLlon Lo Lhe khra of Lhe 1lmaeus) LhaL
Lhe mosL radlcally consLrucLlve moLlfs are aL work "ln" whaL ls called Lhe laLonlc, CarLeslan, kanLlan LexL
[ AL33].
uerrlda uses Lhe same example of Lhe khra ln Lhe "8oundLable" ( 81 9), so hls analysls of laLo's khra
wlll repay our sLudy, Lo "lllusLraLe" how Lo "do" deconsLrucLlve readlngs of Lhe greaL canon, how Lhey
"work." lor laLo, lL wlll Lurn ouL, ls noL [usL anoLher, noL even Lhe flrsL, "example" of whaL ls called
"phllosophy" and Lhe phllosophlcal canon. laLo ls a beglnnlng we can never geL pasL or behlnd, we are
always beglnners beglnnlng wlLh laLo.
kPC8A
ln Lhe essay enLlLled khra, "uerrlda draws a dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhe "phllosophy" of laLo and Lhe
"LexL," a dlsLlncLlon LhaL, we wlll see, parallels Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween domlnanL-reproducLlve and
Lransgresslve-producLlve readlngs of laLo. "1he phllosophy of laLo," uerrlda says, ls an absLracLlon and
a slmpllflcaLlon, whlle Lhe LexL from whlch lL has been exclsed ls complex and heLerogeneous, a mulLlplex
of lnnumerable Lhreads and layers. 1he LexL, he says, produces numerous "effecLs"--semanLlc and
synLacLlcal, consLaLlve and performaLlve, sLyllsLlc and rheLorlcal, eLc.--only one of whlch ls lLs
"phllosophlcal conLenL." "laLonlsm" ls an arLlflce--buL noL an arblLrary one--consLrucLed by cuLLlng and
pasLlng, Lrlmmlng laLo's LexL neaLly around Lhe borders, comblng ouL all Lhe knoLs and conundrums, Lhe
lnvoluLlons and convoluLlons, creaLlng Lhe safe, sanlLlzed, dlsLllled "effecL" called laLo's "phllosophy":
1hls wlll be called laLonlsm or Lhe phllosophy of laLo, whlch ls nelLher arblLrary nor llleglLlmaLe,
slnce a cerLaln force of LheLlc absLracLlon aL work ln Lhe heLerogeneous LexL of laLo can recommend one
Lo do so. . . . "laLonlsm" ls Lhus cerLalnly one of Lhe effecLs of Lhe LexL slgned
-82-
by laLo, for a long Llme, and for necessary reasons, Lhe domlnanL effecL, buL Lhls effecL ls always
Lurned back agalnsL Lhe LexL [ khra81-82/ Cn120].
1he "phllosophy" of laLo, whlch ls an ensemble of "Lheses," of "phllosophemes," of LhemaLlc
phllosophlcal "clalms," whlch corresponds Lhen Lo Lhe "domlnanL," reproducLlve readlng, can be Lurned
agalnsL Lhe "LexL" of laLo, whlch ls an ensemble of LexLual evenLs--"Lhls ensemble wlLhouL llmlL whlch
we here call Lhe LexL" ( khra83/ Cn 120)--ln whlch are embedded any number of oLher, "Lransgresslve"
Lendencles. 1he phllosophy can Lhen be made Lo monlLor or pollce Lhe LexL, "domlnaLlng, accordlng Lo a
mode whlch ls preclsely all of phllosophy, oLher moLlfs of LhoughL whlch are also aL work ln Lhe LexL"
( khra82/ Cn120). A homogeneous and domlnanL, LheLlc and phllosophlc effecL of Lhe LexL ls made Lo
bend back on Lhe LexL as a whole, made Lo govern lL rlgorously, made Lo keep waLch over lLs
lnexhausLlble heLerogenelLy for devlaLlons and Lransgresslons.
rlvlleglng Lhe phllosophy of laLo ls whaL uerrlda means by "logocenLrlsm," maklng Lhe loglc of Lhe
argumenL, Lhe demonsLrably Lrue or false clalms, Lhe cenLer, whlle sendlng everyLhlng else off Lo Lhe
perlphery as mere rheLorlc or ornamenLaLlon, leLLlng Lhe loglc lead Lhe leLLer. 1he resulL of Lhls
logocenLrlc hegemony of Lhe "phllosophy," Lhls concenLraLlon of "Lheses," ls LhaL Lhe LexL ls
"neuLrallzed," "numbed," "lnhlblLed," even Lhough Lhese heLerogeneous forces conLlnue Lo sLlr ln Lhelr
lnhlblLed form. laLonlsm ls noL only Lhe flrsL "example" ln Lhe WesL of Lhe consLrucLlon of such a
"phllosophy," buL also Lhe paradlgm LhaL "commands Lhls whole hlsLory," slnce "phllosophy" wlll always
be ln one way or anoLher "laLonlc."
Pence Lhe necesslLy Lo conLlnue Lo Lry Lo Lhlnk whaL Lakes place ln laLo, wlLh laLo, whaL ls shown
Lhere, whaL ls hldden, so as Lo wln Lhere or Lo lose Lhere [ khra84/ Cn121].
"ueconsLrucLlon" wlll conslsL ln a flne-gralned readlng of Lhe LexL, of Lhe llLerallLy and LexLuallLy of Lhe
LexL, slowly, scrupulously, serlously, ln releaslng Lhe sLlll-sLlrrlng forces LhaL "phllosophy" and
logocenLrlsm sLrlve Lo conLaln.
8y Laklng up Lhe khra, uerrlda Lurns--predlcLably--Lo an unpredlcLable, dark, and remoLe spoL ln Lhe
vasL and gleamlng archlLecLure of laLonlsm. When we Lhlnk of laLo, we Lhlnk of Lhe Lwo worlds or
reglons allegorlzed ln Lhe cave: Lhe upper world of Lhe lnLelllglble
-83-
paradlgms, Lhe sphere of lnvlslble and unchanglng belng ln Lhe sun of Lhe Cood LhaL shlnes over all, as
opposed Lo Lhe senslble llkenesses of Lhe forms ln Lhe changlng, vlslble world of becomlng, Lo whlch Lhe
dlsLlncLlon ln Lhe faculLles beLween sure logos and merely probable doxa corresponds. When presenLed
wlLh a neaL dlsLlncLlon or opposlLlon of Lhls sorL--and Lhls dlsLlncLlon lnauguraLes phllosophy, carves ouL
Lhe very space of "meLa-physlcs"--uerrlda wlll noL, ln Lhe manner of Pegel, look for some upllfLlng,
dlalecLlcal reconclllaLlon of Lhe Lwo ln a hlgher Lhlrd Lhlng, a concreLe unlversal, whlch conLalns Lhe
"LruLh" of Lhe flrsL Lwo. lnsLead, he wlll look around--ln Lhe LexL lLself--for some Lhlrd Lhlng whlch Lhe
dlsLlncLlon omlLs, some unLruLh, or barely Lrue remnanL, whlch falls ouLslde Lhe famous dlsLlncLlon,
whlch Lhe LruLh of elLher separaLely or boLh LogeLher falls Lo capLure, whlch ls nelLher and boLh of Lhe
Lwo.
ln Lhe 1lmaeus, Lhe mlsslng Lhlrd Lhlng, a Lhlrd naLure or Lype (LrlLon genos, 328)--khra--ls supplled by
laLo hlmself. khra ls Lhe lmmense and lndeLermlnaLe spaLlal recepLacle (dekhomenon, hypodokhe) ln
whlch Lhe senslble llkenesses of Lhe eLernal paradlgms are "engendered," ln whlch Lhey are "lnscrlbed"
by Lhe uemlurge, Lhereby provldlng a "home" for all Lhlngs. khra ls nelLher an lnLelllglble form nor one
more senslble Lhlng, buL, raLher, LhaL ln whlch (ln quo) senslble Lhlngs are lnscrlbed, a Labula rasa on
whlch Lhe uemlurge wrlLes. 1hls recepLacle ls llke Lhe forms lnasmuch as lL has a klnd of eLernlLy: lL
nelLher ls born nor dles, lL ls always already Lhere, and hence ls beyond Lemporal comlng-Lo-be and
passlng away, yeL, lL does noL have Lhe eLernlLy of Lhe lnLelllglble paradlgms buL a cerLaln a-chronlsLlc
aLemporallLy. 8ecause lL belongs nelLher Lo Lhe lnLelllglble nor Lo Lhe senslble world, laLo says lL ls
"hardly real." Moreover, whlle lL cannoL be percelved by Lhe senses buL only by Lhe mlnd, sLlll lL ls noL an
lnLelllglble ob[ecL of Lhe mlnd, llke Lhe forms. Pence, laLo says lL ls noL a leglLlmaLe son of reason buL ls
apprehended by a spurlous or corrupLed logos, a hybrld or basLard reasonlng. khra ls nelLher lnLelllglble
belng nor senslble becomlng, buL a llLLle llke boLh, Lhe sub[ecL maLLer of nelLher a Lrue logos nor a good
myLhos.
So, whaL khra ls, ls dlfflculL Lo say. lL ls [usL Lhls aporeLlc, enlgmaLlc, Longue-Lylng Lhlrd Lhlng LhaL draws
uerrlda's aLLenLlon. lor here he comes upon someLhlng LhaL Lends Lo drlfL Lo Lhe edge of phllosophy's
screen, beyond or beneaLh (en deca) phllosophy's grasp ( khra 93/ Cn123), slLuaLed Loo low for
phllosophy's concepLual radar Lo plck
-84-
up, Lhereby eludlng Lhe order of caLegorles LhaL laLo has lnsLalled. erhaps, uerrlda says, Lhls enlgmaLlc
sLrucLure, whlch flLs lnLo nelLher genre, ls Loo neuLral and lndeLermlnaLe Lo have any "generlc"
deLermlnaLlon aL all, or Lo have anyLhlng aL all Lo do wlLh "generaLlon," so LhaL perhaps khra "slgnal[s]
Loward a genre beyond genre," perhaps "beyond caLegorlal opposlLlons, whlch ln Lhe flrsL place allow lL
Lo be approached or sald" ( khra17/ Cn90). Llke pure belng, or pure noLhlngness, boLh and nelLher. 1hls
Lhlrd Lhlng, lnLroduced noL by some wlld-eyed, dlsheveled deconsLrucLor, hls panLs Lorn and hls puplls
dllaLed, buL by Lhe cold eye of sober old Lhree-plece-sulLed laLo hlmself--lL ls menLloned ln all Lhe
canonlcal commenLarles--ls [usL Lhe sorL of Lhlng, or non-Lhlng, Lo aLLracL Lhe lnLeresL of uerrlda's
"exorblLanL meLhod." 1hls meLhod, we now see, conslsLs ln closely, serlously, mlnuLely followlng Lhe LexL
unLll we see LhaL Lhe orLhodox, recelved, domlnanL lnLerpreLaLlon has been produced by a wave of Lhe
hand LhaL brushes aslde Lhe devlaLlons and Lransgresslve momenLs. (So now who ls belng serlous and
who ls belng sllly?)
1he word khra ls Lhe common Creek noun for a concreLe area or place, a khorlon, for example, ls a
dlsLrlcL or an esLaLe, and khorlsmos ls a separaLlon ln Lhe sense of a gap or space beLween. khra ls
LranslaLed lnLo LaLln as locus and lnLo lrench as lleu. lor uerrlda, who chooses Lo leave Lhe word
unLranslaLed, alLhough he plays wlLh lleu LhroughouL Lhe plece, Lhe khra can be undersLood as a greaL
abyss (abime) or vold whlch ls "fllled" by senslble Lhlngs. now, Lhe dlscusslon of Lhe khra, uerrlda polnLs
ouL, ls "locaLed" ln Lhe mlddle, ln Lhe mld-place (mllleu), of Lhe LexL of Lhe 1lmaeus. lnasmuch as Lhe
1lmaeus ls lnLended Lo survey Lhe whole of Lhe kosmos, llke a "cosmoonLologlc encyclopedla" ( khra67/
Cn113), Lhls dlscusslon occurs llke a greaL chasm or abyss ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe book. 1haL ls a "LexLual"
feaLure of Lhe 1lmaeus, Lhe sorL of Lhlng logo-cenLrlc phllosophers brush aslde because of lLs seemlng
lrrelevance Lo Lhe "argumenL."
now, for uerrlda, Lhe order of composlLlon of Lhe 1lmaeus, Lhe quasl-law of lLs LexLuallLy, governlng all
Lhe subsLlLuLlons and permuLaLlons LhaL go on ln Lhe LexL, ls flxed by an elaboraLe mlse en abime. A mlse
en abime ls a verLlglnous play of reflecLlons, as when an lmage ls lnflnlLely reflecLed ln a mlrror held up
agalnsL a mlrror. lor example, physlclsL Alan Sokal's saLlrlc deconsLrucLlon of Lhe prlnclple of "gravlLy"
was a mlse en abime LhaL mocked Lhe "gravlLy" of posLmodernlsm, suggesLlng LhaL Lhe feeL of
posLmodern Lhlnklng, noL qulLe reachlng Lhe
-83-
ground, lack LracLlon. So, uerrlda seLs ouL Lo show LhaL Lhe sLaglng (mlse en scene) of Lhe dlscusslon of
Lhe khra ln Lhe LexL of Lhe 1lmaeus ls a mlrror-play of khral" lmages. Whence Lhe rheLorlcal Lrope,
mlse en abime--leLLlng Lhe same noLlon or lmage be reflecLed across several sLrucLures wlLhln Lhe work,
as ln a play wlLhln a play--funcLlons ln Lhe LexL of Lhe 1lmaeus Lo "enacL" or "perform" Lhe meanlng of
Lhe khra. lor Lhe khra ls an "abyss," a vold of empLy space, lL ls also an lnflnlLe play of reflecLlons ln
whlch Lhe paradlgms produce Lhelr lmages, slmply "reflecLlng" senslble Lhlngs llke a mlrror LhaL ls noL
alLered by Lhe lmages lL reflecLs ( khra46-47/ Cn104) 1he dlscusslon ln Lhe 1lmaeus of Lhe boLLomless
abyss of Lhe khra ls sLaged ln Lhe LexL by a reflecLlon wlLhouL llmlL, wlLhouL boLLom or ground, of
khral" lmages, by a play of reflecLlons LhaL lnduces ln us, Lhe readers of laLo, a sense of dlzzlness and
verLlgo as before an abyss. Whence uerrlda's scrupulously close readlng of Lhe LexL--here Lurned Lo Lhe
openlng "preface" Lo Lhe 1lmaeus (17A-278)--conslsLs ln exhlblLlng Lhe several mlses en abime Lo be
found ln Lhe LexL, and Lhls by way of leadlng us lnLo Lhe lndeLermlnaLe abyss Loward whlch laLo's own
caLegorlal deLermlnaLlons advance.
SocraLes opens Lhe 1lmaeus by maklng a reference back (by "reflecLlng" back) Lo Lhe 8epubllc--"Lhe chlef
Lheme of yesLerday's dlscourse was Lhe sLaLe" ( 1lmaeus17c). 1he pollLela, uerrlda polnLs ouL, ls
sLrucLured around a cerLaln "pollLlcs of slLes" or places ( khra49/ Cn104) ln whlch each man, woman,
and chlld ls asslgned hls proper place ( khra). !usLlce ls a cerLaln [usL dlsLrlbuLlon of places, of Lhe rulers,
Lhe mlllLary, and Lhe crafLsmen, each ln Lhelr proper place. 1haL pollLlcal dlsLrlbuLlon goes hand ln hand
wlLh Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon of belngs and cognlLlve faculLles along a dlvlded llne, asslgnlng each Lhelr measure
of LruLh and reallLy accordlng Lo Lhe place each Lakes on Lhe llne, formlng Lhus a klnd of onLo-Lheo-loglc
of place. (8uL where, Lhen, ls khra on Lhe llne? WhaL place ls occupled by place "lLself," lf lL has an
lLself? Where Lo locaLe on or ln Lhe dlvlded llne LhaL whlch ls nelLher senslble nor supersenslble,
alLhough lL ls ln a cerLaln way boLh? 8y whaL faculLy ls lL apprehended? Cn whaL place ln Lhe llne ls khra
Lo be found--or ls Lhe llne ln Lhe khra? WhaL place does Lhe phllosopher hlmself, whose offlce lL ls Lo
order by asslgnlng place, occupy when he asslgns Lhese places?)
SocraLes ls a khral" flgure ln Lhe dlalogue, because SocraLes "operaLes from a sorL of non-place"
( khra33/ Cn107), as a man who
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does noL have a proper place. Pe ls nelLher a poeL, LhaL race--or genos--of lmlLaLors, nor one of Lhe
sophlsLs, Lhose who wander from place Lo place full of empLy words, nelLher of whom can speak well of
Lhe sLaLe and exLend "yesLerday's" conversaLlon. ln reference Lo Lhose who can speak well, Lhe genos of
phllosophers and leaders of Lhe polls, he says Lo 1lmaeus, CrlLlas, and PermocraLes, "you," "Lhe people
of your class," you people who have a place, a seLLled slLe ln Lhe clLy (Lhe agora), from whlch Lo speak
Lhe LruLh of Lhe pollLela. SocraLes hlmself felgns noL Lo belong Lo Lhls class, Lo have no place, Lo be aL
besL llke Lhem, an lmlLaLlon of Lhem, and ln so dolng felgns Lo look llke Lhe felgners, Lhe poeLs or Lhe
sophlsLs, alLhough he seeks Lo escape mere lmlLaLlon ( 1lmaeus198ff.). Pence, SocraLes ls a Lhlrd Lhlng, a
cerLaln "Lhlrd klnd" (LrlLon genos), nelLher a Lrue phllosopher who knows Lhe LruLh nor a mere
dlssembler, buL a llLLle llke boLh. SocraLes effaces hlmself and says he wlll leL Lhe Lrue phllosophers,
1lmaeus and hls frlends, do Lhe Lalklng, reservlng for hlmself Lhe role of an open recepLacle for whaL hls
frlends wlll offer hlm (20c), Lo be "lnformed" by Lhem, Lo recelve Lhelr glfL. So, Lhen, does SocraLes noL
look llke khra ( khra39/ Cn109)?
8uL leL's be serlous wlLh laLo ( khra41-43/ Cn101-102)! 1hls ls only Lhe preamble Lo Lhe 1lmaeus, a blL
of LheaLrlcal sLaglng, and laLo has noL yeL goL down Lo buslness, Lo sLaLlng hls clalms, Lo laylng ouL hls
logol. 8uL can we--and Lhls ls whaL uerrlda ls asklng--speak serlously, properly, of Lhe khra, as lf lL were
an eLernal belng abouL whlch we could glve a sLable logos? Cr may we relax and en[oy ourselves, Lelllng
a llkely sLory (Lon elkoLon myLhon) abouL lL, whlch ls all LhaL Lhe probable world of senslble appearances
permlLs? 8oLh and nelLher--slnce khra ls a Lhlrd Lhlng, nelLher lnLelllglble nor senslble, Lhe dlscourse on
whlch can be properly slLuaLed nelLher as logos nor myLhos, cerLaln or probable.
nexL, uerrlda ldenLlfles Lhe LexL of Lhe 1lmaeus as lLself havlng a khral" sLrucLure. lor Lhe 1lmaeus ls
sLrucLured llke a vasL recepLacle, as a serles of myLhlc or "narraLlve recepLacles of recepLacles" ( khra
73/ Cn116-17), a sLrlng of myLhs conLalnlng myLhs--Lhe very sLrucLure of whlch (conLalnlng recepLacles)
mlrrors khra lLself, whlch conLalns all. CrlLlas Lells a sLory (20uff.) LhaL bears all Lhe marks of whaL
uerrlda llkes Lo call a "posLal" neLwork, a message LhaL passes Lhrough several posLal "relays," whlch ls ln
facL for uerrlda a feaLure of every LexL, noL [usL Lhe 1lmaeus. 1he sLory CrlLlas Lells he remembers havlng
-87-
been Lold as a chlld of Len by hls nlneLy-year-old grandfaLher, CrlLlas Lhe elder. 1he laLLer had hlmself
been Lold Lhe sLory by Lhe greaL Solon, who was a frlend of uropldes, Lhe faLher of Lhe elder CrlLlas.
Solon was hlmself glven Lhe sLory by an LgypLlan prlesL, who had learned lL hlmself from anclenL
LgypLlan wrlLlngs LhaL record Lhe foundaLlon of ALhens. 1he sLory Lhen Lold Lo SocraLes by Lhe younger
CrlLlas ls Lhus embedded ln layers upon layers of "LexLuallLy," mulLlple sLraLlflcaLlons, boxes lnslde boxes,
whlch helps glves us some ldea of whaL a "LexL" ls, namely, from Lexere, weavlng LogeLher, any dlscourse,
wheLher oral or wrlLLen down, ls a "LexL" and passes Lhrough Lhese LexLual layers. ln anoLher place,
uerrlda polnLs ouL a slmllar Lhlng abouL Lhe consLrucLlon of Lhe 8ook of 8evelaLlon ln Lhe new
1esLamenL, whlch does emblemaLlc servlce as an lndlcaLor of Lhe heavlly LexLuallzed naLure of whaL we
call Lhe "sacred scrlpLures." 1haL ralses varlous problems for a Lheory of "revelaLlon," and noL only for
fundamenLallsLs, whlch cannoL be a maLLer of Laklng dlcLaLlon from a dlvlne speaker. 1he same Lhlng ls
Lrue of any LexL, anclenL or modern, sacred or profane, whlch would always be sLrucLured, "consLrucLed"
of layer upon layer, fold upon fold, ply upon ply, so LhaL Lo read a "LexL" ls always Lo un-fold, de-
consLrucL, whaL ls golng on.
1he sLory CrlLlas Lells concerns Lhe mosL noble deed ln Lhe hlsLory of Lhe Creeks, alLhough lL ls unknown
Lo Lhe ALhenlans of Lhe flfLh cenLury. ln Lhe LgypLlan reglon called Sals on Lhe uelLa, Lhe clLlzens have a
delLy called nelLh, who Lhey asserL ls Lhe same as Lhe one Lhe Creeks call ALhena, 3 hence, Lhey regard
Lhemselves as broLhers Lo Lhe ALhenlans, havlng a common moLher and goddess-foundress. 1hls
amazlng Lhlng Solon learned from an old LgypLlan prlesL whom he meL when he vlslLed Sals. 1he old
prlesL chldes Solon and Lhe Creeks
____________________
3 ls laLo suggesLlng LhaL ALhena was black, "ouL of Afrlca," as suggesLed by MarLln 8ernal ln hls
8lack ALhena: 1he AfroaslaLlc 8ooLs of Classlcal ClvlllzaLlon. l. 1he labrlcaLlon of AnclenL Creece, 1783-
1983 ( new 8runswlck, n.!.: 8uLgers unlverslLy ress, 1987), pp. 31-32? keeplng Lhe aLLenLlon allve
beLween Lhe reproducLlve and producLlve readlngs ls cruclal. noLhlng guaranLees LhaL an argumenL LhaL
appeals Lo us ln no small parL because lL ls lmpudenL, unorLhodox, and de-cenLerlng wlll noL come
undone from Lhe sheer pressure of LradlLlonal scholarshlp. lrom whaL l call [udge, Lhe [ury appears Lo be
ln and Lhe verdlcL ls bad for 8ernal's dellclous suggesLlon (lL would have drlven Peldegger over Lhe
edge!). lndeed, had ALhena/nelLh halled from LgypL aL all, as Lhe myLh aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe 1lmaeus
suggesLs--whlch noL a loL of scholars belleve--she would be aL besL a llLLle on Lhe swarLhy slde, llke SL.
AugusLlne, noL a sub-Saharan nublan. See !asper Crlffln, "AnxleLles of lnfluence," 1he new ?ork 8evlew
of 8ooks, 43, no. 8 ( !une 20, 1996), 67-73.
-88-
for belng perpeLual chlldren because Lhey are unable Lo preserve wrlLLen records of Lhe mosL anclenL
Llmes, boLh Lhelr own and LhaL of oLhers. lor whlle Lhe nlle proLecLs Lhe clLlzens of Sals from Lhe
excesses of naLure, greaL caLaclysms among Lhe Creeks have perlodlcally wlped ouL Lhelr hlsLorlcal
archlves. 1hrown back on memory alone, Creek genealogles and sLorles are Lhe Lales of chlldren. 1he
prlesL proceeds Lo Lell Lhe asLonlshed Solon, who was all ears, LhaL ALhens was nlne Lhousand years old,
a Lhousand years older even Lhan Sals, and flourlshed as Lhe greaLesL clLy of Lhose anclenL Llmes. Pe
descrlbes Lhe consLlLuLlon LhaL ALhena gave Lhem, whlch "by some mysLerlous colncldence" (23L)
resembles Lhe pollLela abouL whlch SocraLes had spoken "yesLerday," so LhaL whaL SocraLes Look Lo be
buL a palnLlng of an ldeal vlslon ls ln facL a porLralL of a forgoLLen hlsLorlcal facL. 1hen Lhe prlesL Lells
Solon of Lhe unparalleled valor and sklll of ALhens ln Lurnlng back an lnvaslon by Lhe formldable army
launched from Lhe lsland of ALlanLls LhaL saved Lhe whole MedlLerranean world from conquesL.
AfLerward, a greaL earLhquake desLroyed anclenL ALhens and swallowed Lhe lsland of ALlanLls lnLo Lhe
sea.
1hls whole sLory--abouL Lhe value of preservlng wrlLLen records--ls recalled wlLh much efforL overnlghL
by Lhe younger CrlLlas (Lo whom lL was recalled by Lhe elder CrlLlas, who remembered hearlng lL as a
chlld from Solon, who recalled belng Lold lL by Lhe prlesL), havlng been remlnded of lL by SocraLes's
dlscourse yesLerday. Pow lndeed could he forgeL a sLory LhaL was burned lnLo hls mlnd aL such an early
age! Pavlng sald all Lhls by way of "preface" (26C), CrlLlas volunLeers Lo SocraLes Lo Lell hlm Lhe whole
sLory ln deLall, for Lhe sLory of ALhenlan vlcLory over ALlanLls wlll saLlsfy SocraLes's demand Lo see Lhe sLlll
llfe palnLed ln Lhe 8epubllc puL ln moLlon, Lo see Lhe polls aL work, LhaL ls, aL war. CrlLlas dlvldes Lhe Lask
beLween hlmself and 1lmaeus, who ls Lhe asLronomer among Lhem. 1o all Lhls SocraLes responds LhaL he
can Lhlnk of noLhlng beLLer Lhan Lo recelve Lhls feasL of reason. 1he remalnder of Lhe 1lmaeus ls devoLed
Lo 1lmaeus's dlscourse on Lhe creaLlon of Lhe kosmos, whlle whaL has been preserved of CrlLlas's speech-
concernlng Lhe baLLle wlLh ALlanLls--appears ln Lhe dlalogue of LhaL name.
So much "khral" play, so many "khral"-ographles, so many sLaglngs, enacLmenLs, lmaglngs, and
reflecLlons of khra ln Lhe LexL before lL becomes a phllosopheme: "[A] chaln of oral LradlLlons," "[s]o
many Creek chlldren," reflecLlons reflecLlng Lhemselves--all of whlch ls Lold
-89-
SocraLes, who recelves all ( khra 72-73/Cn 113), who reflecLs every lmage, and ls remembered by
CrlLlas because lL was Lold hlm as a chlld, aL an "lmpresslonable" age, when Lhe sLory made a lasLlng
lmprlnL upon hlm, "as lf palnLed wlLh wax ln lndellble leLLers" (26C). ln chlldhood, Lhe mlnd ls llke a pure
recepLacle.
An enframlng mlse en abime of flcLlons sLages Lhe scene Lhe 1lmaeus: l1: Lhe 1lmaeus ls a flcLlLlous
dlalogue whlch conLalns anoLher flcLlon: lL opens by "reflecLlng" (on) Lhe conversaLlon of "yesLerday." l2:
LhaL second flcLlon, Lhe 8epubllc, consLrucLs Lhe flcLlve model of an ldeal clLy. l3: Lhe brlef resume of Lhe
pollLela by SocraLes aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe 1lmaeus. SocraLes Lhen says LhaL he would llke Lo see Lhls
ldeal flgure of Lhe pollLela puL ln moLlon, llke a man looklng aL a palnLlng of a beauLlful anlmal who
would llke Lo see Lhe anlmal glven llfe, so LhaL "Loday's" conversaLlon would add a second, more llvlng
graphe Lo Lhe flrsL. lor Lhls SocraLes says he hlmself would be all ears, or all eyes, a ready recepLacle, buL
he ls noL capable of generaLlng lL hlmself. CrlLlas accepLs Lhe challenge, volunLeerlng Lo Lell SocraLes a
sLory he rehearsed Lhe nlghL before Lo 1lmaeus and PermocraLes (= l4), whlch ls Lhe Lale he learned
from hls grandfaLher (= l3), who ln Lurn was Lold lL by Solon (= l6), who was Lold lL from a prlesL who
read lL ln Lhe old LgypLlan wrlLlngs (l7).
Cf Lhls mulLl-plex LexLuallzed surface--whlch we are oLherwlse lncllned Lo LreaL as a klnd of llLerary
preamble Lo Lhe serlous phllosophy Lo come--uerrlda asks:
ln Lhls LheaLer of lrony, where Lhe scenes lnLerlock ln a serles of recepLacles wlLhouL end and wlLhouL
boLLom, how can one lsolaLe a Lhesls or a Lheme LhaL could be aLLrlbuLed calmly Lo Lhe "phllosophy-of-
laLo," lndeed Lo phllosophy as Lhe laLonlc Lhlng [ khra 80/Cn 119]?
1o do so ls Lo flaLLen ouL and smooLh over all Lhe folds and plles of Lhe LexL, Lo "vlolenLly deny Lhe
sLrucLure of Lhe LexLual scene," Lo brush off Lhls play of reflecLlons as lncldenLal, marglnal, accldenLal
asldes and lndulge ln sLlll anoLher flcLlon called "Lhe phllosophy of laLo." 6 1he analysls serves Lo:
____________________
6 1he LexL ls laced wlLh lronles. 1he ALhenlans, Lhe addressees Lo whom Lhls Lale ls belng Lold, are
also Lhe source, model, and lnsplraLlon of Lhe Lale. All Lhls Lalk abouL Lales belng Lold ls, of course, all
wrlLLen down by laLo, even as all Lhese sLorles (flcLlons) are abouL Lhe greaLesL deed or work (ergon) of
Lhe Creeks. Cf Solon hlmself, a man of deeds, we are Lold LhaL he would have been a greaL poeL had he
noL been lnLerrupLed by Lhe demands of acLuallLy.
-90-
accenLuaLe Lhe dynamlc Lenslon beLween Lhe LheLlc effecL and Lhe LexLual flcLlon, beLween on Lhe one
hand Lhe "phllosophy" or Lhe "pollLlcs" whlch ls here assoclaLed wlLh hlm [ SocraLes]--conLenLs of
ldenLlflable and Lransmlsslble meanlngs llke Lhe ldenLlLy of a knowledge--and on Lhe oLher hand a LexLual
drlfL whlch Lakes Lhe form of a myLh, ln any evenL of a "saylng," whose orlgln appears always undeflned,
pulled back, enLrusLed Lo a responslblllLy LhaL ls forever ad[ourned, wlLhouL a flxed and deLermlnable
sub[ecL. lrom one Lelllng Lo Lhe nexL, Lhe auLhor geLs furLher and furLher away [ khra90/ Cn123-24].
1he orlgln of Lhe LexL ls more and more wlLhdrawn, Lhe auLhor more and more anclenL ("dead"), Lhe LexL
more deeply lnLerwoven ln oLher LexLs, so LhaL Lhere ls no easlly ldenLlfled and assured orlgln ln Lhls
genealogy, no clearly ldenLlfled faLher of Lhe LexL, whlch ends up belng a blL of a basLard or an orphan.
1hls ln conLrasL Lo whaL ls sald ln Lhe haedrus: LhaL whlle wrlLLen LexLs are orphans, Lhe llvlng word
always has lLs faLher/auLhor on hand Lo defend lL lesL lL be mlsundersLood.
uerrlda's polnL here, as ln "laLo's harmacy, hls flrsL and qulLe famous essay on laLo, ls LhaL every LexL,
wrlLLen or oral, ls a basLard or an orphan, lLs faLher/auLhor havlng deparLed, and LhaL Lhls ls a sLrucLural
feaLure of dlscourse, whlch ls always already lnLerwoven wlLh and conLalned by oLher LexLs, whose rooLs
slnk lnLo a dense conLexL whlch we have only llmlLed success ln unravellng. Lven a book of genesls ls
caughL up ln a genealogy and famlly hlsLory we cannoL make ouL or remember. 1he LexL ls always a
basLard. 1hls sysLem or boxes lnslde boxes, conLalners conLalnlng conLalners--Lhls "khral" quallLy--ls a
feaLure of LexLuallLy lLself. We are all llke Lhe Creeks whom Lhe LgypLlan prlesL scolds, chlldren whose
faLhers have fled Lhe famlly scene.
So, when 1lmaeus geLs around Lo dlscusslng khra ln Lhe mlddle, ln Lhe mld-place (ml-lleu), of Lhe
1lmaeus he lnvokes Lhls "famlllal schema." khra ls called a nurse who recelves and nurLures senslble
Lhlngs lnLo maLurlLy, or a moLher ln whom Lhe eldos faLhers lLs offsprlng, senslble Lhlngs. Cf course,
khra ls noL really a wlfe or a nurse buL sul generls, a Lhlrd Lhlng (LrlLon genos), an lndlvldual (a "Lhls")
and noL even a genus. She/lL ls Loo passlve and lndeLermlnaLe even Lo engender anyLhlng, and we
cannoL asslmllaLe her/lL lnLo any anLhropologlcal or Lheologlcal schemas. She/lL ls noL an orlgln aL all buL,
lf anyLhlng, Lhe "relaLlon of Lhe lnLerval of Lhe spaclng Lo whaL ls lodged ln lL Lo be recelved ln lL"
( khra92/ Cn123). khra ls noL a normal orlgln or moLher--she and Lhe eldos do noL make up a famlllar
famlly,
-91-
happy couple. 8uL LhaL ls noL bad news. 1he khra ls noL Lhe producL of sloppy Lhlnklng, buL a case
where laLo has pressed Lhe fabrlc of phllosophy hard, where laLo flnds hlmself up agalnsL someLhlng
LhaL sllps free of phllosophy, LhaL eludes and ls exLerlor Lo phllosophy, older Lhan phllosophy, pre-
phllosophlcal, of whlch phllosophy knows how Lo speak nelLher Lruly nor probably. 1haL ls why
phllosophy Lends Lo sLlck Lo Lhe faLher (eldos) and lLs leglLlmaLe son (cosmos), as lf Lhe faLher begeLs Lhe
son wlLhouL Lhe help of a woman--a bad blology Lo whlch Lhe whole hlsLory of phllosophy and Lheology
glves ample wlLness.
1o Lhlnk ouL Lhe orlgln of Lhe kosmos one musL go back Lo someLhlng ouLslde LhoughL, ouL of mlnd--llke
Lhe anLlque ALhens recalled by Lhe LgypLlan prlesL buL wlped ouL wlLhouL a Lrace and uLLerly forgoLLen by
Lhe ALhenlans of SocraLes's day. 8y Lhe same Loken, phllosophy musL lnvoke a forgoLLen preorlgln whlch
ls sLrucLurally losL Lo phllosophy's memory.
1WC 18ClCS Cl nLCA1lvl1?
lL mlghL appear aL Llmes LhaL khra looks a llLLle llke Lhe unknown Cod, Lhe deus abscondlLus, Lhe
mysLerlous orlgln beyond orlgln, abouL whom we cannoL say a Lhlng. 1hls confuslon or convergence of
deconsLrucLlon and negaLlve Lheology was someLhlng for whlch uerrlda was crlLlclzed--why noL
congraLulaLed?--rlghL ouL of Lhe gaLe, back ln 1967, aL Lhe flrsL presenLaLlon of Lhe essay on "dlfferance,"
Lo whlch he has replled on several occaslons, lncludlng a 1986 essay enLlLled "Pow noL Lo Speak:
uenlals" ( sy.333ff./ un173ff.), whlch lncludes an lnLeresLlng dlscusslon of "khra." Whlle Lhe essay
"khra " ls a preface--on Lhe preface Lo Lhe 1lmaeus--Lo a work LhaL ls sLlll unpubllshed, "Pow noL Lo
Speak" explores Lhe analogy and, more lmporLanL, Lhe dlsanalogy of khra wlLh Lhe Cod of negaLlve
Lheology. 1hls essay provldes us wlLh an opporLunlLy Lo learn a llLLle someLhlng abouL dlfferance and Lo
undersLand someLhlng, albelL someLhlng negaLlve, abouL Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween deconsLrucLlon and
Lheology. 7
____________________
7 l have explored Lhls quesLlon ln some deLall ln my rayers and lears of !acques uerrlda, arL l,
and ln "1he Cood news AbouL AlLerlLy: uerrlda and 1heology," lalLh and hllosophy, 10 ( 1993), 433-470,
"MysLlclsm and 1ransgresslon: uerrlda and MelsLer LckharL," ConLlnenLal hllosophy, 2 ( 1989), 24-39.
See also 8odolple Casch , Cod, lor Lxample ln lnvenLlons of ulfference ( Cambrldge, Mass.: Parvard
-92-
ln Lhls essay uerrlda draws our aLLenLlon Lo Lhe Lenslon beLween whaL he calls Lwo "Lroplcs of
negaLlvlLy," LhaL ls, Lwo opposlng ways ln whlch phllosophlcal LhoughL flnds lLself up agalnsL lLs llmlLs,
agalnsL someLhlng LhaL reslsLs belng sald, Lwo Lhlngs equally unsayable buL for qulLe opposlLe reasons.
1he flrsL ls Lhe mosL famlllar and presLlglous LexL ln all of laLo's work--Lhe one LhaL makes all Lhe
sLandard anLhologles used ln "lnLroducLlon Lo hllosophy" courses--Lhe famous and subllme passage
from Lhe 8epubllc, 3098ff. ln whlch laLo descrlbes Lhe ldea of Lhe Cood as "beyond belng" (epekelna Les
ouslas). Pere Lhe movemenL (Lhe "Lroplc") of negaLlvlLy, of noL-saylng or unsayablllLy, ls upward,
hyperbollc, "obeylng a loglc of Lhe sur, of Lhe hyper, over and beyond, whlch heralds all Lhe hyper-
essenLlallsms" of ChrlsLlan neoplaLonlsm. lor Lhe LradlLlon of negaLlve Lheology, sLreLchlng from pseudo-
ulonyslus Lhe AreopaglLe Lo MelsLer LckharL, Lurned on a vlew of Lhe ChrlsLlan Cod LhaL had been
baslcally casL ln Lhe Lerms of laLo's Lheory of Lhe Cood beyond 8elng. ln Lhls flrsL movemenL, Lhlnklng
has run up agalnsL an excess of Lranscendence, a belng of such superemlnenL sur-reallLy LhaL, whlle
glvlng blrLh Lo belng, movemenL, and knowledge, lL ls lLself beyond Lhem all. SLlll, as Lhe offsprlng of lLs
faLher and cause, Lhe senslble world ls "llke" Lhe Cood, and, so, Lhe excess of Lhe Cood ls slLuaLed wlLhln
an "analoglcal communlLy" ln vlrLue of whlch Lhe senslble world ls sald Lo be "llke" Lhe lnLelllglble world.
Pence, Lhe Cood can be senslbly compared Lo Lhe "sun" of Lhe senslble world, for, llke Lhe sun, Lhe Cood
ls nelLher seelng nor vlslble, nelLher knowlng nor lnLelllglble, buL a Lhlrd Lhlng, vlz., Lhelr llghL, cause, and
medlum ( sy.363-366).
8uL Lhe khora consLlLuLes anoLher way Lo be oLherwlse Lhan 8elng, anoLher klnd of Lhlrd Lhlng, one
movlng ln a fully opposlLe dlrecLlon and submlLLlng Lo dlfferenL Lropes. 8aLher Lhan "hyperexlsLence" or
superemlnenL belng, khra seems Lo drop below belng, barely Lo be aL all, Lo be lf aL all nexL Lo noLhlng.
uerrlda malnLalns LhaL laLo has adopLed Lwo very heLerogeneous ways of speaklng abouL Lhls
quaslbelng or shadowy realm called khra, abouL whlch lL ls admlLLedly very hard Lo speak, buL for
reasons LhaL are opposlLe Lo Lhe "Cood." ln Lhe flrsL sLraLegy, Lhe reslsLance of khra Lo phllosophlcal
dlscourse ls bro-
____________________
unlverslLy ress, 1994), pp. 130-170, kevln ParL, 1he 1respass of Lhe Slgn: ueconsLrucLlon,
1heology, and hllosophy ( Cambrldge: Cambrldge unlverslLy ress, 1983), and Lhe essays collecLed ln
uerrlda and negaLlve 1heology (un1).
-93-
ken down and khra ls asslmllaLed lnLo phllosophy, asslgned a place lnLerlor Lo phllosophy--and Lhls by
way of belng LreaLed accordlng Lo Lhe classlcal mode of analogy whlch governs Lhe allegory of Lhe cave.
khra lLself ls nelLher lnLelllglble nor senslble, buL "parLlclpaLes" ln predlcaLes of boLh, hence, lL can be
analoglcally sald Lo be "moLher, nurse, sleve, recepLacle, lmpresslon." 1haL allows us Lo skeLch a klnd of
laLonlc "holy famlly": Lhe faLher (= form) generaLes hls offsprlng (= senslble Lhlng) ln Lhe moLher (=
recepLacle). Cr we may say LhaL Lhe recepLacle holds and embraces Lhe senslble Lhlng llke a nurse (30u).
1haL Lakes Lhe foundllng khra off Lhe sLreeLs and provldes lL wlLh a home ln Lhe holy famlly of
phllosophy, ln Lhe lnLerlor of Lhe canonlcal hlsLory of phllosophy, as a predecessor of ArlsLoLellan hyle,
CarLeslan exLenslo, and Lhe pure form of space ln kanL ( sy.366-367/ un1 104-103).
8uL lL ls Lhe second way LhaL laLo also descrlbes khra LhaL ls of more lnLeresL Lo uerrlda, for here khra
Lends Lo sllp ouLslde phllosophy, Lo reslsL any analoglzlng or parLlclpaLory schema, Lo remaln adrlfL and
losL. now, laLo says khra ls "amorphous," and even Lhough Lhlngs come Lo be and pass away ln lL,
khra lLself does noL become (or "parLlclpaLe" ln) any of Lhese Lhlngs (308-C). AlLhough khra Lakes on
Lhe look of Lhe Lhlngs wlLh whlch lL ls fllled, LhaL ls Lrue only for Lhe whlle LhaL Lhey perslsL and Lhese
Lhlngs do noL ln any way sLaln or mark lL ln Lhelr brlef sLaLlon. Pence, khra can be llkened nelLher Lo lLs
senslble lmprlnLs, whlch vanlsh from lL wlLhouL a Lrace, nor Lo lnLelllglble paradlgms, whlch are sLlll more
removed from lL ( khra13-16/ Cn89). lL ls, Lherefore, noL a recepLacle, because lL ls "older" Lhan any
recepLacle, whlch ls someLhlng laLer on lnscrlbed ln lL. As someLhlng absoluLely lndlfferenL Lo anyLhlng
senslble or lnLelllglble, lL cannoL be LreaLed meLaphorlcally, whlch always amounLs Lo provldlng a senslble
llkeness for someLhlng lnLelllglble ( khra21-22/ Cn92). lL ls noL so much a Lhlrd klnd as no klnd, wlLhouL
generlc deLermlnaLlon. khra ls [usL Lhere, "Lhere ls" (ll y a) khra, and Lhls meanL ln Lhe mosL mlnlmallsL
sense. 1hls "Lhere ls" musL noL be confused wlLh any generoslLy, lL ls noL Lo be Laken Lo mean LhaL lL
"glves" anyLhlng, as ln Lhe Cerman "Lhere ls/es glbL." lL ls noLhlng klndly and generous, and does noL
"glve" or provlde a place, whlch ls Lhe Lrap LhaL Peldegger falls lnLo when he flnds a "glvlng" ln Lhls es
glbL whlch puLs Lhlnklng-as-Lhanklng ln lLs debL. nor ls lL properly recelvlng, slnce lL ls unaffecLed by LhaL
by whlch lL ls fllled. lL ls noL even absoluLely passlve lnasmuch
-94-
as boLh acLlve and passlve operaLlons Lake place ln lL. lL reslsLs every Lheomorphlc or anLhropomorphlc
analogy. lL ls noL any klnd of "lL" (ll, ld, quod) LhaL ls or does or glves anyLhlng.
Pence, khra, whlch can be spoken of nelLher properly nor meLaphorlcally, pushes up agalnsL Lhe very
llmlLs of namlng ( khra, 13/ Cn, 89). 1he polnL of hls analysls, uerrlda says, ls Lo show LhaL Lhls
lmposslblllLy of flndlng a proper name for khra, Lhe moL [usLe over and ouLslde of some rheLorlcal Lrope
or oLher, ls noL some sorL of falllng on laLo's parL, or Lhe bad luck Lhls passage ln Lhe 1lmaeus has had ln
Lhe hlsLory of lnLerpreLaLlon, buL a sLrucLural feaLure of laLo's LhoughL. laLo has been forced by Lhe
Lhlngs Lhemselves Lo lnclude khra wlLhln hls accounL--he cannoL "noL speak" of lL--yeL he does noL
know Lo "noL speak" of lL, LhaL ls, Lo respecL lLs negaLlvlLy. lor Lhe Lask of dlscusslng Lhe khra ls LhaL of
deLermlnlng someLhlng lndeLermlnable, someLhlng LhaL cannoL ln prlnclple Lake on any deLermlnaLlon,
nelLher LhaL of Lhe paradlgm nor LhaL of Lhe copy. LveryLhlng laLo says of lL, or LhaL ls sald of lL ln Lhe
hlsLory of lnLerpreLaLlon, comes Loo laLe, consLlLuLlng a reLrospecLlve llluslon, an "anachronlsm"
( khra24-26/ Cn93-94) born of speaklng of lL ln Lerms borrowed from Lhe Lhlngs whlch lL conLalns buL
from whlch lL lLself wlLhdraws. khra ls lndlfferenL Lo every deLermlnaLlon--noL serenely or subllmely
lndlfferenL, for lL ls Loo lowly for LhaL and LhaL ls Lhe wrong Lrope and Lroplcs, buL leL us say abysmally
lndlfferenL. khra ls always "prlor" Lo any mark or lmprlnL, any form or deLermlnaLlon LhaL ls aLLrlbuLed
Lo lL, lL has noLhlng proper, no properLy of lLs own. lL recelves all and becomes none of whaL lL recelves,
llke Lhe alr LhaL remalns free of Lhe llghL by whlch lL ls suffused ( khra36-37/ Cn99), llke a mlrror LhaL
remalns unaffecLed by Lhe lmages LhaL come and go across lLs surface. khra belongs Lo a Llme ouL of
mlnd, ouL of memory, Lo a preorlgln older Lhan memory, llke Lhe anclenL clLy of ALhens LhaL dld baLLle
wlLh ALlanLls only Lo dlsappear wlLhouL a Lrace ( khra96/ Cn126).
Cf Lhls lmplacably, lmposslbly dlfflculL Lhlng, we do noL know how Lo speak or how Lo avold speaklng,
lndeed, lL ls Lhls lmposslblllLy LhaL drlves Lhe need Lo say someLhlng abouL lL. khra ls noL a unlversal
(absLracL place ln general), nor a parLlcular (a conLalned place), buL someLhlng radlcally slngular: place
lLself--wlLhln whlch mulLlple places are lnscrlbed. Llke every slngularlLy lL bears a proper name-LreaL
khra as lf lL were a proper name, llke someone you know, caplLallzed--even Lhough lL has no proper
name or essenLlal proprleLy buL
-93-
[usL Lakes on Lhe form of whaLever lnhablLs lL. lor we need, we musL, speak of "someLhlng llke
Lhekhra--whlch ls noL someLhlng and whlch ls noL llke anyLhlng" ( khra26/ Cn94), some way Lo
deLermlne Lhls uLLerly lndeLermlnable somewhaL. We need some way Lo address lL: noL "Lhe khra" buL
"Ch, khra." "Who are you, khra ( khra63/ Cn 111)? 8y uslng Lhe word khra and Lhus drawlng upon
Lhe sLock of common Creek nouns, laLo plcks up a Lrace lefL ln language by someLhlng LhaL has
wlLhdrawn from language ( sy.367-369/ un1103108), slnklng beneaLh lLs surface, llke ALlanLls slnklng
lnLo Lhe sea.
1he dlscourse on Lhe khra Lhus forms an almosL perfecL lnverslon of Lhe dlscourse on Lhe Cood. Cn Lhe
one accounL, Lhlngs are descrlbed from above, ln a Lroplcs of hyper and au delfl, beglnnlng wlLh Lhe
Cood as Lhe supremely real, hyper-essenLlal, sur-real source of senslble Lhlngs and Lhe lnexLlngulshable
llghL ln whlch Lhey are seen Lo be Lhe coples of Lhelr lnLelllglble paradlgms. 1haL would provlde all
agreeable schema Lo ChrlsLlan neoplaLonlsm, whlch selzed upon lL as a way Lo arLlculaLe lLs experlence
of Lhe Lranscendence of Cod. Cn Lhe oLher accounL, Lhlngs are explalned from below, ln a Lrope of hypo
and en deca, beglnnlng wlLh an almosL perfecLly unlnLelllglble or lndeLermlnaLe orlgln, or non-orlgln, or
pre-orlgln, ln whlch senslble Lhlngs are lnscrlbed accordlng Lo eLernal paLLerns. Cn Lhe one hand, a
hyperessenLlal sur-reallLy for whlch words fall us, of whlch words fall shorL, on Lhe oLher, a hypo-
essenLlal sub-reallLy, an almosL unreal, lndeLermlnable lndeLermlnacy whlch seems raLher Lo fall words,
Lo fall shorL of word or meanlng. ln blbllcal Lerms, lL was perhaps a llLLle more llke Lhe chaos over whlch
Lhe splrlL of Cod benL. Cn Lhe one hand, hyperbole and Lhe excess of belng, essence, and meanlng, on
Lhe oLher, defecLlon, less Lhan meanlng, essence, and belng. Cn Lhe one hand, a classlc phllosopheme,
on Lhe oLher, exorblLanL LexLuallLy--and dlfferance.
ulllL8AnCL: kPC8A lS l1S Su8nAML
uerrlda ls lnLeresLed ln khra for famlly reasons, noL because khra ls a moLher or a weL nurse, buL
because she/lL ls a cousln (cousln/couslne) of deconsLrucLlon, a kln of Lhe kln-less, of Lhe same non-klnd
as whaL he calls dlfferance. lf dlfferane ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls all abouL, ln a nuLshell, Lhen "khra ls lLs
surname" ( khra93/ Cn126). 1o deploy
-96-
a famous laLonlc lmage: Lhe sLory of khra works llke an "allegory" of dlfferance, each addresslng a
common, klndred non-essence, lmproprleLy, and namelessness. !usL as laLo composed Lhe allegory of
Lhe cave Lo explaln Lhe surpasslng excess of Lhe agaLhon, so, on Lhe oLher slde of belng, uerrlda can puL
1lmaeus's sLory of Lhe khra Lo work explalnlng Lhe lowly recesslveness of dlfferance, belng's humble
hlnLerlands or underslde. lL also helps us Lo undersLand Lhe dlvergence of deconsLrucLlon and negaLlve
Lheology, slnce dlfferance ls khra's cousln, noL Cod's. uerrlda loves khra Lhe way he loves dlfferance,
llleglLlmaLe chlldren boLh.
ln anoLher work, enLlLled Sauf le nom, Lhe second parL of a Lrllogy "on Lhe name" of whlch khra ls Lhe
Lhlrd parL, uerrlda speaks of "'someLhlng' wlLhouL Lhlng, llke an lndeconsLrucLlble khra." 8uL someLhlng
llke khra ls "lndeconsLrucLlble" noL because she/lL ls a flrm foundaLlon, llke a meLaphyslcal ground or
prlnclple, or llke Lhe eLernal form of Lhe Cood, LhaL can be "shelLered from deconsLrucLlon." 8aLher, her
undeconsLrucLlblllLy arlses because she ls a "place" LhaL Lakes place "as Lhe very spaclng of de-
consLrucLlon" ( Sauf104/ Cn80), Lhe space ln whlch everyLhlng consLrucLlble and deconsLrucLlble ls
consLlLuLed, and, hence, beyond Lhe reach of consLrucLlon or deconsLrucLlon. ulfferance, llke khra, ls a
greaL recepLacle upon whlch every consLlLuLed Lrace or mark ls lmprlnLed, "older," prlor, preorlglnary.
lar from bearlng a llkeness Lo Lhe Cod of Lhe greaL monoLhelsms, a "super-belng" (hyperouslos) who ls
afflrmed all Lhe more emlnenLly ln belng negaLed ln Lhe negaLlve Lheology of ChrlsLlan neoplaLonlsm, a
Cod Lo whom laLo's agaLhon bears a famlly resemblance, dlfferance ls beLLer compared Lo khra, LhaL
ls, Lo Lhe lncomparable, unmeLaphorlzable, deserL-llke place wlLhouL properLles or genus. 8aLher Lhan of
Lhe edlfylng, upllfLlng, hlghly proper, and proplLlous famlly resemblance of Cod and Lhe agaLhon, Lhe
faLher of us all, boLh above and beyond 8elng--Lhese are Lhe besL famllles and Lhey Lravel ln Lhe hlghesL
clrcles!--lL ls perhaps beLLer, more graphlc, Lo Lhlnk, of khra and dlfferance as a couple of basLards. (As
an aslde, lL ls also worLh asklng oneself where Lhe hearLs of Lhe propheLs and of !esus would be--wlLh
Lhe SL. !ames's sLreeL arlsLocraLs, Lhe besL and Lhe brlghLesL, or wlLh Lhe ulckensonlan basLards.)
Levlnas was fond of saylng LhaL, alLhough Lhe LranscendenL Cod of Lhe Pebrew scrlpLures was
sysLemaLlcally excluded by Lhe LoLallzlng caLegorles of Creek phllosophy, sLlll from Llme Lo Llme Lhe uLLer
alLerlLy
-97-
of Cod dld on rare occaslons break ouL ln phllosophy--mosL noLably ln uescarLes's ldea of Lhe lnflnlLy of
Cod ln Lhe 1hlrd MedlLaLlon, and ln laLo's noLlon of Lhe epekema Les ouslas, Lhe Cood beyond belng.
uerrlda may be undersLood Lo make a counLer--move Lo Levlnas, or, beLLer, Lo offer a counLer-parL by
whlch Lhe Levlnaslan gesLure ls always already dlsLurbed (for lL wlll never be a maLLer of chooslng
beLween Lhese Lwo). lor uerrlda, khra may be Laken as one of Lhose "places" ln Lhe hlsLory of
phllosophy where Lhe dlfferance by whlch all Lhlngs are lnhablLed wears Lhrough, where Lhe abyss ln
Lhlngs opens up and we caLch a gllmpse of Lhe groundlessness of our bellefs and pracLlces. 1he face of
Lhe oLher person, Levlnas says ln a very upllfLlng and beauLlful lmage aL Lhe end of CLherwlse Lhan 8elng,
ls Lhe Lrace Cod leaves behlnd as he wlLhdraws from Lhe world. 8
khra, uerrlda mlghL say, ln a more downgradlng and noL-all-LhaLbeauLlful lmage, ls one of Lhe Lraces
dlfferance leaves on laLo, on Lhe Creeks, on phllosophy, on us--for "we" are all marked by Lhe Creeks
and (Lhelr) "phllosophy"--as lL "reLreaLs" from vlew. As Lhe spaclng ln whlch Lhe LralLs of our bellefs and
pracLlces are lnscrlbed, dlfferance ls ln re-LralL. 1haL ls why uerrlda says LhaL, ln speaklng of Lhe khra,
laLo has noL slmply lnvenLed some uLLerly novel ldea, raLher, he has borrowed a word from Lhe
common sLock of Creek nouns, buL a word ln whlch a cerLaln formlessness or namelessness has lefL lLs
mark ( khra18/ Cn90-91), someLhlng abouL whlch phllosophy cannoL phllosophlze, someLhlng LhaL
reslsLs phllosophy, LhaL wlLhdraws from phllosophy's vlew and grasp. noL from above, as ln Lhe upllfLlng
and edlfylng mode of laLo, Levlnas, and negaLlve Lheology, buL from below, as lf passlng beneaLh
phllosophy's vlslon, Loo low for phllosophy Lo go--"behlnd and below Lhe assured dlscourse of
phllosophy" ( khra 94/ Cn123).
ln Lhe khra, laLo glves expresslon Lo an lnLracLable "necesslLy" below, an unclrcumvenLable, an
achronlc "preorlgln," whlch ls noL Lo be confused wlLh Lhe LLernal, Crlglnary "1ruLh" (caplLal leLLers for
caplLal fellows!) of Lhe lnLelllglble paradlgms above:
1he sLrange dlfflculLy of Lhls whole LexL lles lndeed ln Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhese Lwo modallLles:
Lhe Lrue and Lhe necessary. 1he bold sLroke conslsLs here ln golng back behlnd and below Lhe orlgln, or
also
____________________
8 Lmmanuel Levlnas, CLherwlse Lhan 8elng, or, 8eyond Lssence, Lrans. Alphonso Llngls ( 1he
Pague: MarLlnus nl[hoff, 1981), p. 183.
-98-
Lhe blrLh, Loward a necesslLy whlch ls nelLher generaLlve nor engendered and whlch carrles
phllosophy, "precedes" (prlor Lo Lhe Llme LhaL passes or Lhe eLernal Llme before hlsLory) and "recelves"
Lhe effecL, here Lhe lmage of opposlLlons (lnLelllglble and senslble): phllosophy. 1hls necesslLy (khra ls
lLs sur-name) seems so vlrglnal LhaL lL does noL even have Lhe name of vlrgln any longer [ khra94-93/
Cn126].
ln Lhe khra laLo afflrms--or concedes--a counLer-orlgln, a non-engenderlng non-orlgln, LruLh-less,
lnLracLable and necessary, down below, LhaL ln lLs own way mocks Lhe presLlglous, faLherly, orlglnary,
LruLh-maklng power of Lhe eldos (and above all of Lhe Cood) up above. As far as uerrlda ls concerned,
laLo ls here hlLLlng upon Lhe effecL LhaL dlffdrance always produces, runnlng up agalnsL Lhe necesslLy
LhaL dlfferance always lmposes on any dlscourse--and "khra ls lLs surname." 8y "necesslLy," Lhen,
uerrlda does noL mean an eLernal or necessary LruLh buL Lhe necessary un-LruLh LhaL forces lLself lnLo
every verlLy. So, uerrlda ls lnLeresLed ln khra because he regards lL as a Llpoff, a slgnal, or a clue LhaL
phllosophy ls ln a cerLaln amounL of Lrouble here--llke a pollLlclan who ls asked an embarrasslng quesLlon
for whlch hls advance men dld noL prepare hlm. laLo has here run up agalnsL an effecL of dlfferance and
may be read as Lelllng us a llkely sLory abouL dlfferance, offerlng us a mlrror lmage or llkeness of LhaL
whlch robs hls--Lhe--assured dlsLlncLlon beLween orlgln and copy of lLs securlLy.
So, lf you can bear lL, lf you are noL already Loo dlzzy, l propose one lasL mlse en abime: Lhe khra reflecLs
dlfferance (a play of reflecLlons ln a black pool). khora ls lLs sur-name, lLs over-name, Lhe name we
lnscrlbe over an abyss. lor [usL as khra, by provldlng Lhe space wlLhln whlch Lhe senslble copy of Lhe
lnLelllglble ls lnscrlbed, precedes and preconLalns Lhe opposlLlon beLween Lhe Lwo, so dlfferance
precedes and preconLalns all Lhe opposlLlons LhaL are lnscrlbed wlLhln lL, lncludlng Lhose opposlLlonal
dlsLlncLlons wlLh whlch phllosophy opened for buslness among Lhe Creeks.
LeL us Lhen, llke Lhe fool who says ln hls hearL LhaL Cod does noL exlsL, ask "whaL" dlfferance "ls," ln a
nuLshell, havlng duly noLed Lhe lmposslblllLy of asklng anyLhlng LhaL foollsh. 8y dlfferance, uerrlda does
noL mean anyLhlng mysLerlous--Lechnlcally speaklng, "dlfferance" does noL "mean" anyLhlng aL all, and lf
lL does, "he" (uerrlda) does noL "mean" lL, for Lhe same reason LhaL lL does noL answer Lo a "whaL" or an
"ls." ln Lhe mosL LenLaLlve and general sense, uerrlda ls
-99-
descrlblng Lhe code of repeaLablllLy, of whlch language ls Lhe mosL famlllar buL by no means Lhe only
example, wlLhln whlch our bellefs and pracLlces are "lnscrlbed." 8aLher Lhan Lhlnklng of language ln Lhe
classlcal way, as a seL of exLerlor slgns of already consLlLuLed lnLerlor LhoughLs (anoLher deflnlng feaLure
of "logocenLrlsm"), uerrlda, followlng Saussure and modern llngulsLlcs, Lhlnks of users of language
lnvoklng coded, LhaL ls, repeaLable, marks or Lraces LhaL bulld up or consLlLuLe from wlLhln cerLaln unlLles
of meanlng as "effecLs" of Lhe code. 1hese Lraces are noL lnherenLly meanlngful ln Lhemselves buL
"arblLrary" and "convenLlonal." 1hus lL makes no dlfference wheLher you say "rex," "rol," or "klng" so
long as "we"--Lhose who share Lhese convenLlons"--can Lell Lhe dlfference beLween rex and lex, rol and
lol, and klng and slng. 1he meanlng--and reference--ls a funcLlon of Lhe dlfference, of Lhe dlsLance or Lhe
"spaclng" beLween Lhe Lraces, whaL ls called, ln a perfecLly serlous way, Lhe "play" of dlfferences or
Lraces. 8y Lhe "play of dlfferences" uerrlda does noL mean someLhlng caprlclous, llke romplng ln Lhe
nude down Lhe Champs-Llysees (cf. uC 112/ AL289), buL Lhe dlfferenLlal spaclng, Lhe dlscerned dlsLance,
Lhe percelved (heard, seen) lnLervals beLween Lraces flrsL analyzed ln sLrucLural llngulsLlcs. 9
1haL meanlng and reference ls a funcLlon of Lhe play of dlfferences ls conflrmed ln a perfecLly serlous
and qulLe commonsenslcal way every Llme we use a dlcLlonary. 1he "meanlng" and "reference" of a word
ln a dlcLlonary ls seL ln Lerms of oLher words wlLh whlch lL ls lnLernally relaLed. A word has a "place" ln a
dlcLlonary, noL only Lhe one LhaL you have Lo "look up," whlch ls a funcLlon of lLs graphlc seLLlng (lLs
spelllng), buL also a semanLlc place or seLLlng, a poslLlon, a range of connoLaLlon and denoLaLlon relaLlve
Lo oLher words (places) ln Lhe language. 1he meanlng of a word ls deflned dlfferenLlally, relaLlve Lo Lhe
meanlng of oLher words. WhaL you wlll never flnd ln Lhe dlcLlonary ls a word LhaL deLaches lLself from
Lhese lnLernal relaLlonshlps and sends you salllng rlghL ouL of Lhe dlcLlonary lnLo a myLhlcal, mysLlcal
Lhlng ln lLself "ouLslde" of language, wlsLfully called Lhe "LranscendenLal slgnlfled." A serlous dlcLlonary ls
a good sober example of Lhe "play of dlfferences," of Lhe dlfferenLlal spaclng wlLhln whlch, by
____________________
9 See lerdlnand de Saussure, Course ln Ceneral LlngulsLlcs, Lrans. 8oy Parrls ( London: uuckworLh,
1983), for a helpful commenLary, see !onaLhan Culler, lerdlnand de Saussure, rev. ed. ( lLhaca, n. ?.:
Cornell unlverslLy ress, 1986).
-100-
means of whlch, all Lhe users of Lhe language make whaL sense Lhey are able Lo make. So when uerrlda
says of "khra" LhaL lL ls "Lhe relaLlon of Lhe lnLerval or Lhe spaclng Lo whaL ls lodged ln lL Lo be recelved
ln lL" ( khra92/ Cn123), LhaL ls also well sald of dlfferance, Lo speak darkly and Lhrough a vell (and never
face Lo face!) of dlfferance.
ln classlcal Lerms, uerrlda ls deeply reslsLanL Lo "essenLlallsm," Lhe noLlon LhaL Lhere are ldeal meanlngs
("presence") LhaL somehow or anoLher anLedaLe Lhe play of Lraces Lo whlch Lhe play musL conform lLself
(musL "represenL"). LssenLlallsm ls a vlew LhaL leglLlmaLely Lraces lLs genealogy back Lo laLo hlmself, Lo
aL leasL "one" laLo, Lhe famous, domlnanL, orLhodox, paLrlarchal, arlsLocraLlc, classlcal, phllosophlcal
one, Lhe one you have Lo know Lo pass your laLo course. (?ou wlll have Lo aLLend a course aL Lhe College
lf you wanL Lo learn abouL Lhe basLards.) uerrlda holds, on Lhe oLher hand, LhaL presence ls always Lhe
"effecL" of Lhe play of Lraces, of "represenLaLlons"--whence hls (noL all LhaL) paradoxlcal dlcLum LhaL
presence ls Lhe effecL of represenLaLlon ( v38/ S32). lor meanlng and reference are always bullL up
slowly and LenLaLlvely from below, from wlLhln Lhe neLworks of codes and assumpLlons wlLhln whlch we
all always and already operaLe. 10
uerrlda's noLlon of dlfferance resulLs from lnLroduclng Lwo lmprovemenLs on Lhls Saussurean polnL of
deparLure.
(1) ln Lhe flrsL place, uerrlda argues LhaL, Lhough rule-bound up Lo a polnL--leL's be serlous: Lhere surely
are rules of grammar and of usage, sLandardlzed and normallzed llngulsLlc pracLlces--Lhe play of Lraces ls
noL a "closed sysLem," buL ulLlmaLely an open-ended play (see uLC 42-108/ CC27-73). Pe argues agalnsL
Lhe "closure" of Lhe play and holds LhaL Lhe effecLs of whlch "lLerablllLy," Lhe code of repeaLablllLy, ls
capable cannoL ln prlnclple be conLalned, programmed, or predlcLed. lL always posslble, ln prlnclple, as a
"sLrucLural" maLLer, Lo repeaL dlfferenLly, LhaL ls bullL rlghL lnLo Lhe very ldea of "lLerablllLy" or
"repeLlLlon." lurLhermore, any such "laws" as one would "forge" (formulaLe/fake) would Lhemselves be
effecLs or subseLs of Lhe play of Lraces, would be lnscrlbed wlLhln Lhem "laLer" and so would noL govern
over Lhem a prlorl (earller). 1he play of dlfferences ls always "older" Lhan any of lLs effecLs, consLlLuLlng a
quasl-arche "before" Lhe archlcal law Lhe rules would lmpose. Laws are always deconsLrucLlble, buL Lhe
play of Lraces, ln lLself, lf lL has an lLself, ls noL deconsLrucLlble.
____________________
10 lor a more careful exposlLlon of uerrlda's clalm, see my 8adlcal PermeneuLlcs, chap. 3.
-101-
1haL ls why uerrlda wlll also speak of dlfferance as an archl-wrlLlng, whlch ls reflecLed here when he
calls Lhe khra a "pre-orlgln." 8y archl-wrlLlng uerrlda does noL mean LhaL, hlsLorlcally, wrlLlng ls older
Lhan speech, as hls careless crlLlcs Loo preclplLously clalm. nor ls he Lrylng Lo esLabllsh wrlLlng as a sLlll
hlgher prlnclple of language Lhan any loglco-semanLlcal laws. 8aLher Lhan on a flrm foundaLlon or
perfecLly enclosed sysLem he ls Lrylng Lo pull Lhe plug on any leak-proof sysLem by acknowledglng a sLlll
lower un-prlnclple, an unseLLllng, dls-placlng "necesslLy" we are under Lo labor always under a play of
Lraces, havlng Lo cope wlLh an lrrepresslble lLerablllLy LhaL can never be conLalned or declslvely
regulaLed. Pe does noL sLake ouL Lhe ground of a hlgher prlnclple buL concedes a cerLaln an-arche aL Lhe
boLLom of our prlnclples. uerrlda ls noL denylng LhaL we have "prlnclples" and "LruLh"--leL Lhe word go
forLh and leL Lhere be no mlsLake abouL LhaL. Pe ls [usL relnscrlblng our LruLhs and prlnclples wlLhln Lhe
an-arche of dlfferance, aLLachlng Lo Lhem a co-efflclenL of "conLlngency." lor Lhe only "necesslLy" he
acknowledges ls Lhe necesslLy LhaL precedes all opposlLlons, lncludlng LhaL beLween Lhe prlnclple and
whaL ls based upon Lhe prlnclple, Lhe necesslLy, Lhe requlremenL, always Lo forge LruLhs and prlnclples
slowly from below, lnscrlblng Lhem ln a vasL and meanlng-less recepLacle called dlfferance.
1haL ls why you cannoL, sLrlcLo sensu, ask "whaL" dlfferance "ls," or for lLs "meanlng" or "LruLh." SLrlcLly
speaklng: lL ls Lhe condlLlon of posslblllLy of Lhese Lhlngs, whlch are so many effecLs of lLs play, Lraces
Lraced on lLs surface, from whlch lL lLself wlLhdraws (re-LralL). More sLrlcLly sLlll: dlfferance ls a quasl-
condlLlon of posslblllLy, because lL does noL descrlbe flxed boundarles LhaL dellmlL whaL can happen and
whaL noL, buL polnLs a muLe, 8uddhlsL flnger aL Lhe moon of unconLalnable effecLs. LveryLhlng from Lhe
Cod of ChrlsLlan neoplaLonlsm Lo rubblsh heaps, from Lhe mosL subllme laws of physlcs or eLhlcs Lo Lhe
haLe-Lalk on 8ush Llmbaugh's radlo show, from Lhe ueclaraLlon of lndependence Lo sLreeL-corner rap--
everyLhlng ls lnscrlbed ln dlfferance, whlch ls lLs enabllng and also sllghLly dlsabllng quasl-condlLlon.
1hls noLlon of dlfferance as a quasl-condlLlon provldes us wlLh Lhe answer Lo Lhe quesLlon of Lhe analogy
or convergence of deconsLrucLlon and negaLlve Lheology. ueconsLrucLlon ls deeply enamored of Lhe
sLraLeglc and formal resources of negaLlve Lheology. ueconsLrucLlon loves Lhe way LhaL negaLlve Lheology
has found Lo say Lhe unsayable, Lhe LwlsLs and Lurns lL Lakes ln deallng wlLh Lhe lmposslble by whlch lL
has
-102-
been sLruck, wlLh lLs lmposslble deslre, all of whlch uerrlda deeply admlres, so LhaL Lo be compared wlLh
negaLlve Lheology ls no crlLlclsm for hlm, buL a hlgh compllmenL LhaL assoclaLes hlm wlLh Lhe besL
famllles. 8uL ln Lhe end uerrlda musL defer Lhls honor and decllne Lhls hlgh compllmenL and 'fess up LhaL
deconsLrucLlon consorLs wlLh basLards. ueconsLrucLlon has Lo do noL wlLh Lhe hyperouslos, Lhe super-
belng beyond belng, buL wlLh someLhlng llke khra, a cousln/couslne lf Lhere ls such a Lhlng, someLhlng
LhaL ls nelLher a belng nor a non-belng, buL a cerLaln "quasl-condlLlon" wlLhln whlch boLh are lnscrlbed.
So uerrlda Lhlnks of negaLlve Lheology as a klnd of "hyperessenLlallsm," faced wlLh Lhe problem of how
noL Lo speak of a "LranscendenL" belng beyond belng, whereas deconsLrucLlon, humbly and from below,
has Lhe problem of how noL Lo speak of Lhls quasl-LranscendenLal condlLlon, Lhls necesslLy or necessary
condlLlon, Lhls condlLlon of posslblllLy and lmposslblllLy, called dlfferance.
1o Lry Lo make Lhls "necesslLy" wlLhouL LruLh, Lhls necessary unLruLh, look more edlfylng, Lhlnk of Lhe
way, afLer Lhe apple, Cod senL Adam and Lve packlng and lmposed upon Lhem Lhe "necesslLy" of work,
sweaL, and paln, and, laLer on, afLer Lhe Lower, dlssemlnaLed Lhe Longues of Lhe bullders aL 8abel and
lmposed upon Lhem Lhe "necesslLy" of LranslaLlon. !usL so, godless dlfferance lmposes upon us all Lhe
necesslLy Lo work ouL meanlng and reference by Lhe work, sweaL, and paln of Lhe "play" (some fun!) of
dlfferences, Lhe necesslLy Lo LranslaLe among many compeLlng codes, Lo cope even wlLh lncompaLlble
codes, and Lo hold our head as a sea of lLerablllLy washes over us.
SLlll, Lhls necesslLy does noL cause uerrlda Lo lose hearL: "Lhese LralLs are noL negaLlve" ( khra94/
Cn126), buL, raLher, a way Lo keep Lhlngs open, slnce deconsLrucLlon for uerrlda ls always an afflrmaLlon
of Lhe oLher, a precursorlal way Lo make way for Lhe lnvenLlon of Lhe oLher. 1hus, a good deal of Lhe
analyses underLaken by uerrlda LesL Lhe llmlLs, push Lo Lhe fronLlers, Lransgress Lhe boundarles, LhaL are
puL ln place by Lhe several "-ologles" LhaL would regulaLe Lhe "an-archlc freedom" of Lhe Lrace. uerrlda ls
consLanLly lnLeresLed ln Lhe new, unpredlcLable, unforeseeable, unprogrammable "effecLs" LhaL are
forLh-comlng, lncomlng, ln-venLable wlLhln a currenLly prevalllng seL of convenLlons. Pence, lf uerrlda ls
noL an essenLlallsL, nelLher ls he a convenLlonallsL, for convenLlonallsm ls [usL an alLernaLe way of
regulaLlng and conLalnlng Lhe play of Lraces. ueconsLrucLlon ls, raLher, an unconvenLlonal
convenLlonallsm, an ln-venLlonallsm, benL on glvlng Lhlngs a new benL or LwlsL, on LwlsLlng free of Lhe
conLalnlng effecLs of boLh essenLlallsm
-103-
and convenLlonallsm, ln order Lo release cerLaln unforeseeable effecLs, looklng for "openlngs," maklng
room for--glvlng a place Lo--whaL ls unforeseeable relaLlve Lo some horlzon of foreseeablllLy.
(2) ln addlLlon Lo argulng agalnsL closure, uerrlda also generallzes whaL was orlglnally a llngulsLlc model
ln Saussure so LhaL dlfferance ls noL resLrlcLed Lo language buL leaves lLs "mark" on everyLhlng-
lnsLlLuLlons, sexuallLy, Lhe worldwlde web, Lhe body, whaLever you need or wanL. 1hls does noL amounL
Lo argulng LhaL Lhese Lhlngs are all llngulsLlc--an error he calls "llngulsLlclsm"--whlch ls Lrue only up Lo a
polnL. 8aLher, he ls argulng LhaL, llke language, all Lhese sLrucLures are marked by Lhe play of dlfferences,
by Lhe "spaclng" of whlch dlfferance ls one of Lhe names. 1haL ls why he speaks of Lhe "Lrace" and noL
Lhe "slgnlfler," whlch belongs Lo llngulsLlcs and would lmpllcaLe hlm ln a llngulsLlclsm wlLh whlch he
would have no parL, alLhough LhaL ls a mlsLake of whlch he ls commonly accused by people who musL, l
am convlnced, be golng on secondhand accounLs of hls work.
ln Lhe prevlous chapLer, we saw whaL deep lnLeresL uerrlda Lakes ln "lnsLlLuLlons." ln an lnsLlLuLlon,
lndlvlduals are dlsLrlbuLed across a hlerarchlzed, lnsLlLuLlonal spaclng, a play of places, whlch deflne ln
advance Lhe role, Lhe power, and Lhe volce of Lhe lndlvldual, someLhlng LhaL ls embodled ln expresslons
llke Lhe "maln offlce," Lhe "Lop floor," and "power corrldor." 1o llve and work wlLhln an lnsLlLuLlon ls Lo
exerclse a "dlfferenLlal" funcLlon, Lo be lnserLed or lnscrlbed wlLhln Lhe dlfferenLlal space of Lhe
lnsLlLuLlonal hlerarchy. 1haL spaclng ls Lrue no less of socleLy aL large. ConLrary Lo 8ousseaulsm, Lhe
young uerrlda argued ( uLC149-202/ CC101-40), even Lhe mosL "prlmlLlve" socleLy ls marked by Lhls
spaclng, hlerarchy, dlfferance, or "archl-wrlLlng," even lf such a socleLy lacks wrlLlng ln Lhe sLrlcL or
narrow sense. Wherever one ls, one ls placed wlLhln a play of dlfferences, "recelved" or "lnscrlbed"
wlLhln dlfferance--ln a famlly, an lnsLlLuLlon, a socleLy, a language, a hlsLory, an academlc dlsclpllne, an
army, eLc.
Cr ln a sexual relaLlonshlp--whence all Lhe aLLenLlon uerrlda pays Lo Lhe gender lssues surroundlng
khra. 1he debaLe abouL homosexuallLy comes down Lo a debaLe abouL an over-organlzed, over-
regulaLed, narrowly opposlLlonal space ln whlch Lhere are only Lwo hlerarchlcally ordered places, a
"blnarlLy" of male and female, of male over female. lor uerrlda, Lhe way Lo break Lhls up ls Lo open up
all Lhe oLher places LhaL Lhls blnary scheme closes off. ln uerrlda's vlew, "male" and "female" are flxed
conLalners, prlsons, Lrapplng men no less Lhan women wlLhln one place, one role, closlng off Lhe
posslblllLy of "lnnumerable"
-104-
genders, noL [usL Lwo. 1haL ls why "femlnlsm," whlle consLlLuLlng a sLraLeglcally necessary momenL of
"reversal," a saluLary overLurnlng LhaL purges Lhe sysLem of lLs presenL mascullnlsL hegemony, musL glve
way Lo "dlsplacemenL," whlch ls a more radlcal "gender bender" ln whlch Lhe whole mascullne/femlnlne
schema ls skewed. So dlfferance, Lhe "Lhlrd klnd" or genus, makes lL posslble Lo geL beyond (or beneaLh)
Lwo klnds, noL [usL Lo Lhree, buL Lo Lhe "lnnumerable," LhaL ls, Lo Lhe lndeflnlLely new, because
dlfferenLlal, posslblllLles LhaL are opened up once you acknowledge Lhe conLlngency of "Lwo." "Cne, Lwo,
Lhree, buL where, my dear 1lmaeus, ls Lhe fourLh . . ." ( 1lmaeus17A)? 11
lL should noL go unnoLlced LhaL uerrlda descrlbes Lhls dream of lnnumerable genders as
"choreographles," khra-ographles, LhaL ls, Lhe [oyful, dance-llke marklng off of places, mulLlplylng Lhe
places of sexual spaclng ( dS93-116/ olnLs89-108, cf. CC227-228). 1he effecLs of a deconsLrucLlve
analysls as regards Lhe lssues of gender cover a wlde range. lor deconsLrucLlon wanLs Lo leL "sLralghL"
men geL ln Louch wlLh Lhelr femlnlne slde, and "sLralghL" women wlLh Lhelr mascullne slde, and, hence,
Lo bend up Lhese recLlllnear orLhodoxles a llLLle. 8uL lL ls also happy Lo see men geL ln Louch wlLh men,
and women wlLh women, gay and lesblan "rlghLs" (whlch also means "sLralghL"). ulllge eL quod vls fac.
8uL ln Lhe end, lL would "dlssemlnaLe" Lhe very ldea of "mascullne" and "femlnlne" as narrow,
conLlngenL, consLralnlng sLralL[ackeLs, "sLralghL" effecLs wlLhln an lndeflnlLe, dlfferenLlal play of Lraces.
ulfferance, conLalnlng all, lncludlng all Lhe genders, all Lhe places, ls a pandekhon, noL as a unlversal
conLalner moLherlng, nurslng, or "holdlng" all, buL, more paradoxlcally, as an open-ended and porous
recepLacle of Lhe unconLalnable, of lnnumerable and lncalculable effecLs, as an un-prlnclple, an an-arche.
ulfferance ls an absoluLely neuLral recepLacle--khra ls lLs sur-name--LhaL suppresses noLhlng, releaslng
Lhe lnnumerable, Lhe unforeseeable, Lhe "lnvenLlon of Lhe oLher."
ulfferance ls Lhe nameless name of Lhls open-ended, unconLalnable, generallzable play of Lraces.
And khra ls lLs sur-name.
____________________
11 lor more on uerrlda and femlnlsm, see ulane Llam, lemlnlsm and ueconsLrucLlon: Ms. en
Abyme ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1994), and Lhe collecLlon enLlLled uerrlda and lemlnlsm: 8ecasLlng Lhe
CuesLlon of Woman, ed. Lllen leder, Mary 8awllnson , Lmlly Zakln ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, Chapman, and
Pall, forLhcomlng).
-103-
4
CommunlLy WlLhouL CommunlLy
"ure unlLy or pure mulLlpllclLy--when Lhere ls only LoLallLy or unlLy and when Lhere ls only mulLlpllclLy
or dlsassoclaLlon--ls a synonym of deaLh."
-- "8oundLable,"13
"l have always had Lrouble vlbraLlng ln unlson."
-- dS338/ olnLs348
ueconsLrucLlon geLs blamed for a loL of Lhlngs--for everyLhlng from undermlnlng Lhe law of gravlLy Lo
supporLlng Mormon polygamy and Lo sLarLlng Lhe wars ln 8osnla! AL leasL, lL has been suggesLed LhaL Lhe
naLlonallsL wars ln cenLral Lurope are a good example of Lhe legacy of Lhe posLmodern advocacy of
"dlfference," of Lhe rlghL Lo be dlfferenL. 1 WhaL else can Lhe CroaLlan dlfference, Lhe 8osnlan dlfference,
Lhe lslamlc dlfference, Lhe ChrlsLlan dlfference breed Lhan sLrlfe noL harmony, dlvlslon noL unlLy, war noL
peace? Alas, l would say such naLlonallsms are Lhe lasL Lhlng LhaL uerrlda means by "dlfference" and Lhe
LouL auLre, or by Lhe pollLlcs of dlfference and a democracy Lo come. lndeed, Lhe varlous naLlonallsms
are for hlm Lhe almosL perfecL embodlmenL of "ldenLlLy," of ldenLlLarlanlsm, of self-afflrmlng,
selfproLecLlng, homogenlzlng ldenLlLles LhaL make every efforL Lo exclude Lhe dlfferenL. Such naLlonallsL
ldenLlLarlanlsm does everyLhlng lL can Lo prevenL Lhe "oLher" from crosslng over "our" borders, from
Laklng "our" [obs, from en[oylng "our" beneflLs and golng Lo "our" schools,
____________________
1 Ceorge lrled, "Peldegger's olemos," !ournal of hllosophlcal 8esearch, 16 ( 1991), 143-193,
argues LhaL naLlonallsL dlfference ls an example of posLmodern dlfference (see p. 184 ), see my response
ln uemyLhologlzlng Peldegger, pp. 218-219n14 (where l mlsspelled lrled's name!).
-106-
from dlsLurblng "our" language, culLure, rellglon, and publlc lnsLlLuLlons. 1hey could noL be more
lnhosplLable Lo Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher. osLmodern dlfference, leL us say, Lhe dlfference LhaL lnLeresLs
uerrlda, ls deeply mulLl-culLural, mulLl-llngual, and mulLl-raclal, represenLlng whaL l have elsewhere
called a hlghly mlscegenaLed "polymorphlsm." 2 uerrlda does noL dlsmlss Lhe ldea of unlLy and ldenLlLy
ouL of hand, for "pure" dlverslLy, were such a Lhlng posslble, would spell deaLh no less surely Lhan would
a "pure" LoLallLarlan unlLy. 8uL he advocaLes hlghly heLerogenous, porous, self-dlfferenLlaLlng
quaslldenLlLles, unsLable ldenLlLles, lf LhaL ls whaL Lhey are, LhaL are noL ldenLlcal wlLh Lhemselves, LhaL
do noL close over and form a seamless web of Lhe selfsame. WhaL uerrlda advocaLes, ln a nuLshell, ls
"democracy," whlch ls supposed Lo be a very generous "recepLacle" for every dlfference lmaglnable.
1haL ls why uerrlda ls Lroubled by, and wanLs Lo make a cerLaln Lrouble for, Lhe word "communlLy":
l don'L much llke Lhe word communlLy, l am noL even sure l llke Lhe Lhlng.
lf by communlLy one lmplles, as ls ofLen Lhe case, a harmonlous group, consensus, and fundamenLal
agreemenL beneaLh Lhe phenomena of dlscord or war, Lhen l don'L belleve ln lL very much and l sense ln
lL as much LhreaL as promlse.
1here ls doubLless Lhls lrrepresslble deslre for a "communlLy" Lo form buL also for lL Lo know lLs llmlL--
and for lLs llmlL Lo be lLs openlng [ dS, 366/ olnLs333].
WhaL he does noL llke abouL Lhe word communlLy ls lLs connoLaLlons of "fuslon" and "ldenLlflcaLlon"
( Sauf38/ Cn46) 3. AfLer all, communlo
____________________
2 lor an elaboraLlon of Lhls polymorphlsm, see my AgalnsL LLhlcs, chap. 3.
3 ln ol.338, commenLlng on 8lanchoL's remark LhaL Lhe nazl persecuLlon of Lhe !ews makes us
feel LhaL "Lhe !ews are our broLhers and LhaL !udalsm ls more Lhan a culLure and even more Lhan a
rellglon, buL Lhe foundaLlon of our relaLlons wlLh Lhe oLher," uerrlda, who ls Lroubled by Lhls valorlzaLlon
of Lhe "fraLernal" and Lhe !ew, asks hlmself "why would l never have been able Lo wrlLe LhaL? . . . ln Lhe
same veln, l ask myself why l have never been able Lo wrlLe Lhe word 'communlLy' (avowable or
unavowable, operaLlve or ln-operaLlve), lf l may say so, on my own accounL, ln my own name." Clven
8lanchoL's deflnlLlon of !udalsm, he asks hlmself, ls he belng lnsufflclenLly !ewlsh or more Lhan !ewlsh?
uerrlda ls referrlng Lo Lhe dlscusslon of communlLy ln 8lanchoL and nancy and dlsLanclng hlmself from
Lhe Lerms of Lhe dlscusslon. See !ean-Luc nancy, 1he lnoperaLlve CommunlLy, ed. eLer Connor
( Mlnneapolls: unlverslLy of MlnnesoLa ress, 1991), and Maurlce 8lanchoL, 1he una-vowable
CommunlLy
-107-
ls a word for a mlllLary formaLlon and a klsslng cousln of Lhe word "munlLlons", Lo have a communlo ls
Lo be forLlfled on all sldes, Lo bulld a "common" (com) "defense" (munls), as when a wall ls puL up
around Lhe clLy Lo keep Lhe sLranger or Lhe forelgner ouL. 4 1he self-proLecLlve closure of "communlLy,"
Lhen, would be [usL abouL Lhe opposlLe of whaL deconsLrucLlon ls, slnce deconsLrucLlon ls Lhe
preparaLlon for Lhe lncomlng of Lhe oLher, "open" and "porous" Lo Lhe oLher, whlch would of course
make one poor excuse for a defense sysLem. A "unlversal communlLy" excludlng no one ls a conLradlcLlon
ln Lerms, communlLles always have Lo have an lnslde and an ouLslde. 1haL ls why uerrlda's commenLs on
"communlLy" --whlch ls oLherwlse a mom-and-appleple word, aL Lhe very sound of whlch every
pollLlclan's knee musL bend--are always exLremely guarded, on guard agalnsL Lhe guard LhaL
communlLles sLaLlon around Lhemselves Lo waLch ouL for Lhe oLher (see ol.329-331). 1haL, Loo, ls why lL
was necessary Lo puL Lhe word "we" ln scare quoLes ln Lhe prevlous chapLer. lor Lhe deconsLrucLlve "we"
ls always hlghly quallfled and unsure, always runnlng scared, a cerLaln "we who cannoL say we," a "we, lf
such a Lhlng exlsLs."
l sald above, referrlng Lo uerrlda's Lheory of meanlng and LruLh, LhaL he ls nelLher an essenLlallsL nor a
convenLlonallsL, LhaL he subscrlbes nelLher Lo preexlsLlng meanlngs and LruLhs Lo whlch llngulsLlc
pracLlces musL conform, nor Lo deeply buL lnchoaLely undersLood pracLlces LhaL exerL a more genLle buL
no less sure rule. ln a slmllar way, we can say here LhaL, as regards soclal Lheory, uerrlda ls nelLher a
llberal nor a communlLarlan, LhaL he has no more confldence ln
____________________
vowable CommunlLy, Lrans. lerre !orls ( 8arryLown, n. ?.: SLaLlon Plll ress, 1988). lor
commenLarles on Lhls dlscusslon, see CommunlLy aL Loose Lnds, ed. Mlaml 1heory CollecLlve
( Mlnneapolls: unlverslLy of MlnnesoLa ress, 1991), uavld lngram, "1he 8eLreaL of Lhe ollLlcal ln Lhe
Modern Age: !ean-Luc nancy on 1oLallLarlanlsm and CommunlLy," 8esearch ln henomenology, 18
( 1988), 93-124, and 8oberL 8er nasconl , who regards Lhe dlscusslon as a debaLe, "Cn ueconsLrucLlng
nosLalgla for CommunlLy WlLhln Lhe WesL: 1he uebaLe 8eLween nancy and 8lanchoL," 8esearch ln
henomenology, 23 ( 1993), 3-21.
4 A communlo ls also a common or shared llfe, from com + munus, havlng common "duLles" or
"funcLlons," dolng one's duLy Lo Lhe whole, muLual servlce. Wllllam CorleLL , CommunlLy WlLhouL unlLy:
A ollLlcs of uerrldlan LxLravagance ( uurham, n. C. : uuke unlverslLy ress, 1993), formulaLes a
uerrldean (Lhere ls no common agreemenL abouL how Lo spell Lhe ad[ecLlval form of "uerrlda") noLlon of
communlLy, ln connecLlon wlLh Lhe "glfL," one of Lhe senses of munus, when a duLy or publlc offlce ls
performed wlLhouL or beyond duLy, so LhaL communlLy Lurns on glfL-glvlng, exLravagance. ln Lhls way,
CorleLL means Lo sLeer hls way beLween communlLarlans and llberals.
-108-
8awls's coldly formal guaranLee of procedural rlghLs Lhan ln snuggllng up, a la Alasdalr MaclnLyre and
SLanley Pauerwas, Lo Lhe hearLh of a communal LradlLlon wlLh deep and connaLural lnLulLlons of LruLhs
LhaL run deeper Lhan we can say or formallze. Pe ls [usL as Lroubled by llberallsm as by
communlLarlanlsm, by essenLlallsm as by convenLlonallsm. 1haL ls because he ls an ln-venLlonallsL,
because hls eye or ear ls always Lurned Lo whaL ls Lo come and because he keeps a consLanL waLch for all
Lhose forces LhaL would conLaln whaL ls comlng, LhaL would foresLall or prevenL Lhe lnvenLlon of Lhe
oLher. Llberallsm for hlm ls sub[ecLlvlsm, a phllosophy ln whlch everyLhlng Lurns on Lhe "rlghLs" of Lhe
"auLonomous sub[ecL," whereas deconsLrucLlon ls a phllosophy of "responslblllLy Lo Lhe oLher," where
everyLhlng Lurns on Lhe Lurn Lo Lhe oLher. CommunlLarlanlsm, on Lhe oLher hand, assumes some sorL of
deep LruLh ln Lhe LradlLlon upon whlch Lhe lndlvldual draws as long as he remalns Lapped lnLo lLs flow,
whereas for uerrlda one musL waLch ouL for Lhe ways LradlLlon and communlLy become excuses for
conservaLlvlsm, for Lhe excluslon of Lhe lncomlng of Lhe oLher, and hence consLlLuLe "as much LhreaL as
promlse," as much a Lrap as a Lap.
PCSl1ALl1?
Cne helpful way Lo geL aL uerrlda's vlews on communlLy and ldenLlLy ls Lo follow hls analysls of
"hosplLallLy," whlch ls anoLher mom-andapple-ple word, buL a sllghLly dlfferenL one, much more Lo
uerrlda's llklng and wlLh a beLLer flL Lo Lhe Lendencles and rheLorlc of deconsLrucLlon, one LhaL he can
wrlLe ln hls own name, wlLh whlch he can assoclaLe hlmself. 3 So, [usL as a rheLorlcal maLLer, lf someone
Lrles Lo make deconsLrucLlon look bad by clalmlng lL ls agalnsL communlLy, one could always drape lL ln
respecLable robes by saylng lL prefers "hosplLallLy," LhaL lL ls a phllosophy, a LhoughL, a wrlLlng, a dolng of
"hosplLallLy." lf you were lnLenL on maklng deconsLrucLlon look respecLable, lL would noL be a dlsLorLlon
Lo say LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls Lo be undersLood as a form of hosplLallLy, LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls hosplLallLy,
whlch
____________________
3 am here followlng uerrlda's lecLures, sLlll unpubllshed, enLlLled "CuesLlons of 8esponslblllLy:
PosLlllLy/PosplLallLy," glven aL !ohns Popklns unlverslLy ln March, 1996 (and elsewhere). 1here are
references Lo hosplLallLy scaLLered LhroughouL hls publlshed works, see SdM272-273/ SCM172.
-109-
means Lhe welcomlng of Lhe oLher. ueconsLrucLlon would Lhus mean--agaln ln a nuLshell--"LeL Lhe oLher
come!" "Welcome Lo Lhe oLher." lf deconsLrucLlon had an lnLernaLlonal headquarLers, say ln arls, lL
would have a large banner hanglng over lLs fronL door saylng "8lenvenue!"
1he word "hosplLallLy" means Lo lnvlLe and welcome Lhe "sLranger" (l'eLranger), boLh on Lhe personal
level--how do l welcome Lhe oLher lnLo my home?--and on Lhe level of Lhe sLaLe--ralslng soclo-pollLlcal
quesLlons abouL refugees, lmmlgranLs, "forelgn" languages, mlnorlLy eLhnlc groups, eLc. uerrlda's
lnLeresL ls drawn Lo Lhe facL LhaL, by vlrLue of lLs eLymology, Lhe word "hosplLallLy" carrles lLs opposlLe
wlLhln lLself (LhaL's a surprlse!). 1he word "hosplLallLy" derlves from Lhe LaLln hospes, whlch ls formed
from hosLls, whlch orlglnally meanL a "sLranger" and came Lo Lake on Lhe meanlng of Lhe enemy or
"hosLlle" sLranger (hosLllls), + peLs (poLls, pores, poLenLla), Lo have power. 6 "PosplLallLy," Lhe welcome
exLended Lo Lhe guesL, ls a funcLlon of Lhe power of Lhe hosL Lo remaln masLer of Lhe premlses. A "hosL"
ls someone who Lakes on or recelves sLrangers, who glves Lo Lhe sLranger, even whlle remalnlng ln
conLrol. 1here ls, Lhus, a cerLaln sLress bullL lnLo Lhe ldea of a hosL (don'L we know lL!): Lhe one who
offers hosplLallLy Lo Lhe oLher musL be a proprleLor, an owner of one's own properLy, ma[or domo, maiLre
chez sol, a "masLer of Lhe house," as Lhey slng ln Les Mls. 1he hospes ls someone who has Lhe power Lo
hosL someone, so LhaL nelLher Lhe alLerlLy (hosLls) of Lhe sLranger nor Lhe power (poLenLla) of Lhe hosL ls
annulled by Lhe hosplLallLy. 1here ls an essenLlal "selfllmlLaLlon" bullL rlghL lnLo Lhe ldea of hosplLallLy,
whlch preserves Lhe dlsLance beLween one's own and Lhe sLranger, beLween ownlng one's own properLy
and lnvlLlng Lhe oLher lnLo one's home. So, Lhere ls always a llLLle hosLlllLy ln all hosLlng and hosplLallLy,
consLlLuLlng a cerLaln "hosLll/plLallLy."
1he noLlon of havlng and reLalnlng Lhe masLery of Lhe house ls essenLlal Lo hosplLallLy. 1here ls, afLer all,
only a mlnlmum of hosplLallLy, some would say none aL all, lnvolved ln lnvlLlng a large parLy of guesLs Lo
your nelghbor's house (especlally lf you do noL leL Lhe nelghbor ln on whaL ls golng on), or ln lnvlLlng
oLhers Lo make Lhemselves aL home, say, ln CenLral ark or Lhe Crand Canyon, or any oLher
____________________
6 uerrlda ls followlng Lhe eLymology of Lmll 8envenlsLe, ln Le vocabulalre des lnsLlLuLlons lndo-
europeennes l ( arls: MlnulL, 1969), chap. 7, "L'hosplLallLe."
-110-
publlc place. A hosL ls a hosL only lf he owns Lhe place, and only lf he holds on Lo hls ownershlp, lf one
llmlLs Lhe glfL. When Lhe hosL says Lo Lhe guesL, "Make yourself aL home," Lhls ls a self-llmlLlng lnvlLaLlon.
"Make yourself aL home" means: please feel aL home, acL as lf you were aL home, buL, remember, LhaL ls
noL Lrue, Lhls ls noL your home buL mlne, and you are expecLed Lo respecL my properLy. When l say
"Welcome" Lo Lhe oLher, "Come cross my Lhreshold," l am noL surrenderlng my properLy or my ldenLlLy. l
am noL Lurnlng myself lnLo khra whlch welcomes all as an open recepLacle. lf l say "Welcome," l am noL
renounclng my masLery, someLhlng LhaL becomes LransparenL ln people whose hosplLallLy ls a way of
showlng off how much Lhey own or who make Lhelr guesLs uncomforLable and afrald Lo Louch a Lhlng.
8uL Lhls Lenslon bullL lnLo "hosplLallLy," Lhls "aporla" or "paralysls"--how can l graclously welcome Lhe
oLher whlle sLlll reLalnlng my soverelgnLy, my masLery of Lhe house? Pow can l llmlL my glfL?--ls noL
negaLlve. Cn Lhe conLrary, lL ls Lhe condlLlon of posslblllLy (and lmposslblllLy) of hosplLallLy. Llke
everyLhlng else ln deconsLrucLlon, Lhe posslblllLy of hosplLallLy ls susLalned by lLs lmposslblllLy, hosplLallLy
really sLarLs Lo geL under way only when we "experlence" (whlch means Lo Lravel or go Lhrough) Lhls
paralysls (Lhe lnablllLy Lo move). PosplLallLy ls lmposslble, whaL uerrlda calls Lhe lmposslble (Lhe lm-
posslblllLy of hosLll-plLallLy), whlch ls noL Lhe same as a slmple loglcal conLradlcLlon. PosplLallLy really
sLarLs Lo happen when l push agalnsL Lhls llmlL, Lhls Lhreshold, Lhls paralysls, lnvlLlng hosplLallLy Lo cross
lLs own Lhreshold and llmlL, lLs own self-llmlLaLlon, Lo become a glfL beyond hosplLallLy. 1hus, for
hosplLallLy Lo occur, lL ls necessary for hosplLallLy Lo go beyond hosplLallLy. 1haL requlres LhaL Lhe hosL
musL, ln a momenL of madness, Lear up Lhe undersLandlng beLween hlm and Lhe guesL, acL wlLh
"excess," make an absoluLe glfL of hls properLy, 7 whlch ls of course lmposslble. 8uL LhaL ls Lhe only way
Lhe guesL can go away feellng as lf he was really made aL home.
1hls lmposslblllLy, Lhls excess, ls [usL whaL lnLeresLs uerrlda abouL hosplLallLy. PosplLallLy, lf Lhere ls such
a Lhlng, ls beyond hosplLallLy. PosplLallLy, "lf Lhere ls such a Lhlng": LhaL means lL never "exlsLs," ls
____________________
7 1he llmlL case of hosplLallLy would be Lhe "salnLs" who glves away Lhelr home and all Lhelr
possesslons Lo Lhe poor, whlch would noL be hosplLallLy any longer buL a salnLly excess. 1hls remarkable
convergence of salnLly and posLmodern excess ls explored sysLemaLlcally ln LdlLh Wyschogrod, SalnLs
and osLmodernlsm ( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1990).
-111-
noL "presenL," ls always Lo come. PosplLallLy ls whaL ls always demanded of me, LhaL Lo whlch l have
never measured up. l am always Loo close-flsLed, Loo ungraclous, Loo unwelcomlng, Loo calculaLlng ln all
my lnvlLaLlons, whlch are dlsLurbed from wlLhln by all sorLs of subLerranean moLlvaLlons--from wanLlng
Lo show off whaL l own Lo looklng for a reLurn lnvlLaLlon. l am never hosplLable and l do noL know whaL
hosplLallLy ls.
?ou see, Lhen, whaL deconsLrucLlon ls abouL, ln a nuLshell. uerrlda's lnLeresL ln explorlng Lhe Lenslons
wlLhln "hosplLallLy" ls noL almed aL cynlcally unmasklng lL as [usL more masLery and power, as hls very
hosLlle and lnhosplLable crlLlcs mlghL Lhlnk. Cn Lhe conLrary, he wanLs Lo show LhaL hosplLallLy ls
lnhablLed from wlLhln, lnwardly dlsLurbed by Lhese Lenslons, buL he does Lhls preclsely ln order Lo open
hosplLallLy up, Lo keep lL on guard agalnsL lLself, on Lhe qul vlve, Lo open--Lo push--lL beyond lLself. lor lL
ls only LhaL lnLernal Lenslon and lnsLablllLy LhaL keeps Lhe ldea of hosplLallLy allve, open, loose. lf lL ls noL
beyond lLself, lL falls back lnLo lLself and becomes a blL of ungraclous meanness, LhaL ls, hosLlle.
uerrlda llkes Lo say LhaL we do noL know whaL hosplLallLy ls, noL because Lhe ldea ls bullL around a
dlfflculL concepLual rlddle, buL because, ln Lhe end, hosplLallLy ls noL a maLLer of ob[ecLlve knowledge,
buL belongs Lo anoLher order alLogeLher, beyond knowledge, an enlgmaLlc "experlence" ln whlch l seL
ouL for Lhe sLranger, for Lhe oLher, for Lhe unknown, where l cannoL go. l do noL know whaL ls comlng,
whaL ls Lo come, whaL calls for hosplLallLy or whaL hosplLallLy ls called. 8 1he aporla ls noL concepLually
resolved by a blL of lnLellecLual adrolLness buL sLralned agalnsL performaLlvely, by an acL of generoslLy, by
a glvlng whlch glves beyond lLself, whlch ls a llLLle bllnd and does noL see where lL ls golng. PosplLallLy
glves Lo Lhe oLher wlLh all Lhe aporeLlcs of Lhe "glfL," for glfLs llkewlse blnd Lhe oLher Lo me ln graLlLude
and Lhe need Lo reclprocaLe. WhaL ls Lrue of hosplLallLy ls Lrue, Loo, of Lhe glfL, and of deconsLrucLlon
lLself: lL does noL come down Lo knowlng anyLhlng, buL Lo dolng someLhlng. (PosplLallLy reproduces Lhe
aporla of Lhe glfL, whlch uerrlda also dlscusses ln Lhe "8oundLable" and whlch we wlll dlscuss ln Lhe nexL
chapLer.)
____________________
8 uerrlda ls here explolLlng Lhe four senses of helpen ln Peldegger's WhaL ls Called 1hlnklng?
Lrans. lred. u. Wleck and !. Clenn Cray ( new ?ork: Parper & 8ow, 1934), pp. 113-123.
-112-
1hls dlscusslon of hosplLallLy allows us beLLer Lo slLuaLe Lhe quesLlon of deconsLrucLlon and
"communlLy." WhaL alerLs and alarms uerrlda abouL Lhe form of assoclaLlon descrlbed by Lhe word
"communlLy," Lhe promlse/LhreaL of communlLy, ls LhaL, whlle Lhe word sounds llke someLhlng warm and
comforLlng, Lhe very noLlon ls bullL around a defense LhaL a "we" Lhrows up agalnsL Lhe "oLher," LhaL ls, lL
ls bullL around an ldea of lnhosplLablllLy, an ldea of hosLlllLy Lo Lhe hosLls, noL around hosplLallLy. 1hus, a
"communlLy" ls sub[ecL Lo Lhe same "selfllmlLaLlon" as "hosplLallLy," and, llke Lhe word "hosplLallLy,"
carrles wlLhln lLs eLymology lLs own opposlLe. lor Lhe harmony and peace of communlLy depends upon
havlng adequaLe "munlLlons" (munlo, munlLlo) and a readlness for war. (8elng able Lo show Lhe way ln
whlch cruclal elemenLs of our vocabulary are sub[ecL Lo "self-llmlLaLlon" ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls, ln a
nuLshell.) ln hosplLallLy l musL welcome Lhe oLher whlle reLalnlng masLery of Lhe house, [usL so, Lhe
communlLy musL reLaln lLs ldenLlLy whlle maklng Lhe sLranger aL home. lf a communlLy ls Loo welcomlng,
lL loses lLs ldenLlLy, lf lL keeps lLs ldenLlLy, lL becomes unwelcomlng. 1hus, Lhe lmposslble, Lhe "paralysls"
of communlLy, ls LhaL lL musL llmlL lLself, remaln a communlLy whlle remalnlng "open," forblddlng lLself
Lhe luxury of collecLlng lLself lnLo a unlLy ( dS366/ olnLs333). And Lhe "resoluLlon" of Lhe paralysls ls
Lhe same: performaLlve noL consLaLlve, an acL of madness, a glvlng wlLhouL reLurn ln whlch one makes
Lhe oLher welcome, presslng agalnsL Lhe llmlLs of Lhls self-llmlLaLlon. lor, followlng kanL, uerrlda also
says LhaL every person has Lhe rlghL Lo be LreaLed wlLh hosplLallLy when Lravellng Lo a forelgn land. 9
luLn1l1? Wl1PCu1 luLn1l1?
ln Lhe "8oundLable," uerrlda emphaslzes Lhe lnsLablllLy of Lhe noLlon of "ldenLlLy," LhaL no so-called
ldenLlLy ls, or should Lake lLself Lo be, "homogeneous" or "self-ldenLlcal," LhaL lndeed lL ls dangerous Lo
leL a group--a famlly, a communlLy, or a sLaLe--seLLle back down lnLo selfldenLlLy. 1hls noLlon ls developed
ln a plece Lo whlch he refers us
____________________
9 Cne of Lhe source LexLs for uerrlda ln Lhese lecLures ls kanL's erpeLual eace. See kanL, Cn
PlsLory, ed. Lewls WhlLe 8eck ( lndlanapolls: 8obbs-Merrlll, 1963), "1hlrd ueflnlLlve ArLlcle for a
erpeLual eace: 1he Law of World ClLlzenshlp Shall 8e LlmlLed Lo CondlLlons of unlversal PosplLallLy,"
pp. 102-103.
-113-
enLlLled "1he CLher Peadlng" ( AC/ CP), publlshed orlglnally ln a newspaper lssue dedlcaLed Lo Lhe
quesLlon of "Luropean ldenLlLy 1oday."
Lurope "Loday" ls shaken by Lhe Lremor of unforeseen evenLs-peresLrolka, Lhe break-up of Lhe SovleL
unlon, Cerman reunlflcaLlon, ln a word Lhe "new world order." 1hls consLlLuLes a scene boLh of
posslblllLy--he has never been an orLhodox MarxlsL--and of vlolence, of genocldal aLroclLles breaklng ouL
ln Lhe name of naLlonallsL and rellglous "ldenLlLy" ( AC13/ CP6). uerrlda reacLs Lo Lhese dangers noL by
denounclng Lhe very ldea of culLural ldenLlLy, buL by deconsLrucLlng lL, whlch does noL mean--do we have
Lo keep saylng Lhls? -- levellng lL Lo Lhe ground or leavlng lL ln shambles buL openlng lL up Lo dlfference.
Pe Lhus wanLs Lo dlsLlngulsh an alrLlghL, lmpermeable, homogeneous, self-ldenLlcal ldenLlLy from a
porous and heLerogeneous ldenLlLy LhaL dlffers wlLh lLself. Accordlngly, lL musL be an axlom of our
reflecLlon, he says, LhaL "whaL ls proper Lo a culLure ls Lo noL be ldenLlcal Lo lLself," LhaL lL musL dlffer
from lLself, even be "dlfferenL wlLh lLself" (as when we say ln Lngllsh LhaL we beg Lo "dlffer wlLh" so and
so) ( AC16/ CP9).
lndeed, whaL beLLer example of LhaL Lhan uerrlda hlmself, who addresses Lhe quesLlon of Luropean
ldenLlLy as someone who ls "noL qulLe Luropean by blrLh," LhaL ls, as someone from Lhe "oLher shore," a
Levlnaslan lmage for Lhe "oLher" whlch ls llLerally Lrue of uerrlda, who was born ln Algerla, on Lhe
souLhern MedlLerranean coasL. A lrench-speaklng Algerlan !ew whose famlly had emlgraLed from Spaln
ln Lhe lasL cenLury, uerrlda says of hlmself LhaL he has become, wlLh Lhe years, an "over-acculLuraLed,
over-colonlzed Luropean hybrld" ( AC13/ CP7). Pe ls Luropean wlLhouL qulLe belng Luropean, lrench
wlLhouL belng lrench, !ewlsh wlLhouL belng !ewlsh, Algerlan wlLhouL belng Algerlan (and even a llLLle blL
Amerlcan). "l am Luropean," he says, "[b]uL l am noL, nor do l feel, Luropean ln every parL, LhaL ls,
Luropean Lhrough and Lhrough." Pe ls Luropean "among oLher Lhlngs," consLlLuLed by a culLural and
Luropean ldenLlLy LhaL ls noL ldenLlcal Lo lLself ( AC80-81/ CP82-83, dS349-361/ olnLs340330, dS216-
221/ olnLs203-207).
uerrlda does noL renounce Lhe ldea of culLural ldenLlLy--one ls lrench or Amerlcan, speaks a parLlcular
language, has a cerLaln clLlzenshlp, operaLes wlLhln cerLaln culLural pracLlces--buL he wanLs such ldenLlLy
Lo be lnLernally dlfferenLlaLed, so LhaL one ls noL ldenLlcal wlLh oneself, so marked by a "dlfference wlLh
lLself" LhaL Lhe very ldea of
-114-
"we" ls desLablllzed. "We" are Lhose who cannoL compleLely say "we," who cannoL seLLle lnLo belng chez
sol, aL home wlLh Lhemselves. WhaLever lnsLlLuLes communlLy and ldenLlLy aL Lhe same Llme "forblds lL
from collecLlng lLself" LogeLher ( dS366/ olnLs333). All Lhe momenLum of Peldegger's self-cenLerlng,
self-gaLherlng cenLer ( versammlung), whlch was never very far from Peldegger's feroclous naLlonallsm,
would be dlvlded from lLself and opened up Lo dlvergence and dlfferenLlaLlon, all Lhls Peldeggerlan
Pelm-llchkelL would be made a llLLle unhelmllch. 10 "We" all requlre "culLure," buL leL us culLlvaLe
(colere) a culLure of self-dlfferenLlaLlon, of dlfferlng wlLh lLself, where "ldenLlLy" ls an effecL of dlfference,
raLher Lhan culLlvaLlng "colonles" (also from colere) of Lhe same ln a culLure of ldenLlLy whlch gaLhers
lLself Lo lLself ln common defense agalnsL Lhe oLher. 1he only Lhlng LhaL could be self-ldenLlcal, he allows
ln Lhe "8oundLable," ls a Lhlng lLself, someLhlng lmmoblllzed LhaL lacks freedom, movemenL, llfe,
hlsLory--"lL would be, l do noL know whaL, a sLone, a rock, or someLhlng llke LhaL." 1o be sure, uerrlda ls
speaklng here lmpresslonlsLlcally, for a closer geologlcal analysls would show LhaL even lnorganlc
subsLances do noL lack aLomlc and molecular Lenslons, self-dlfferenLlaLlons, layerlngs, sLraLlflcaLlons,
hlsLorles, and even fosslllzed Lraces of llfe.
LeL us pause over an example. "Cur" language, here ln Lhe u.S.A., "Amerlcan Lngllsh," ls noL qulLe
Lngllsh, LhaL ls, 8rlLlsh, nor ls lL merely Amerlcan, very early on ln lLs hlsLory, 8rlLlsh Lngllsh recelved
qulLe a dose of lrench, whlch gave lL a Creco-LaLln flavor, and afLer a couple of cenLurles ln Lhe new
World and of belng worked over by varlous Plspanlc-, Afrlcan-, Aslan- and who knows whaL oLher "-
Amerlcan" experlences, Amerlcan Lngllsh has become someLhlng lnLernally dlvlded and dlfferenLlaLed.
We are noL complalnlng, Lhls ls all Lo lLs credlL. "Monogenealogy would always be a mysLlflcaLlon ln Lhe
hlsLory of culLure" ( AC17/ CP10-11)
1hls ls noL wlLhouL pollLlcal lmporL (noLhlng ever ls), and lL ralses lmporLanL pollLlcal quesLlons. 1he
languages of Lhe lmmlgranLs, for example, should be kepL allve, allowed Lo feed lnLo and dlsLurb Lhe
domlnanL Longue, ln order Lo preserve Lhese rlch naLlonal dlfferences and anclenL memorles, and also Lo
keep Lhe experlence of speaklng and Lhlnklng oLherwlse allve. AL Lhe same Llme lL musL be recognlzed
____________________
10 See below, arL 1wo, chap. 3, "!usLlce," for a dlscusslon of uerrlda's crlLlque of versammlung.
-113-
LhaL Lhe suresL way Lo perpeLuaLe Lhe poverLy of Lhe lmmlgranLs ls for Lhem noL Lo learn Lngllsh. 1o deal
wlLh LhaL Lenslon, Lo make LhaL Lenslon creaLlve, we need sufflclenL numbers of well-Lralned blllngual
Leachers wlLh adequaLe faclllLles and books who can move easlly back and forLh beLween naLlve
languages and Lngllsh so LhaL lL would never be a quesLlon of chooslng beLween Lhem. 8uL for LhaL we
need Lo convlnce Lhe rlghL wlng and Lhe elderly noL Lo voLe agalnsL school dlsLrlcL budgeLs, Lo renounce
Lhe--unhapplly qulLe successful--aLLack Lhey have launched on chlldren, Leachers, and schools ln order Lo
flll Lhelr own pockeLs. 1he quesLlon of openlng oneself Lo dlfference, Lo Lhe oLher, wlll always come back
Lo Lhe glfL, Lo Lrumplng greed wlLh generoslLy, Lo breaklng Lhe self-gaLherlng clrcle of Lhe same wlLh Lhe
afflrmaLlon of Lhe oLher. 1he elderly wlll noL llve Lo see Lhe fuLure ln whlch Lhey lnvesL and so we ask
Lhem Lo glve wlLhouL reLurn, for a glfL, lf Lhere ls one, cannoL be less Lhan LhaL.
1o slgnal Lhe noLlon of a culLure LhaL arLlculaLes dlfference, uerrlda makes use of a navlgaLlonal Lerm,
"Lhe CLher Peadlng" (l'auLre cap) (from Lhe LaLln capuL, head, one of my favorlLe words), as ln Lhe
headlng of a shlp or plane. 1he expresslon suggesLs a mlndfulness of Lhe headlng of Lhe oLher, whlch
forces us Lo be a llLLle more accommodaLlng abouL Lhose who are headed oLherwlse, headed elsewhere,
Lhan are we. 8eyond LhaL, Lhe LlLle suggesLs someLhlng "oLher Lhan" a headlng. 8y Lhls uerrlda does noL
mean an anarchlc anLl-headlng or "beheadlng"--as an lnLernaLlonal Lraveler hlmself, he would be Lhe lasL
one Lo suggesL, for example, LhaL Alr lrance [eLLlson lLs navlgaLlonal equlpmenL--buL a dellmlLaLlon of Lhe
ldea of "plannlng ahead" ln favor of an openness Lo Lhe fuLure LhaL does wlLhouL Lhe guardralls of a plan,
of a "Leleologlcal orlenLaLlon." ln a culLure of ldenLlLy, whlch keeps lLs Leleologlcal head, an arche heads
resoluLely or lnelucLably--elLher way, fronLally--Loward lLs own, proper Lelos lnscrlbed deep upon lLs hlde
(or engraved upon lLs brow, frons), gaLherlng lLself Lo lLself all Lhe more deeply ln an archeo-Leleo-loglcal
unlLy LhaL "becomes lLself." 1he Lrlck ln deconsLrucLlon, lf lL ls a Lrlck, ls Lo keep your head wlLhouL havlng
a headlng.
1haL ls why, whaLever slmllarlLles are suggesLed beLween Pegel's noLlon of a dlalecLlcal unlLy-ln-
dlfference and uerrlda's noLlon of an ldenLlLy LhaL dlffers wlLh lLself, Lhe Lwo ldeas are, shall we say,
raLher dlfferenL. ?ou mlghL even say LhaL uerrldean ldea ls Lhe deconsLrucLlon of Lhe Pegellan. So
Pegellans should wlpe away Lhelr Cheshlre caL
-116-
smlle, Lhlnklng LhaL Lhey are abouL Lo swallow uerrlda whole, whlch ls of course whaL Pegellans Lend Lo
Lhlnk whenever Lhey are faced wlLh "opposlLlon." lor Pegel's ldea of unlLy-ln-dlfference ls
archeoLeleologlcal all Lhe way down, gulded deeply from wlLhln by Lhe momenLum of a Wesen LhaL ls
worklng lLself ouL, becomlng lLself, geLLlng Lo be bel slch seln, ln and Lhrough dlfference. Pegel ls Lhlnklng
of some "organlc ensemble," as uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable," medlaLlng lLself lnLo an ever hlgher
and hlgher, self-splrallng unlLy LhaL gaLhers LogeLher all Lhese dlfferences lnLo a more complex and
dlfferenLlaLed unlLy. uerrlda, on Lhe oLher hand, ls no essenLlallsL, aL boLLom Lhere ls for hlm no Wesen
and no Lelos buL only dlfferance, no deep essence Lo keep Lhlngs on course buL a cerLaln conLlngenL
assembly of unlLles sub[ecL always Lo a more radlcal open-endedness LhaL consLanLly runs Lhe rlsk of
golng adrlfL. 1haL ls also why uerrlda keeps puLLlng a dlsLance beLween hlmself and Peldeggerlan
versammlung. lor whaLever dlfferences Lhere are beLween Lhe hlsLory of Lhe absoluLe SplrlL and Lhe
Peldeggerlan hlsLory of 8elng, beLween Pegellan Leleology and Peldeggerlan eschaLology, beLween
sLepplng up (Aufhebung) and sLepplng back (SchrlLL-zuruck), Lhe Lwo are one when lL comes Lo Lrumplng
dlfference wlLh a more orlglnary and powerful, a more gaLherlng unlLy LhaL makes lLs way Lhrough Lhe
LwlsLs and Lurns of emplrlcal hlsLory. Pegellans and Peldeggerlans may shouL as loudly as Lhey wlsh
abouL conLlngency, may pay conLlngency Lhe hlghesL compllmenLs, buL Lhey always have someLhlng, a
WelLgeschlchLe or a SelnsgeschlchLe, up Lhelr academlc sleeves. Lven Pusserl's hlsLory of LranscendenLal
reasonaccordlng Lo whlch "Luropean sclence" ls Lhe desLlny flrsL seL ln and by Creek logos and
eplsLeme--falls ln llne behlnd Lhls Creco-Luropean, archeo-Leleo-eschaLo-loglcal headlng ( AC31/ CP27).
1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL uerrlda lacks a concepL of hlsLory--a common complalnL abouL hlm and a common
mlsundersLandlng of Lhe ll n'y a pas de hors-LexLe noLlon. Cn Lhe conLrary, by deprlvlng hlmself of Lhe
ldea of elLher a Leleologlcal or an eschaLologlcal headlng, uerrlda has developed a more spare and
radlcal ldea of hlsLorlcal happenlng. lor a culLure Lo be "on Lhe move" wlLh oLherwlse-Lhan-a-headlng
means Lo hold lLself more radlcally open Lo a "fuLure" (l'avenlr), Lo whaL ls Locome (a venlr). PlsLory,
Lhus, ls noL a course seL ln advance headed Loward lLs Lelos as Loward a fuLure-presenL, a foreseeable,
plannable, programmable, anLlclpaLable, masLerable fuLure. PlsLory means, raLher, Lo seL sall wlLhouL a
course, on Lhe prow for someLhlng "new."
-117-
Such an open-ended, non-Leleologlcal hlsLory ls [usL whaL uerrlda means by "hlsLory," whlch means for
hlm LhaL someLhlng--an "evenL" -- ls really happenlng, e-venLlng (e-venlr), breaklng ouL, Learlng up Lhe
clrcular course of Creco-Cerman Llme. PlsLory ls noL programmed ln advance, for uerrlda, noL seL Lo
work wlLhln a pre-seL archeo-Leleologlcal horlzon, kepL all along on course, keeplng lLs head and lLs
headlng by way of some sorL of onLologlcal auLomaLlc-plloL ( AC 22-24/ CP17-19). 1haL ls why when
someLhlng comes along LhaL nobody foresaw, LhaL surprlses Lhe dayllghL ouL of us, we say lL ls very
"hlsLorlcal." Lverybody--from 8onald 8eagan Lo Lhe mosL lnLernaLlonally famous "SovleLologlsLs" ln all
Lhe world's mosL advanced "advanced lnsLlLuLes"--was lefL speechless by Lhe "hlsLorlc" Lurn of evenLs ln
Lhe "former" SovleL unlon. Who would have belleved any of us would have llved Lo use LhaL phrase--as
recenLly as Len years ago?
1he paradlgmaLlc gesLure of Luropean "modernlLy" for uerrlda ls an "auLo-blographlcal" pro[ecL ln whlch
Luropean Lhlnkers Lell Lhe sLory of Lurope as Lhe avanL-garde and "promonLory" of Lhe WesL--and on Lhls
polnL Peldegger could noL be more modernlsL--composlng a eulogy Lo a Lurope LhaL seLs Lhe headlng for
WesLern, lndeed global desLlny. 1haL ls Lhe llne LhaL uerrlda would have Lurope drop, so as noL Lo close
lLself wlLhln lLs own ldenLlLy, and so as Lo seL ouL lnsLead for anoLher shore, Lhe shore of Lhe oLher, of Lhe
LouL auLre, "Lhe beyond of Lhls modern LradlLlon" ( AC33/ CP29). 1haL ls why Lhe presenL naLlonallsL
Lremors ln CenLral Lurope oughL noL Lo be descrlbed as a "crlsls" of Lhe Luropean "splrlL." lor a crlsls--of
whlch Lhere are Pegellan, Peldeggerlan, and Pusserllan verslons--ls a Lhoroughly modernlsL ldea LhaL has
Lo do wlLh a "dramaLlc lnsLanL of declslon" (krlneln) ln whlch Luropean self-ldenLlLy ls aL sLake. lL was all
Lhe hype abouL a splrlLual crlsls--of Lhe deblllLaLlon of Lhe Cerman and WesLern SplrlL, lLs LnLmachung--
LhaL fueled Lhe flres of Peldegger's naLlonal Soclallsm (and LhaL of qulLe a few oLhers, Loo). Lven Loday
lrancls lukuyama can proclalm LhaL Lhe world-hlsLorlcal declslon has been made, Lhe crlsls resolved, Lhe
end reached. Lurope has reached lLs Leleologlcal fulflllmenL as Lhe whole globe has opLed--ls sLlll opLlng,
Lhe crlsls wlll be over ln a maLLer of weeks, now--for Luro-Amerlcan "caplLallsm" and a markeL economy,
and Lhe Lvll Lmplre has come crashlng Lo Lhe ground (kapuLL).
uerrlda would warn us agalnsL noL one buL Lwo "caplLallsms" (from capuL), by whlch he means Lwo Loo
powerful headlngs, Lhe one havlng
-118-
Lo do wlLh a culLural hegemony, Lhe rule of Luropean "culLure," emblemaLlzed by Lhe Luropean
"caplLals" (la caplLale, Lhe caplLal clLy), and Lhe oLher Lhe hegemony of economlc caplLallsm (le caplLale),
Lhe one crlLlclzed by Marx ln uas kaplLal. lf we were Lo force a "phllosophy of hlsLory" ouL of
deconsLrucLlon, whlch would be Loo presLlglous a label (headlng) for uerrlda, we mlghL say LhaL
deconsLrucLlon can be vlewed as an aLLempL Lo exLrlcaLe us from Lwo Loo domlnanL headlngs LhaL are
Lrylng Lo sLeer everyLhlng and Lhereby Lo resLore Lhe play or slack or chance wlLh whlch hlsLory happens.
(1) ln Lhe "8oundLable," uerrlda expresses hls concern abouL Lhe currenL sLaLe of "lnLernaLlonal law" and
"lnLernaLlonal organlzaLlons." 1o be sure, he ls noL opposed Lo such noLlons ln prlnclple. Pls concerns are
LhaL such lnLernaLlonal sLrucLures are noL very lnLernaLlonal, LhaL Lhey do noL reflecL Lhe wlll of many
naLlons speaklng LogeLher, buL are domlnaLed by Lhe largesL and rlchesL naLlons. Slnce Lhe collapse of Lhe
SovleL unlon, Lhey have been domlnaLed by Lhe unlLed SLaLes ln parLlcular, whose wealLh and power, no
longer checked by SovleL power, slmply overwhelms Lhe volce and lnfluence of smaller, poorer counLrles.
"lnLernaLlonallsm," uerrlda polnLs ouL, has a pecullar way of cooperaLlng wlLh "naLlonallsm" (AC 49/CP
48). 1haL ls so ln parL because lL presupposes Lhe exlsLence and soverelgnLy of Lhe several member
naLlons, ln Lhe "8oundLable," uerrlda wonders wheLher a "new lnLernaLlonal" mlghL acLually geL beyond
naLlonallLy and naLlonal clLlzenshlp Lo someLhlng posL-naLlonal, posL-geographlc. lL ls also Lrue because
such lnLernaLlonal assoclaLlons have a way of endlng up servlng Lhe lnLeresLs of Lhe mosL powerful
member-naLlons, naLlons who seL Lhe lnLernaLlonal course. lndeed, such naLlons mask Lhls power wlLh
meLa-narraLlves LhaL show Lhem Lo have been chosen by PlsLory, or Lhe SplrlL, or uesLlny, or 8elng Lo
lead Lhe way. Cne naLlon decldes LhaL lLs desLlny ls Lo seL Lhe course for Lurope, and Lhereby for Lhe
world, so LhaL Lhe whole planeL can become lLself, LhaL ls, Luropean, wlLh arls, London, or 8erlln aL Lhe
head of Lhe fleeL.
1haL ls whaL uerrlda would have Lurope avold, and Lhls by way of blLlng Lhe bulleL of Lhe lmposslble.
1haL means, on Lhe one hand, learnlng Lo culLlvaLe dlfference whlle avoldlng boLh "dlsperslon" and
"monopoly." As he says ln Lhe "8oundLable," elLher pure unlLy or pure mulLlpllclLy ls a "synonym of
deaLh." ure unlLy would be LoLallLarlan, and pure mulLlpllclLy would be anarchlsLlc, elLher way, a
caLasLrophe. Cn Lhe one hand, Lurope needs Lo avold dlsperslon because lL ls ln
-119-
consLanL danger of deLerloraLlng lnLo a myrlad of naLlonallsL ldloms and self-enclosed ldlolecLs, lnLo a
Luropean "aparLheld." 11 Cn Lhe oLher hand, Luropeans need Lo culLlvaLe cooperaLlon whlle avoldlng
"monopoly," a LranslaLlon of Lhelr dlfferences lnLo a slngle overarchlng sLandardlzaLlon whlch clrculaLes
across Lhe llnes of a LransnaLlonal LeleLechnology. 1haL would wlpe ouL naLlonal dlfference by
esLabllshlng a unlform grld of lnLelllglblllLy, a Lrans-naLlonal culLural caplLal, a cenLral swlLchboard, a
cenLral power, a caplLal LhaL ls noL a parLlcular clLy or meLropolls. Such a world would be generlcally
Luro-Amerlcan or nA1C-ese, lL would speak Amerlcan/Lngllsh, Lhe new llngua franca, and lL would be
drlven by a Luropean sclence LhaL sLreLches from Copernlcus, Callleo, and lsaac newLon Lo M.l.1. and
Slllcon valley. lor Lhls world "pollLlcs" ls perhaps no longer an adequaLe Lerm, lL would be raLher a
"quasl-pollLlcs" of Lhe Lele-Lechno-sclenLlflc world, Lhe vlrLual world (AC 41-43/CP 38-40).
1o move ahead ln Lhe mldsL of such an aporla, Lo proceed where Lhe way seems blocked, LhaL ls Lo
"experlence Lhe lmposslble" (AC 43/ CP 41) Lo pass Lhrough, Lo Lravel Lhrough Lhe aporla of lmposslblllLy
(AC 46-47/CP 43-46). Cnly Lhen ls Lhere a genulne "responslblllLy," whlch means Lhe need Lo respond Lo
a slLuaLlon LhaL has noL been programmed ln advance, Lo lnvenL new gesLures, Lo afflrm an unsLable
ldenLlLy LhaL dlffers from lLself. 1haL lmposslblllLy ls Lhe only posslble lnvenLlon, Lhe lnvenLlon of Lhe
oLher:
1he condlLlon of posslblllLy of Lhls Lhlng called responslblllLy ls a cerLaln experlence and experlmenL of
Lhe posslblllLy of Lhe lmposslble: Lhe LesLlng of Lhe aporla from whlch one may lnvenL Lhe only posslble
lnvenLlon, Lhe lmposslble lnvenLlon [AC 43/CP 41].
(2) 1he oLher caplLallsm ls Lhe one crlLlclzed by Marx and celebraLed by Lhe free markeL Lrlumphallsm of
lrancls lukuyama, ln whlch all Lhe evlls of caplLallsm, Lhe vasL dlsparlLy of rlch and poor naLlons, of rlch
and poor people ln Lhe same naLlon, are swepL under Lhe rug of Lhe march of Lhe absoluLe splrlL of
economlc freedom and Lhe free markeL:
____________________
11 u. l. Malan, SouLh Afrlcan rlme MlnlsLer durlng Lhe 1930s, defended aparLheld ln parL by saylng
LhaL vlewed as a whole Lurope was a good example of aparLheld--some LwenLy-flve separaLed naLlons,
languages, eLhnlc groups. ClLed by Anne McCllnLock and 8ob nlxon, "no names AparL: 1he SeparaLlon of
World and PlsLory ln uerrlda's 'Le dernler moL du raclsme,'" CrlLlcal lnqulry, 13 ( 1986), 143. See Lhe
dlscusslon of uerrlda's conLroversy wlLh McCllnLock and nlxon ln nlall Lucy, uebaLlng uerrlda
( Melbourne: Melbourne unlverslLy ress, 1993), chap. 1.
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[n]ever have vlolence, lnequallLy, excluslon, famlne, and Lhus economlc oppresslon affecLed as many
human belngs ln Lhe hlsLory of Lhe earLh and of humanlLy [SdM 141/SoM 83].
All Lhe blaLanL ln[usLlce and manlfesL sufferlng of such a world ls LreaLed as a Lemporary bllp or emplrlcal
shorLfall of Lhe absoluLe progress of an ldea whose Llme has come, ls lndeed belng fulfllled before our
eyes as Lhe Lvll Lmplre comes crashlng down. 1haL argumenL, flrsL broached here, ls developed ln
greaLer deLall ln SpecLers of Marx.
ln Lhe face of such sufferlng uerrlda calls for a "new lnLernaLlonal," whlch does noL mean an
anachronlsLlc revlval of a worn-ouL MarxlsL ldea, anoLher Lry aL an lnLernaLlonal assoclaLlon of workers
wlLh lnLernaLlonal headquarLers somewhere. 1hls lnLernaLlonal "communlLy," whlch would barely
deserve Lhe name of "communlLy" (SdM 148/SoM 90), would be forged from forces LhaL have reslsLed
MarxlsL dogma on Lhe one hand buL have been no less reslsLanL Lo conservaLlve and reacLlonary
Lendencles. 1he new lnLernaLlonal would form an eLhlcal and moral coallLlon of all Lhose who are, as he
says ln Lhe "8oundLable, " "secreLly allgned ln Lhelr sufferlng agalnsL Lhe hegemonlc powers whlch
proLecL whaL ls called Lhe 'new order.'" 1hey would consLlLuLe a coallLlon of everyone who ls done ln or
headed off by Lhe domlnanL headlng, every who ls lefL ouL, de-posed, "de-caplLaLed" by Lhelr race,
lncome, gender, naLlonallLy, language, rellglon, or even specles (anlmal rlghLs)--ln a nuLshell, by Lhelr
"dlfference."
An CLn CuASl-CCMMunl1?
So, Lhen, Lo "preclplLaLe," Lo rush head-on, Lo a concluslon, whaL does lL mean Lo have an "ldenLlLy," or,
Lo come back Lo Lhe quesLlon posed ln Lhe "8oundLable," Lo have a "communlLy," whlch would always
mean havlng a common ldenLlLy?
1o have an ldenLlLy, ln a sense accepLable Lo uerrlda, ls Lo endure Lhese anLlnomles wlLhouL havlng a rule
Lo resolve Lhem up our sleeve, whlch ls Lhe only chance we have for responslblllLy. 1o have a rule ln
advance Lo solve Lhe anLlnomy, one LhaL would seLLle ahead of Llme Lhe slngularlLy of each declslon, as lf
each were a "case" of a more general rule--LhaL would be:
Lhe mosL reassurlng deflnlLlon of responslblllLy as lrresponslblllLy, of eLhlcs confused wlLh [urldlcal
calculaLlon, of a pollLlcs organlzed wlLh Lechno-sclence. Any lnvenLlon of Lhe new LhaL would noL go
Lhrough
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Lhe endurance of Lhe anLlnomy would be a dangerous mysLlflcaLlon, lmmorallLy plus good consclence,
and someLlmes good consclence as lmmorallLy [AC 71/CP 72].
We need Lo avold boLh Lhe overLly self-encloslng, lsolaLlonlsL, proLecLlonlsL naLlonallsms and also Lhe
crypLo-naLlonallsm of Lhlnklng LhaL "we" are Lhe exemplary case, Lhe cenLral slLe of a worldwlde web,
Lhe lnLernaLlonal paradlgm, charged wlLh seLLlng Lhe course LhaL Lhe resL musL follow, LhaL we--lrench or
Cermans, Amerlcans or Luropeans, sclenLlsLs or phllosophers, eLc.--are Lhe "unlversal" or "reason" seL
down on earLh ln order Lo seL Lhe course, Lo lead Lhe way, Lo provlde Lhe headlng. 1here would be, aL
boLLom, noLhlng or no one Lo charge or auLhorlze anyone Lo provlde Lhe headlng. lor Lhere ls, for
uerrlda, aL boLLom, no boLLom, no CelsL or Seln or logos or ulvlne volce (wheLher lL uses Pebrew or
Arablc) Lo leglLlmaLe such leadershlp. 1here ls, aL boLLom, only Lhe "Lhere ls," ll y a, dlfferance, khra.
1haL ls bad news only lf you Lhlnk you have been glven a hoL llne Lo 8elng or Cod, buL for uerrlda lL ls a
way Lo keep Lhlngs open.
1he sense of Luropean ldenLlLy and communlLy, of any communlLy, LhaL uerrlda can llve wlLh conslsLs ln
"openlng lLself wlLhouL belng able any longer Lo gaLher lLself" Lo Lhe headlng of Lhe oLher and, beyond
LhaL, Lo someLhlng oLherwlse Lhan a headlng. Any posslble fuLure communlLy LhaL uerrlda could llve wlLh
would be opened Lo an oLher LhaL ls noL lLs oLher, noL Lhe oLher whom one ls lnLenL on colonlzlng,
opened and exposed Lo "LhaL whlch ls noL, never was, and never wlll be Lurope" (AC 74-73/CP 73-77).
All of whlch comes down Lo afflrmlng "democracy," whlch ls an ldea LhaL ls aL once unlquely Creco-
Luropean and an ldea LhaL, deLachlng lLself from lLs Creco-Luropean moorlngs and genealogy, ls sLlll Lo
come. 1haL ls noL because "democracy" ls a 8egulaLlve ldea Lo whlch a lead-fooLed emplrlcal reallLy has
noL yeL caughL up, a Cood so good LhaL we can afford Lo be a llLLle vlolenL ln lLs name, buL because we do
noL know whaL democracy ls, whaL lL ls Lo become, whaL Lhe democracy Lo come calls for, whaL ls comlng
under Lhe headlng of democracy. uemocracy calls for hosplLallLy Lo Lhe CLher, buL Lhe CLher ls Lhe shore
we cannoL reach, Lhe Cne we do noL know. uemocracy -Lhe old name LhaL for now sLands for someLhlng
new, a porous, permeable, open-ended afflrmaLlon of Lhe oLher--ls Lhe besL name we have for whaL ls Lo
come. 1hls ls sald desplLe lukuyama, desplLe Lhe flagwavlng Amerlcan 8lghL Wlng, and Lhelr leLhal
denunclaLlons of Lhe
-122-
CLher. 1hese people Lhlnk LhaL democracy has already arrlved or ls due ln any day now, Lhey seem
compleLely bllnd Lo Lhe deep dlsLorLlon of democraLlc processes by money and Lhe medla (AC 103ff./CP
84ff.). uemocracy ls lnLernally dlsLurbed and conLlnually haunLed by Lhe deepesL demagoglc corrupLlon
of democracy, by a crowd-pleaslng, haLe-mongerlng, reacLlonary pollLlcs LhaL appeals Lo Lhe basesL and
mosL vlolenL lnsLlncLs of Lhe demos. uemocracy ls Lhe name for whaL ls Lo come, for Lhe unforeseeable
fuLure, for Lhe promlse of Lhe unforeseeable. lL mlghL well be parL of such a democracy Lo come, uerrlda
says ln Lhe "8oundLable," Lo be so Lruly "lnLernaLlonal" LhaL lL wlll no longer Lurn on Lhe currenL noLlon of
naLlon aL all, of "clLlzenshlp" ln a "naLlon," and wlll requlre a new noLlon of hosplLallLy--all of whlch,
Loday, pushes our lmaglnaLlon Lo Lhe llmlL.
1haL pollLy Lo come wlll represenL whaL uerrlda ofLen calls a "new LnllghLenmenL" LhaL wlll know how Lo
respecL boLh slngularlLy and Lhe unlversal, boLh reason and whaL a Loo-self-confldenL reason denounces
as "falLh" or "lrraLlonallLy," boLh a common law and Lhe rlghL Lo be dlfferenL and ldlosyncraLlc. 8uL, once
agaln, uerrlda ls noL announclng a regulaLlve ldeal, an horlzon of foreseeablllLy: for Lhls democracy Lo
come wlll always be Lo come. lL wlll never be ln place, and lL would be Lhe very helghL of ln[usLlce Lo
announce LhaL lL has arrlved, whlch ls Lhe klnd of error made ln Lhe Lrlumphallsm of Lhe new world
order. lor [usLlce ls always whaL has noL arrlved and, Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL lL exlsLs aL all, lL ls Lo be found,
llke Lhe Messlah on Lhe ouLsklrLs of 8ome (81 24), among Lhe ouLslders, Lhe ones who have noL
"arrlved." lL belongs Lo Lhe very sLrucLure of Lhe democracy Lo come, or !usLlce, LhaL lL ls always "Lo
come," LhaL lL keeps Lhe presenL open by way of Lhe promlse of Lhe Lo-come, lesL we aLLrlbuLe Lo
ourselves a good consclence ln democraLlc maLLers, Lhereby leLLlng Lhe presenL become an oppresslve
reglme. 1he afflrmaLlon of "responslblllLy," "eLhlcs," "declslon"--even, Lo use an old name for someLhlng
new, of "Lurope" lLself--wlll never be a maLLer of knowledge (AC 79/CP 80-81), of a deLermlnable
program, a knowable plan, of plannlng ahead, buL of a generoslLy, a glfL LhaL glves lLself wlLhouL reLurn--
whenever lL ls called for, whenever Lhe occaslon calls for lL.
1hus, whlle lL does noL belong Lo uerrlda's rheLorlc Lo emphaslze Lhls, because he does noL much llke Lhe
word "communlLy," Lhe same sorL of quallfylng resLrlcLlon, or self-llmlLaLlon, would, lf you remaln
aLLached Lo Lhls word, aLLach lLself Lo Lhe noLlon of "communlLy."
-123-
"1here ls doubLless Lhls lrrepresslble deslre for a 'communlLy' Lo form," uerrlda says--and Lhe quesLlon
ralsed ln Lhe "8oundLable" reflecLs Lhls--"buL also Lo know lLs llmlL--and for lLs llmlL Lo be lLs openlng"
(dS 362/olnLs 331). 1here ls an "lrrepresslble deslre" for people of common purpose Lo [oln hands, for
women and men who have "dedlcaLed," whlch means "glven," Lhemselves Lo a end or purpose, Lo come
LogeLher, con-venlre. Cne mlghL even dream of a communlLy of dreamers who come LogeLher Lo dream
of whaL ls Lo come. 8espondlng Lo Lhls lrrepresslble deslre, we mlghL say LhaL a "communlLy" ln
deconsLrucLlon would always have Lo be whaL he calls "anoLher communlLy," "an open quasl-
communlLy," whlch ls of course always a "communlLy Lo come" and a "communlLy wlLhouL communlLy" (
ol.331). A communlLy for uerrlda oughL always Lo be marked preclsely and paradoxlcally by an exposure
Lo a "LouL auLre [LhaL] escapes or reslsLs Lhe communlLy," someLhlng LhaL "appeals for anoLher
communlLy" (dS 362/olnLs 331).
Such a communlLy, we mlghL say, wlll have slackened lLs defense (munlLlo), dlmlnlshed lLs communal
sLore of munlLlons, agalnsL Lhe oLher, become, leL us say, a "weak communlLy," ln Lhe splrlL of Lhe "weak
LhoughL" (penslero debole) of whlch Clannl vaLLlmo speaks. Such a weak communlLy, of course,
demands conslderable sLrengLh, for lL would be requlred Lo malnLaln a sense of a cerLaln communlLy
even whlle welcomlng Lhe sLranger, Lo remaln masLer of Lhe house whlle maklng Lhe oLher feel aL home.
1hls anLlnomy of a communlLy LhaL ls forbldden Lo collecL lnLo a unlLy ls Lhe lmposslble, Lhe "experlence
and experlmenL of Lhe posslblllLy of Lhe lmposslble" (AC 43/CP 41), and Lhe paralysls Lhrough whlch
communlLy and hosplLallLy musL pass. 1he communlLy Lo come calls Lo us from Lhe fuLure, alerLlng us Lo
Lhe walls LhaL communlLles--Luropean, Amerlcan, and Chlnese, ChrlsLlan, !ewlsh and lslamlc, here as
everywhere, Loday as always, communlLles as such, by Lhelr very sLrucLure as communlLy--Lhrow up
agalnsL Lhe forelgner. 1he communlLy Lo come calls up a cerLaln generoslLy, calls for a glfL of a
"communlLy wlLhouL unlLy," aL "loose ends," and lnvokes anoLher, more flaLLerlng ldea of communlLy, as
com-munus, wlLh munlflcence and exLravagance, 12 ln a communlLy wlLhouL communlLy, as an ldenLlLy
LhaL begs Lo dlffer wlLh lLself.
CommunlLy. PosplLallLy. Welcome Lo Lhe CLher. !usLlce.
Come.
____________________
12 CorleLL, CommunlLy WlLhouL unlLy, see above, n. 4.
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3
!usLlce, lf Such a 1hlng LxlsLs
"[1]he law as such can be deconsLrucLed and has Lo be deconsLrucLed. 1haL ls Lhe condlLlon of
hlsLorlclLy, revoluLlon, morals, eLhlcs and progress. 8uL [usLlce ls noL Lhe law. !usLlce ls whaL glves us Lhe
lmpulse, Lhe drlve, or Lhe movemenL Lo lmprove Lhe law, LhaL ls, Lo deconsLrucL Lhe law. WlLhouL a call
for [usLlce we would noL have any lnLeresL ln deconsLrucLlng Lhe law."
-- "8oundLable," 16
uClnC !uS1lCL 1C uL88luA
1o lLs crlLlcs, who have noL always Lrled Lo do lL [usLlce, who someLlmes are [usL a llLLle un[usL Lo uerrlda
(lL 14/u! 4), deconsLrucLlon has seemed llke an apollLlcal aesLheLlclsm, an lndeclslve dallylng wlLh LexLs
wlLhouL concern for Lhe demands and declslons of Lhe real world, dedlcaLed more Lo analyzlng dlscourse
Lhan Lo power, preoccupled more wlLh puns Lhan wlLh pollLlcs. (Cr else, lL ls blamed for sLarLlng Lhe war
ln 8osnla). Lven were lL Lolerable, Lhese aposLles of anLl-deconsLrucLlon seem Lo Lhlnk, Lo propose
sLrange readlngs of odd poems ln graduaLe llLerary Lheory classes, when Lhe sorL of anarchy LhaL
deconsLrucLlon perpeLraLes LhreaLens Lo splll over lnLo Lhe sLreeLs of eLhlcs and pollLlcs, LhaL ls serlous
buslness and lL ls noL Lo be Laken llghLly. We have Lo puL a sLop Lo lL, LhaL ls our eLhlcal and clvlc duLy, we
knlghLs of Cood Consclence.
1he proof of LhaL, Lhls crlLlclsm would run, ls Lhe uLLer anarchy LhaL deconsLrucLlon would sow lf ever Lhls
wlld-eyed llLerary Lheory were Lo spread Lo legal Lheory, lf ever lLs lawlessness were Lo lnvade Lhe law.
Pow could you have a lawless Lheory of law? So, add Lo Lhe llsL of desLrucLlve lnfluences aLLrlbuLable Lo
deconsLrucLlon--sLarLlng Lhe eLhnlc wars ln easLern Lurope, encouraglng Mormon polygamy, under-
-123-
mlnlng Lhe law of gravlLy, and corrupLlng Lhe currlcula of our lnsLlLuLlons of hlgher learnlng--sLlll one
more lLem: Lhe rulnaLlon of Lhe law, rulned legal sysLems, leveled law schools. Cf course, were Lhls Lo puL
a cap on Lhe producLlon of lawyers ln Lhls counLry, Lhen deconsLrucLlon mlghL yeL flnd a place ln Lhe
publlc's hearL!
Alas, no one ever sald llfe ls falr. Such a llne on uerrlda ls [usL anoLher blL of ln[usLlce ln an un[usL world, a
parLlcularly unfalr rap, lnsenslLlve Lo Lhe polnL of sLupefacLlon, of lrresponslblllLy, llke Lhe lrresponslblllLy
of Lhe slgners of 8arry SmlLh's leLLer, who, lnLenL more on a lynchlng Lhan an analysls, cannoL posslbly
have read more Lhan casually Lhe LexLs Lhey denounced ln LoLo ln Lhe name of academlc responslblllLy
and professlonallsm.
WhaL ls Lrue, l Lhlnk, ls LhaL ln hls earller wrlLlngs, along wlLh a serles of lmporLanL phllosophlcal
dlscusslons of Pusserl, Peldegger, Pegel, laLo, and Levlnas, uerrlda showed conslderable lnLeresL ln
puLLlng Lhe resources of deconsLrucLlon Lo work ln llLerary analysls, even as hls recepLlon ln Lhe unlLed
SLaLes was flrsL exLended by llLerary LheorlsLs. (And he has never been able Lo choose beLween
phllosophy and llLeraLure [AL 34]). lurLhermore, he refused Lo slgn on Lo Lhe relgnlng MarxlsL orLhodoxy
or Lo pay dues Lo Lhe lrench CommunlsL arLy, ln a counLry where Lhe pockeLs of phllosophers are
rouLlnely searched for Lhelr pollLlcal credenLlals. uerrlda Lhus lncurred Lhe wraLh of Lhose who had
appolnLed Lhemselves Lhe roLecLors of Lhe eople, Lhe World-PlsLorlcal Spokesmen of Lhe March of
PlsLory, and Lhe uefenders of All 1haL ls ollLlcally CorrecL, none of whlch preserved Lhe lrench
CommunlsLs from boLLomless sLupldlLy and bllndness abouL Lhe bruLallLy of SLallnlsm or Maolsm. 8uL no
senslLlve and aLLenLlve reader could have mlssed Lhe eLhlcal and pollLlcal lmporL of deconsLrucLlon, even
early on (see, for example, Md 131-133/Md 111114). Cne need noL be a masLer hermeneuL Lo have
noLlced Lhe masslvely pollLlcal Lone of such vlnLage uerrldean Lerms as "excluslon," "marglnallzaLlon,"
"dlsrupLlon," "Lransgresslon," "ouLlaw," "reversal," and "dlsplacemenL." lL Lakes no greaL lnslghL Lo see ln
uerrlda a non-MarxlsL or posL-MarxlsL lefL lnLellecLual who sLayed clear of Lhe dogmaLlsm of Lhe Church
of LaLLer-uay Calllc CommunlsLs. lndeed, havlng felL Lhe sLlng of naLlonal Soclallsm as a !ew growlng up
ln colonlal Algerla durlng World War ll, uerrlda had been from Lhe sLarL acuLely senslLlve Lo Lhe
quesLlons of ln[usLlce, oppresslon, and exclu-
-126-
slon ln a posL- World War llLurope Lo whlch Lhe dogmaLlc MarxlsLs were slngularly bllnd.
lL ls also Lrue LhaL, early on, uerrlda had creaLed ln Lhe unwary Lhe lmpresslon of a cerLaln lrench, posL-
sLrucLurallsL nleLzsche--parL of whaL Allan 8loom called somewhaL cranklly (glven nleLzsche's noLorlously
reacLlonary pollLlcs) Lhe "nleLzscheanlzed lefL." 1 now, wlLhouL underesLlmaLlng Lhe serlous debL of
uerrlda Lo nleLzsche's crlLlque of meLaphyslcs and of lLs "falLh ln opposlLes," such a characLerlzaLlon
mlsses Lhe profoundly Levlnaslan afflrmaLlon of Lhe LouL auLre, Lhe "wholly oLher," ln deconsLrucLlon. As
Lhls Levlnaslan dlmenslon has grown sLronger and sLronger over Lhe years--"8efore a LhoughL llke LhaL of
Levlnas, l never have any ob[ecLlon," he would say ln 1986 2 -Lhe eLhlcal and pollLlcal dlmenslon of
deconsLrucLlon became more and more expllclL. 1hls Lendency culmlnaLed ln 1993 wlLh Lhe appearance,
conLre Lemps, of SpecLers of Marx. 1hls book, whlch has noLhlng Lo do wlLh Lhe dogmaLlsm of Lhe
morlbund lrench CommunlsL arLy, goes on Lhe aLLack agalnsL Lhe Lrlumphallsm of Lhe "new world
order" LhaL Lhlnks LhaL Marxlsm ls dead and burled. 1he "specLer" of Marx haunLs Lurope Loday, uerrlda
says, llke a specLer of [usLlce, llke a memory of sufferlng noL qulLe repressed, llke a call for [usLlce ln Lhe
mldsL of Lhe mosL obscene exLremes of wealLh and poverLy. 1he eLhlcal, pollLlcal, and rellglous quesLlons
surroundlng "Lurope Loday" have more and more Laken cenLer sLage ln uerrlda's work, lncludlng a recenL
plece, "lalLh and knowledge" ( lol, 1996), ln whlch uerrlda Lakes up Lhe quesLlon of lslamlc
fundamenLallsm.
l do noL Lhlnk Lhere ls anyLhlng llke a "reversal" or masslve LransformaLlon ln uerrlda's LhoughL, of Lhe
sorL one flnds ln Peldegger, say, anyLhlng llke a uerrlda l and a uerrlda ll. 8uL l do Lhlnk Lhere ls a
progresslon ln whlch Lhls orlglnally eLhlcal and pollLlcal moLlf ln hls work, deeply Levlnaslan ln Lone, has
worked lLs way more and more Lo Lhe fronL of hls concerns ln Lhe wrlLlngs of Lhe 1980s and 1990s. 1hls
moLlf has been glven an emphasls LhaL even some of hls more sympaLheLlc readers had noL qulLe
anLlclpaLed (lL 21/u! 17), Lhe effecL of whlch has been Lo Lurn deconsLrucLlon ln a more decldedly
eLhlco-pollLlcal (and even oddly rellglous) dlrecLlon, buL noLhlng LhaL any aLLenLlve reader of Lhe preface
Lo "1he Lnds of Man" could noL have seen comlng (Md 131-133/Mo 111-114).
____________________
1 8loom, Closlng of Lhe Amerlcan Mlnd, pp. 217-226.
2 !acques uerrlda and lerre-!ean Labarrlere, AlLerlLes ( arls: Cslrls, 1986), p. 74.
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1he mlsbegoLLen noLlon LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls some klnd of random lnLellecLual vlolence, a merely
desLrucLlve and negaLlve assaulL on anyLhlng sLlll sLandlng, arlses from a fallure Lo see whaL
deconsLrucLlon afflrms, a fallure Lo see LhaL every deconsLrucLlve analysls ls underLaken ln Lhe name of
someLhlng, someLhlng afflrmaLlvely un-deconsLrucLlble. lor wlLhouL Lhe undeconsLrucLlble
deconsLrucLlon would be wlLhouL "lmpulse" and "drlve," as uerrlda says ln Lhe 8oundLable, wlLhouL
movemenL, momenLum, or moLlvaLlon. 1he word "deconsLrucLlon" has made lLs way lnLo hlgh-brow, and
even noL so hlgh-brow parlance, where lL has come Lo be lndlsLlngulshable from a purely negaLlve
crlLlque, wlLhouL any afflrmaLlve upshoL, so LhaL one would no more wanL Lo be "deconsLrucLed" Lhan hlL
by a Lruck. 8uL aparL from Lhe popular mlsundersLandlng, whlch we mlghL expecL, even lLs parLlsans have
someLlmes shrunk from afflrmlng whaL ls afflrmaLlvely undeconsLrucLlble. We hear a loL ln "po-mo"
abouL "decon," buL we never hear abouL "un-decon"!
uerrlda's crlLlcs, and some of hls admlrers, Loo, LhoughL LhaL Lhe very ldea of deconsLrucLlon excluded
Lhe undeconsLrucLlble, LhaL undeconsLrucLlblllLy would slmply be anoLher verslon of Lhe "LranscendenLal
slgnlfled" or Lhe "asceLlc ldeal," a posL-sLrucLurallsL verslon of Lhe ulng-an-slch, or even, Cod forbld, of
Cod. l Lhlnk Lhe undeconsLrucLlble sounded Lo Lhem Loo much llke ?ahweh glvlng Abraham and Moses
Lhelr marchlng orders. ln shorL, Lhe noLlon of Lhe undeconsLrucLlble suggesLed a new "-cenLrlsm," a posL-
sLrucLurallsL "foundaLlonallsm." ln facL, however, Lhe undeconsLrucLlble ls beyond boLh foundaLlonallsm
and anLl-foundaLlonallsm. 8eyond anLl-foundaLlonallsm because Lhe undeconsLrucLlble ls whaL glves
deconsLrucLlon lmpulse, momenLum, and, noL cenLrlsm, buL raLher an ec-cenLrlc ecsLasls Loward whaL ls
Lo-come. 8uL Lhe undeconsLrucLlble ls llkewlse beyond foundaLlonallsm, because Lhe undeconsLrucLlble
ls noL knowable or foreseeable or forehavable buL hangs on by a prayer, "Come."
LveryLhlng ln deconsLrucLlon ls drlven by Lhe undeconsLrucLlble, flred and lnsplred, lnflamed and
lmpassloned, seL lnLo moLlon by whaL ls noL deconsLrucLlble. ueconsLrucLlon ls lnLernally relaLed Lo Lhe
undeconsLrucLlble and ls lncoherenL wlLhouL lL. WhaL ls undeconsLrucLlble--[usLlce, Lhe glfL, hosplLallLy,
Lhe LouL auLre, l'avenlr--ls nelLher real nor ldeal, nelLher presenL nor fuLure-presenL, nelLher exlsLenL nor
ldeallzable, whlch ls how and why lL lnclLes our "deslre," drlvlng and lmpasslonlng deconsLrucLlon.
-128-
AnoLher way Lo see Lhls and Lo say Lhls ls Lo say LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls "afflrmaLlve" of someLhlng
undeconsLrucLlble, buL LhaL lL ls afflrmaLlve wlLhouL belng "poslLlve." lor lL ls afflrmaLlve of someLhlng
LouL auLre, someLhlng Lo come, wlLhouL sLaklng ouL Lhe poslLlve LralLs of a plannable pro[ecL or a
programmable poslLlon, afflrmaLlve beyond Lhe dlsLlncLlons beLween poslLlve and negaLlve, foundaLlonal
and anLlfoundaLlonal, falLh and reason.
uLCCnS18uC1lCn Anu 1PL CSSl8lLl1? Cl !uS1lCL
1he mosL forceful formulaLlon of deconsLrucLlon's afflrmaLlon of Lhe undeconsLrucLlble--and one of Lhe
besL explanaLlons of how deconsLrucLlon works ln all of uerrlda's wrlLlngs--ls found ln "1he lorce of Law:
1he MysLlcal loundaLlon of AuLhorlLy," a 1989 lecLure Lo a conference on deconsLrucLlon and [usLlce
convened by phllosopher and legal LheorlsL urucllla Cornell, Lo whlch uerrlda refers us ln Lhe
"8oundLable." ln Lhls lecLure uerrlda had been asked by Cornell Lo address Lhe quesLlon of
"deconsLrucLlon and Lhe posslblllLy of [usLlce." 1he "and" ln Lhls LlLle sounds llke a [ab, a challenge, he
qulps, almosL a dare: we dare you Lo say someLhlng, anyLhlng, LhaL would show LhaL deconsLrucLlon has
anyLhlng aL all Lo do wlLh [usLlce! We dare you Lo weave Lhese slx words lnLo a defenslble asserLlon!
WhaL rlghL (drolL)-whaL a nerve!--does deconsLrucLlon have Lo speak of [usLlce (sald ln a bad Lemper, say,
by 8uLh Marcus or 8arry SmlLh) (lL 13-14/u! 3-4)!
1o Lhls dare, and ln Lhe face of Lhls very susplclous aLLlLude Lo deconsLrucLlon, uerrlda responds by
saylng, noL wlLhouL cheek: well, noL only does deconsLrucLlon have some sorL of relaLlon Lo Lhe
posslblllLy of [usLlce, some rlghL Lo speak of [usLlce, buL he wlll rlsk Lhe asserLlon LhaL, all due precauLlons
belng noLed, deconsLrucLlon ls [usLlce (ln a nuLshell):
lf l were Lo say LhaL l know noLhlng more [usL Lhan whaL l Loday call deconsLrucLlon (noLhlng more [usL,
l'm noL saylng noLhlng more legal or more leglLlmaLe), l know LhaL l wouldn'L fall Lo surprlse or shock noL
only Lhe deLermlned adversarles of sald deconsLrucLlon or of whaL Lhey lmaglne under Lhls name buL
also Lhe very people who pass [Lhemselves off as] or Lake Lhemselves Lo be lLs parLlsans or lLs
pracLlLloners. And so l
-129-
wlll noL say lL, aL leasL noL dlrecLly and now wlLhouL Lhe precauLlon of several deLours [lL 46-47/u!
21].
ueconsLrucLlon, he makes plaln ln Lhls lmporLanL lecLure, ls a dlscourse on, lndeed a dlscourse of [usLlce,
[usLlce's own word, lf lL had a volce or a word. 1haL (noL Loo) sLarLllng clalm (lf you had Laken Lhe Llme Lo
read slowly lnsLead of Lrylng Lo organlze a hanglng) Lurns on Lhe dlsLlncLlon uerrlda makes beLween
[usLlce and Lhe law.
8y Lhe "law" (drolL, lol) uerrlda means Lhe poslLlve sLrucLures LhaL make up [udlclal sysLems of one sorL
or anoLher, LhaL ln vlrLue of whlch acLlons are sald Lo be legal, leglLlmaLe, or properly auLhorlzed. 1he
law, he says, ls deconsLrucLlble, and Lhls ls because Lhe law ls consLrucLed ln Lhe flrsL place. 1he law,
wheLher lL admlLs Lo belng purely convenLlonal or clalms Lo be naLural, wheLher lL ls acLually wrlLLen
down or passed on orally, wheLher lL ls Anglo-Saxon, napoleonlc, or someLhlng else, wheLher lL ls
lmposed from above by flaL or composed from below by consensus, ls hlsLorlcally lnsLlLuLed or
consLlLuLed, forged and framed, raLlfled and amended. now, such deconsLrucLlblllLy ls noL bad news,
lndeed, lL ls even a sLroke of luck (lL 33/u! 14), a way Lo "lmprove Lhe law" ( 8oundLable). 8efore 8osa
arks declded Lo vlslL Lhe undeconsLrucLlblllLy of [usLlce upon MonLgomery, Alabama, for example, lL was
legal, leglLlmaLe, and auLhorlzed Lo force Afrlcan-Amerlcans Lo Lhe back of Lhe bus. So, Lo "deconsLrucL"
does noL mean--how ofLen do we have Lo say Lhls?--Lo flaLLen ouL or desLroy buL Lo loosen up, Lo open
someLhlng up so LhaL lL ls flexlble, lnLernally amendable, and revlsable, whlch ls whaL Lhe law should be.
Whenever a legal sysLem has been good, whenever lL has been someLhlng more Lhan a bllnd and
lnflexlble LyranL, whenever laws have proLecLed Lhe weak agalnsL Lhe sLrong and prevenLed Lhe wlnds of
ln[usLlce from sweeplng across Lhe land, Lhen Lhe law has been deconsLrucLlble. ueconsLrucLlblllLy ls Lhe
condlLlon of legal progress, of a perfecLlble and gradually perfecLed, a self-revlslng and self-correcLlng
ensemble of norms LhaL dlsLllls Lhe knowledge of Lhe generaLlons. As a legal LheorlsL, uerrlda ls noL a
sLrlcL consLrucLlonlsL, buL a sLrlcL deconsLrucLlonlsL.
So, noL only ls Lhe deconsLrucLlblllLy of Lhe law noL bad news, lL ls greaL news, a way Lo "lmprove" Lhe
law. 8uL uerrlda goes on:
8uL Lhe paradox LhaL l'd llke Lo submlL for dlscusslon ls Lhe followlng: lL ls Lhls deconsLrucLlble sLrucLure
of law (drolL), or lf you prefer of [usLlce as drolL, LhaL also lnsures Lhe posslblllLy of deconsLrucLlon [lL 33/
u! 14].
-130-
ueconsLrucLlon and Lhe law muLually enable each oLher, muLually supporL and render each oLher
posslble. 1he Lhlng LhaL makes Lhe wheels of Lhe law Lurn ls deconsLrucLlon, even as Lhe Lhlng LhaL
makes Lhe wheels Lurn ln deconsLrucLlon ls Lhe posslblllLy of deconsLrucLlng Lhe law. 1he law ls
consLrucLlble ln a sense LhaL goes beyond Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween convenLlon and naLure, lL ls
consLrucLlble, wheLher lL ls flaL ouL admlLLed Lo be consLrucLed by convenLlon or clalms Lo be consLrucLed
rlghL ouL of naLure lLself. LlLher way, lL has noL fallen from Lhe sky. 8emember, uerrlda ls nelLher an
essenLlallsL nor a convenLlonallsL, buL an lnvenLlonallsL. 8uL because Lhe law ls consLrucLlble, lL ls
accordlngly deconsLrucLlble, whlch means LhaL deconsLrucLlon keeps an lnvenLlonallsL eye open for Lhe
oLher Lo whlch Lhe law as law ls "bllnd." lor example, when Lhe rlghL wlng [urlsLs ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes
sLrlke down afflrmaLlve acLlon laws, or Lhe efforLs of sLaLes Lo draw congresslonal dlsLrlcLs so as Lo glve
Afrlcan-Amerlcans a volce ln Congress, on Lhe grounds LhaL such llnes musL be "color-bllnd," Lhen lL ls
belng more bllnd Lhan possessed of [udlclal lnslghL, Lhe eyes of [usLlce are flxed on Lhe sllenced and
oppressed who are belng ground under by Lhese laws of "equal LreaLmenL."
8uL Lhls deconsLrucLlblllLy of Lhe law goes hand ln hand wlLh Lhe undeconsLrucLlblllLy of [usLlce:
!usLlce ln lLself, lf such a Lhlng exlsLs, ouLslde or beyond law, ls noL deconsLrucLlble. no more Lhan
deconsLrucLlon lLself, lf such a Lhlng exlsLs. ueconsLrucLlon ls [usLlce [ lL33/ u!14-13].
!usLlce ls whaL Lhe deconsLrucLlon of Lhe law means Lo brlng abouL. !usLlce ls lLs faLher's or moLher's
buslness LhaL deconsLrucLlon musL be abouL, LhaL upon whlch Lhe deconsLrucLlon of Lhe law has flxed a
sLeady eye, LhaL whlch glves deconsLrucLlon meanlng and momenLum, "lmpulse" and "drlve," lLs ec-
cenLrlc ec-sLasy. !usLlce ls noL deconsLrucLlble. AfLer all, noL everyLhlng ls deconsLrucLlble, or Lhere would
be no polnL Lo deconsLrucLlon. Whlle lL ls Lrue LhaL Lhere ls no end Lo deconsLrucLlon, no Lelos and no
eschaLon, lL ls noL Lrue LhaL Lhere ls no polnL Lo deconsLrucLlon, no spur or sLylus Llp, no LhrusL, no
cuLLlng edge. LveryLhlng cannoL be deconsLrucLlble or, beLLer, every Lhlng ls deconsLrucLlble, buL [usLlce,
lf such a "Lhlng" "exlsLs," ls noL a Lhlng. !usLlce ls noL a presenL enLlLy or order, noL an exlsLlng reallLy or
reglme, nor ls lL even an ldeal eldos Loward whlch we earLhllngs down below heave and slgh whlle
conLemplaLlng lLs heavenly form. !usLlce ls Lhe
-131-
absoluLely unforeseeable prospecL (a paralyzlng paradox) ln vlrLue ln whlch Lhe Lhlngs LhaL geL
deconsLrucLed are deconsLrucLed. 1hus, deconsLrucLlon ls made posslble by a Lwofold, con[olnL
condlLlon:
1. 1he deconsLrucLlblllLy of law (drolL), of legallLy, leglLlmacy, or leglLlmaLlon (for example) makes
deconsLrucLlon posslble.
2. 1he undeconsLrucLlblllLy of [usLlce also makes deconsLrucLlon posslble, lndeed ls lnseparable
from lL.
WhaL Lhen, or where Lhen, ls deconsLrucLlon?
3. 1he resulL: deconsLrucLlon Lakes place ln Lhe lnLerval LhaL separaLes Lhe undeconsLrucLlblllLy of
[usLlce from Lhe deconsLrucLlblllLy of drolL (auLhorlLy, leglLlmacy, and so on) [ lL33/ u!13].
1here ls a necessary, sLrucLural gap or dlsLance beLween Lhe law and [usLlce, and deconsLrucLlon slLuaLes
lLself Lhere, ln LhaL space or lnLerval, ln LhaL abyss or khra, waLchlng ouL for Lhe flowers of [usLlce LhaL
grow up ln Lhe cracks of Lhe law. ln a klnd of ongolng SocraLlclsm wlLhouL a vlslon of a heavenly eldos,
deconsLrucLlon paces off Lhe dlsLance beLween [usLlce, lf such a Lhlng exlsLs, and Lhe laws of any exlsLlng
pollLy. We mlghL Lhlnk of deconsLrucLlon as a pracLlce of lLs own speclal verslon of SocraLlc lrony--whlch
earns lL abouL as many frlends as SocraLes earned ln hls llfeLlme (maybe more, slnce SocraLes losL Lhe
voLe of Lhe flve hundred, whlle uerrlda won Lhe voLe aL Cambrldge). uerrlda's lrony ls noL Lhe hlghly
laLonlzed verslon of SocraLlc lrony defended by Pegel, accordlng Lo whlch SocraLlc lrony ls sald Lo be
drlven by a poslLlve vlslon of Lhe form. uerrlda would never lay clalm Lo havlng "seen" Lhe "form" of
!usLlce, nor would he say Lhere ls anyLhlng seeable or foreseeable beyond belng (for Lhere we are bllnd).
8uL nelLher ls uerrlda's lrony Lhe SocraLlc lrony defended ln klerkegaard's 1he ConcepL of lrony,
accordlng Lo whlch Lhe SocraLlc ls an lnflnlLe absoluLe negaLlvlLy, for deconsLrucLlon ls Lhrough and
Lhrough afflrmaLlve, a oul, oul, a yes, yes, Lo [usLlce. 3 uerrldean lrony ls SocraLlcally on Lhe alerL Lo Lhe
gap beLween every exlsLlng order and [usLlce, whlch, lf lL does noL exlsL, calls for and sollclLs exlsLence.
So Lhe way Lo respond--performaLlvely, noL [usL consLaLlvely--Lo Lhe quesLlon abouL wheLher
deconsLrucLlon has anyLhlng Lo do wlLh
____________________
3 klerkegaard's Works. ll. 1he ConcepL of AnxleLy wlLh ConLlnual 8eference Lo SocraLes, Lrans.
Poward Pong and Ldna Pong ( rlnceLon: rlnceLon unlverslLy ress, 1989), pp. 198-237, 324-329.
-132-
Lhe posslblllLy of [usLlce ls Lo say (and Lo do) "yes, yes." ?es, because deconsLrucLlon makes [usLlce
posslble, makes lL posslble Lo puncLuaLe Lhe law wlLh [usLlce, Lo deconsLrucL--LhaL ls, Lo open--Lhe law Lo
[usLlce, every Llme Lhe law Lends Lo fold ln upon lLself and become legallsLlc, concerned more wlLh
formal legallLy or leglLlmaLlon and recLlLude Lhan wlLh [usLlce. ?es, agaln, because [usLlce makes
deconsLrucLlon posslble, because Lhe undeconsLrucLlblllLy of [usLlce con[olnLly wlLh Lhe deconsLrucLlblllLy
of Lhe law makes deconsLrucLlon work, ls whaL deconsLrucLors do for a llvlng, how Lhey flll Lhelr days, for
[usLlce ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls. ?es, yes, noL only Lhe "deconsLrucLlon and Lhe posslblllLy of [usLlce,"
whlch ls Lhe LlLle puL Lo hlm by Lhe conference organlzers, buL also "[usLlce and Lhe posslblllLy of
deconsLrucLlon."
8uL Lhere ls sLlll more! We can never have enough of deconsLrucLlon! lor Lhe word "posslblllLy" does noL
go far enough, ls noL afflrmaLlve enough:
lL [deconsLrucLlon] ls posslble as an experlence of Lhe lmposslble, Lhere where, even lf lL does noL exlsL
(or does noL yeL exlsL, or never does exlsL), Lhere ls (ll y a) [usLlce.
ueconsLrucLlon does noL seL lLs slghLs on [usLlce as Lhe goal or Lelos wlLhln a poslLlve horlzon of
foreseeablllLy--llke a laLonlc eldos or a kanLlan regulaLlve ldea--whlch for uerrlda ls whaL consLlLuLes Lhe
horlzon of "posslblllLy," or posslblllLy as a "horlzon," a poslLlve vlslon of [usLlce. 1he "posslble" ls a Lerm
of arL for uerrlda, whlch means Lhe foreseeable and pro[ecLable, Lhe plannable and programmable, whaL
he calls Lhe "fuLure presenL," Lhe fuLure LhaL can come abouL wlLh a llLLle luck and a loL of hard work, Lhe
sorL of Lhlng "role models" and "sLraLeglc plannlng" help us brlng abouL. 1hls "posslble" fuLure ls "already
presenL" as an ldeal before lL rolls around ln acLuallLy, whlch lL can do--lL ls posslble--aL leasL ln prlnclple.
1he lm-posslble, on Lhe oLher hand, ls Lhe un-deconsLrucLlble, LhaL whlch exceeds or ls more Lhan Lhls
fuLure (fuLur) posslblllLy. 1he lmposslble exceeds Lhls horlzonLal posslblllLy wlLh a more radlcal a venlr,
consLlLuLlng a more radlcal l'avenlr, Lhe more radlcal verLlcallLy and Lranscendence of Lhe "Lo come."
"1he lmposslble" ls noL a slmple loglcal conLradlcLlon, llke x and noL-x, buL Lhe Lenslon, Lhe paralysls, Lhe
aporla, of havlng Lo push agalnsL and beyond Lhe llmlLs of Lhe horlzon, passage a fronLleres. 1o deslre Lhe
lmposslble ls Lo sLraln agalnsL Lhe consLralnLs of Lhe foreseeable and posslble, Lo open Lhe horl-
-133-
zon of posslblllLy Lo whaL lL cannoL foresee or foreLell. uerrlda says LhaL he prefers Lhe word
"experlence" whlch means a voyage, a Lraversal buL one wlLhouL "guardralls," ( dS373-374/ olnLs362-
363), because lL pushes agalnsL Lhe llmlLs ( dS386-387/ olnLs372-374), and Lrles Lo go where lL cannoL
go. Lxperlence ls, above all, an "experlence of Lhe lmposslble," an lmposslble experlence, golng where
you cannoL go, passlng or Lravellng (perlre, perlens) [usL where lL ls noL posslble Lo go, Lo Lhe lmposslble (
Sauf 63-64/Cn 39-60). 1he experlence of Lhe lmposslble ls Lhe experlence of Lhe aporla of Lhe non-road,
Lhe need Lo acL where Lhe way ls blocked, Lhe urgency of acLlng ln Lhe mldsL of paralysls, Lhe necesslLy Lo
push agalnsL paralyzlng llmlLs ( lL37-38/ u!16). lL was ln a slmllar splrlL LhaL !ohannes de SllenLlo, Lrylng
Lo Lhlnk of a way Lo pralse Abraham Lo Lhe skles, sald LhaL he dld noL merely Lhe posslble, or even Lhe
necessary (Lhe raLlonal), buL Lhe lmposslble. 4
8uL Lhls passage ls underLaken noL by some herolc acL of sub[ecLlve wllllng, some Perculean-
Peldeggerlan agenL of auLhenLlclLy or an overachlevlng, lnsomnlac nleLzschean ubermensch, buL by a
quleL buL lncessanL vlgllance abouL Lhe doors LhaL are consLanLly belng shuL by Lhe "posslble," by
consLanLly seeklng openlngs here and Lhere so LhaL someLhlng unforeseeable mlghL come rushlng ln. 1he
lm-posslble ls underLaken when Lhe unforeseeable Lake us over, when lL "over-Lakes" us by "surprlse"
(sur-prlse), whlch ls Lhe agreeable redundance, yes, yes, fosLered by deconsLrucLlon.
So, Lhe rlghL LlLle of Lhls conference oughL Lo have been "deconsLrucLlon and Lhe lm-posslblllLy of
[usLlce," deconsLrucLlon and [usLlce as Lhe lmposslble, [usLlce as Lhe condlLlon of posslblllLy and
lmposslblllLy of deconsLrucLlon and vlce-versa. 1haL ls why one should say:
Wherever one can replace, LranslaLe, deLermlne Lhe x of [usLlce, one should say: deconsLrucLlon ls
posslble, as lmposslble, Lo Lhe exLenL (Lhere) where Lhere ls (undeconsLrucLlble) x, Lhus Lo Lhe exLenL
(Lhere) where Lhere ls (Lhe undeconsLrucLlble) [ lL33-36/ u!13].
!usLlce does noL exlsL, ls noLhlng presenL, no Lhlng, ls noL found somewhere elLher here, ln presenL
acLuallLy, nor up ahead as a foreseeable ldeal, a fuLure-presenL. 8aLher, "Lhere ls (ll y a) [usLlce, whlch
means:
____________________
4 lear and 1rembllng ln klerkegaard's Works. vl. "lear and 1rembllng and 8epeLlLlon," Lrans.
Poward Pong and Ldna Pong ( rlnceLon: rlnceLon unlverslLy ress, 1983), p. 1.
-134-
[usLlce sollclLs us from afar, from Lhe fuLure, from and as a fuLure always sLrucLurally Lo come, calls
"come" Lo us, prevenLlng Lhe walls of Lhe presenL from encloslng us ln Lhe posslble.
1he key Lo undersLandlng whaL uerrlda ls abouL here ls Lo undersLand LhaL by "[usLlce" he does noL mean
a laLonlc eldos, or a kanLlan regulaLlve ldea, a deLermlnable ldeal or unlversal model, an ldenLlflable
paradlgm Lo be applled as Lhe unlversal ls applled Lo Lhe parLlcular. WhaL he means by !usLlce and lLs
lmposslblllLy, ln Lhe Lyplcally unorLhodox, exorblLanL sLyle of deconsLrucLlon, ls Lhe "slngular," Lhe
Abrahamlc excepLlon Lo Lhe law, Lhe "remnanL" and Lhe "fragmenL" LhaL drops Lhrough Lhe cracks of Lhe
law, noL as a merely facLual omlsslon or defecL of exlsLlng laws, buL sLrucLurally, necessarlly. 1he slngular
ls noL a case LhaL can be subsumed under Lhe unlversal, noL a speclmen of a specles, buL Lhe
unrepeaLable, unreproduclbly ldlosyncraLlc. uerrlda's slngularlLy remlnds us of Peldegger's "ever-mlne-
ness" (!emelnlgkelL), buL wlLh Lhls (blg) dlfference: lL does noL have Lo do wlLh my own or mlne, buL wlLh
Lhe oLher, so LhaL lL ls more llke a klnd of everLhlne-ness (!e-delnlgkelL), lf Lhere ls such a Lhlng. 1he
slngular ls whaL ls always and already overlooked, ouL of slghL, omlLLed, excluded, sLrucLurally, no maLLer
whaL law, no maLLer whaL unlversal schema, ls ln place. Llke !ohannes de SllenLlo, !acques uerrlda can
complaln: unless Lhe slngular ls hlgher Lhan Lhe unlversal, Abraham ls losL (along wlLh all Lhe sons and
daughLers of Abraham, and a loL of oLher poor basLards). 1he hearL of [usLlce aches over Lhese
slngularlLles wlLh a klnd of blbllcal [usLlce, raLher Lhe way Lhe klngdom of Cod ls concerned more wlLh
Lhe one sheep LhaL ls losL Lhan Lhe nlneLy-nlne safely grazlng ln Lhe flock.
1hls noLlon of [usLlce and slngularlLy ls arLlculaLed by uerrlda ln whaL he calls Lhe "aporlas of [usLlce."
"1here ls" [usLlce only lf Lhere ls aporla, only lf Lhe way ls blocked, only lf we have run up agalnsL a sLone
wall. When Lhe way ls noL blocked, Lhen we are [usL salllng along on auLomaLlc, wlLh crulse conLrol and
wlLh our hands barely on Lhe wheel, sLaylng lnslde Lhe llnes, applylng Lhe law, remalnlng securely wlLhln
Lhe horlzon of Lhe posslble, of Lhe programmable and appllcable. We could leL a compuLer do lL. 1hls ls
exempllfled by one of Lhe qulck and easy soluLlons LhaL reacLlonary, crowd-pleaslng pollLlclans have
found Lhese days Lo address Lhe deeper dlfflculLles of "crlmlnal [usLlce": "1hree sLrlkes and you're ouL."
1he compuLer can counL Lo Lhree, can calculaLe Lhe felonles, can pass a llfe-senLence. ?ou do noL
-133-
need a [udge, and you do noL guaranLee [usLlce wlLh Lhls expedlenL, demagoglc formula, you geL only
legallLy, conformlLy Lo law--and voLes (whlch ls Lhe polnL of Lhese laws). 1he llnes of [usLlce run deep
wlLhln Lhe abyss and lnLersLlces of slngularlLy, abouL whlch Lhere can be no calculaLlon (noL Lo menLlon
voLes), only "[udgmenL."
ueconsLrucLlon and [usLlce everywhere encounLer a slngle, overarchlng aporla--LhaL creaLed by Lhe
chlasmlc lnLerweavlngs of [usLlce as "lnflnlLe, lncalculable, rebelllous Lo rule and forelgn Lo symmeLry,
heLerogeneous and heLeroLroplc," and law as "sLablllzable and sLaLuLory, calculable, a sysLem of
regulaLed and coded prescrlpLlons" ( lL 48/ u!22). 1he lnflnlLy, lncalculablllLy, and heLeronomy of
[usLlce, whlch goes Lo Lhe hearL of deconsLrucLlon, suggesLs a comparlson wlLh Levlnaslan eLhlcs. lor
Levlnas, Lhe face of Lhe oLher who commands me lnflnlLely and places me ln a poslLlon of "absoluLe
dlssymmeLry," ls lLself comparable Lo Lhe Pebrew noLlon of kadosh, of "sancLlLy" (salnLeLe) as Lhe
separaLe and aparL, Lhe LranscendenL, LhaL whose sacrosancL hollness seLs lL aparL and demands our
respecL. Whlle Lhls characLerlzaLlon ls reserved for Cod ln !ewlsh Lheology, Levlnas exLends lL Lo Lhe
oLher (auLrul), boLh Lhe nelghbor and Lhe sLranger, whom he says we musL "make welcome." 1o whaL
exLenL, Lhen, does deconsLrucLlon converge wlLh Lhese !ewlsh, Levlnaslan moLlfs? 1o whaL exLenL ls
deconsLrucLlon a !ewlsh sclence? 3 1o resolve LhaL lssue here, uerrlda says, wlll lnvolve us ln Loo many
"dlfflculL quesLlons" ( lL49/ u!22). LeL us lnsLead examlne Lhree aporlas, Lhree examples of a slngle
aporla LhaL dlsLrlbuLes lLself across Lhree domalns, whlch mlghL also be descrlbed as Lhree axloms of
uerrlda's "lnvenLlonallsm." lor [usLlce and Lhe law are noL supposed Lo be opposlLes buL Lo lnLerweave:
laws oughL Lo be [usL, oLherwlse Lhey are monsLers, and [usLlce requlres Lhe force of law, oLherwlse lL ls a
wlmp.
(1) 1he Suspenslon of Lhe Law. A declslon ls [usL noL merely by conformlng Lo law, whlch ensures mere
legallLy, buL only lf Lhe law ls, as lL were, llfLed or suspended, so LhaL Lhe [udge "lnvenLs" Lhe law for Lhe
flrsL Llme, or, beLLer, "re-lnvenLs" Lhe law, noL by beglnnlng abso-
____________________
3 See Mal d'archlve: une lmpresslon freudlenne ( arls: Calllee, 1993), Lng. Lrans. "Archlve lever:
A lreudlan lmpresslon," Lrans. Lrlc renowlLz, ulacrlLlcs, 23 ( 1993), 9-63, where uerrlda follows Lhe
quesLlon puL by ?osef ?erushalml ln hls lreud's Moses ( new Paven, Conn.: ?ale unlverslLy ress, 1991)
as Lo wheLher psychoanalysls ls a !ewlsh sclence. l pursue Lhe Lransference of Lhls quesLlon Lo
deconsLrucLlon, whlch ls obvlous, ln rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda, 17.
-136-
luLely de novo buL by maklng a "fresh [udgmenL" (SLanley llsh) ln a new slLuaLlon. Such a declslon, Lhen,
ls boLh regulaLed (by law) and noL regulaLed (responslve Lo [usLlce), sLreLchlng Lhe consLralnLs of Lhe law
Lo lnclude Lhe demands of [usLlce ln a new, dlfferenL, and slngular slLuaLlon. lor every "case" ls dlfferenL,
every case ls more Lhan a case, a casus--a falllng from or declenslon of unlversallLy. 1he slLuaLlon ls noL a
case buL a slngularlLy. CLherwlse, Lhe [udge ls noL a [udge buL a calculaLlng machlne, and we do noL need
a [udge buL a compuLer, and we do noL ensure [usLlce buL mere conformlLy Lo law. SLlll, nelLher ls Lhe
[udge free Lo lmprovlse and leave aslde Lhe law. A [usL declslon ls found ln Lhe dlsLance beLween a bllnd
and unlversal law and Lhe slngularlLy of Lhe slLuaLlon before us ( lL30-32/ u!22-24). 6
(2) 1he ChosL of undecldablllLy. Cne of Lhe Lhlngs for whlch deconsLrucLlon ls raked over Lhe coals ls Lhe
noLlon of "undecldablllLy," whlch lLs hasLy crlLlcs, all Loo qulck Lo pass [udgmenL, confuse wlLh slmple
lndeclslon. undecldablllLy ls Laken, or mlsLaken, Lo mean a paLheLlc sLaLe of apaLhy, Lhe lnablllLy Lo acL,
paralyzed by Lhe play of slgnlflers LhaL dance before our eyes, llke a deer caughL ln a headllghL. 8uL raLher
Lhan an lnablllLy Lo acL, undecldablllLy ls Lhe condlLlon of posslblllLy of acLlng and decldlng. lor whenever
a declslon ls really a declslon, whenever lL ls more Lhan a programmable, deduclble, calculable,
compuLable resulL of a logarlLhm, LhaL ls because lL has passed Lhrough "Lhe ordeal of undecldablllLy."
Cne way Lo keep Lhls sLralghL ls Lo see LhaL Lhe opposlLe of "undecldablllLy" ls noL "declslveness" buL
programmablllLy, calculablllLy, compuLerlzablllLy, or formallzablllLy. ueclslon-maklng, [udgmenL, on Lhe
oLher hand, poslLlvely depends upon undecldablllLy, whlch glves us someLhlng Lo declde. Llke everyLhlng
else ln deconsLrucLlon--here comes a nuLshell--decldlng ls a posslblllLy susLalned by lLs lmposslblllLy. So a
"[usL" declslon, a "[udgmenL" LhaL ls worLhy of Lhe name, one LhaL responds Lo Lhe demands of [usLlce,
one LhaL ls more Lhan merely legal, goes eyeball Lo eyeball wlLh undecldablllLy, sLares lL ln Lhe face
(llLerally), looks lnLo LhaL abyss, and Lhen makes Lhe leap, LhaL ls, "glves lLself up Lo Lhe lmposslble
declslon" ( lL33/ u!24). 1haL does noL mean lL ls "declslonlsLlc," for LhaL would break Lhe Lenslon ln Lhe
opposlLe dlrecLlon, by dropplng or lgnorlng Lhe law alLogeLher and subsLlLuLlng sub[ecLlvlsLlc auLonomy
for responslblllLy Lo Lhe oLher.
____________________
6 lL oughL noL Lo be forgoLLen LhaL, unllke Anglo-Saxon law, Lhe napoleonlc code, whlch ls Lhe basls
of lrench law, has no rule of precedenL.
-137-
Cne reveallng resulL of uerrlda's llne of reasonlng ls LhaL "only a declslon ls [usL." 1he only Lhlng LhaL can
be called "[usL" ls a slngular acLlon ln a slngular slLuaLlon, and Lhls only for Lhe whlle LhaL lL lasLs, ln Lhe
lnsLanL of declslon. 1he warm glow of [usLlce never seLLles over Lhe law, Lhe rule, Lhe unlversal, Lhe
"maxlm" LhaL can be drawn from Lhls slngular "evenL," or sLlll less over Lhe person decldlng, who can
never say "l am [usL." (Cr else, Abraham ls losL!) !usLlce musL be conLlnually lnvenLed, or relnvenLed,
from declslon Lo declslon, ln Lhe occaslonallsLlc and "lnvenLlonallsLlc" Llme of Lhe momenL. 1haL ls why
uerrlda speaks of a "ghosL" of undecldablllLy: for Lhe undecldablllLy ls never seL aslde, never over and
done wlLh. lL hovers over a slLuaLlon before, durlng, and afLer Lhe declslon, llke a specLer of [usLlce,
dlsLurblng lL from wlLhln, dlvesLlng lL of absoluLe self-assurance ( lL32-37/ u!24-26).
(3) urgency. Powever dlfflculL, unprogrammable, undecldable Lhe slLuaLlon, [usLlce does noL walL, lL ls
demanded here, now, ln Lhe slngular slLuaLlon. !usLlce cannoL walL for all Lhe facLs Lo come ln, whlch
Lhey never do. !usLlce cannoL walL for Lhe SysLem Lo be compleLed, as !ohannes Cllmacus mlghL have
sald, whlch ls supposed Lo happen soon, Lhe flnal resulLs belng expecLed ln a week or Lwo. Lven lf
somehow a slLuaLlon could be saLuraLed wlLh knowledge, sLlll a [usL declslon would noL be programmed
by Lhe knowledge, whlch would reduce lL Lo a calculaLlon, buL would requlre a leap from Lhe
accumulaLlon of cognlLlon lnLo Lhe acL. Powever much Llme ls expended ln dellberaLlon, a [usL declslon
would always requlre an expendlLure wlLhouL reserve, would requlre resources oLher Lhan knowledge
and dellberaLlon, would always demand acLlon ln a "flnlLe momenL of urgency and preclplLaLlon," and
would always be "sLrucLurally flnlLe," LhaL ls, compelled Lo puL an end (flnls) Lo Lhe dellberaLlon ln a
momenL of nonknowledge. We acL ln "Lhe nlghL of non-knowledge and non-rule," he says, ln whlch we
are "mad abouL Lhls klnd of [usLlce," noL because we have slmply [eLLlsoned all rules and Lhrown reason
Lo Lhe wlnds buL because we are forced Lo relnvenL Lhe rule under Lhe pressure of Lhe presenL slLuaLlon.
!usLlce precedes knowledge, ls older Lhan knowledge, and belongs Lo anoLher order--more performaLlve
Lhan consLaLlve, lf LhaL dlsLlncLlon would hold up--Lhan knowledge.
"'1he lnsLanL of declslon ls a madness,' says klerkegaard," says uerrlda ( lL38/ u!26). l have several
Llmes, noL wlLhouL havlng someLhlng surrepLlLlous up my sleeve, menLloned klerkegaard and several
klerkegaardlan pseudonyms. l do Lhls parLly because uerrlda ls
-138-
brlnglng Lhem up hlmself, buL also because l wanL Lo polnL Lo anoLher genealogy besldes Lhe
nleLzschean one for deconsLrucLlon. l wanL Lo underllne a llne LhaL runs from klerkegaard Lo Levlnas Lo
uerrlda, whlch opens up anoLher llne on deconsLrucLlon. All Lhls Lalk of declslon as a "leap" ln an "lnsLanL
of madness," as an aporla ("paradox") whlch passes Lhrough an "ordeal" of undecldablllLy, whlch Lurns
on Lhe excepLlon LhaL Lhe "slngle lndlvldual" makes of lLself from unlversallLy, whlch requlres Lhe
"suspenslon" of Lhe unlversal, and whlch cannoL walL for Lhe SysLem Lo be compleLed--whaL does LhaL
remlnd us of more Lhan lear and 1rembllng? 8uL wlLh Lhls dlfference, LhaL ln deconsLrucLlon Lhls enLlre
aporeLlc Lurns noL on my "eLernal happlness" buL on Lhe [usLlce due Lhe oLher, on "Lhe oLher's comlng as
Lhe slngularlLy LhaL ls always comlng" ( lL33/ u!23).
Small wonder LhaL Lhree years afLer "1he lorce of Law" uerrlda would publlsh an lnLerpreLaLlon of lear
and 1rembllng, now LranslaLed under Lhe LlLle 1he ClfL of ueaLh ( uM/Cu). ln LhaL LexL, by followlng de
SllenLlo's lnLerpreLaLlon of Lhe fearsome sLory of Lhe akedah, of Abraham and Lhe blndlng of lsaac,
uerrlda argues LhaL Lhe "secreL" of Lhe slngular declslon LhaL ls ellclLed from Lhe sub[ecL by Lhe comlng of
Lhe oLher, and Lhe "sacrlflce" of all Lhe oLher oLhers LhaL lL demands, ls Lhe paradoxlcal paradlgm for
every eLhlcal declslon. lor "every oLher ls wholly oLher" (LouL auLre esL LouL auLre). Cn Lhls consLrual of
Lhe sLory, "Cod" occuples Lhe place of Lhe "oLher," Abraham Lhe place of Lhe self, and lsaac Lhe place of
all Lhe "oLher oLhers." 8uL LhaL sounds as much llke Levlnas, Lo whom uerrlda has also dlrecLed us ln
search of a precedenL for hls vlew of [usLlce, as klerkegaard. 1rue enough. Cne way Lo crack Lhe nuL of
deconsLrucLlon ls Lo force yourself Lo brlng Levlnas and klerkegaard LogeLher, Lo see how Lhey Lend Lo
converge, Lo dlsLurb Lhe assured dlsLlncLlon beLween whaL Lhey call, ln Lhelr respecLlve momenLs of
blbllcal madness, Lhe "eLhlcal" and Lhe "rellglous." 1haL ls whaL ls accompllshed ln 1he ClfL of ueaLh,
where uerrlda's readlng of lear and 1rembllng lnches Levlnas and klerkegaard ever closer Lo each oLher
by showlng LhaL Lhe "obllgaLlon Lo Lhe wholly oLher," whlch ls whaL Levlnas means by "eLhlcs" prlor Lo
rellglon, ls [usL whaL de SllenLlo means by Lhe "rellglous" whlle maklng a Leleologlcal suspenslon of eLhlcs
( uM 81/ Cu 84, cf. uM108n8/ Cu77-78n6). 7
____________________
7 l have dlscussed Lhls klerkegaardlan analogy ln a deLalled analysls of 1he ClfL of ueaLh ln rayers
and 1ears of !acques uerrlda, 13-14.
-139-
All Lhls belng sald, lL remalns Lrue, as uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable," LhaL "[L]hls does noL mean LhaL
we should noL calculaLe. We have Lo calculaLe as rlgorously as posslble." 1hls ls necessary ln order Lo
foresLall crlLlcs of deconsLrucLlon of a more or less Pabermaslan llneage, llke nancy lrazer and 1om
McCarLhy, who Lhlnk LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls, lf well-lnLenLloned, a llLLle vacuous and self-defeaLlng. 8
none of Lhls hearLfelL afflrmaLlon of [usLlce ls an excuse Lo avold deLalled "[urldlco-pollLlcal baLLles"
( lL61/ u!28), Lo escape Lhe complex polemlcs of conLemporary legal, pollLlcal, and eLhlcal dlspuLes. 1he
very lncalculablllLy of [usLlce requlres LhaL we calculaLe, LhaL we enLer lnLo legal and pollLlcal baLLles.
lnLeresLlngly, Lhe examples LhaL he glves of such debaLes, llke Lhe Loplcs menLloned ln Lhe
announcemenL of Lhe College lnLernaLlonal de hllosophle, Lend Lo concern malnly "healLhcare" lssues
llke aborLlon, euLhanasla, organ LransplanL, AluS, medlcal experlmenLaLlon, blo-englneerlng. lL Lakes a
careful and complex calculaLlon Lo clear Lhe way for Lhe lncalculable slngularlLy of whaL [usLlce demands,
here and now. 1haL ls why deconsLrucLlon requlres, among oLher Lhlngs, radlcal legal LheorlsLs llke
urucllla Cornell, 9 a Lralned professor of Lhe law, as well as radlcal Lheologlans llke Mark 1aylor, radlcal
archlLecLural LheorlsLs llke eLer Llsenmann, eLc., who puL deconsLrucLlon Lo work ln Lhe parLlculars of
speclallzed and professlonal debaLes for whlch Lhere ls no subsLlLuLe.
1PL Cll1
[1]he glfL ls preclsely, and Lhls ls whaL lL has ln common wlLh [usLlce, someLhlng whlch cannoL be
reapproprlaLed.
-- "8oundLable,"18
ln deconsLrucLlon, [usLlce has Lhe sLrucLure of Lhe glfL, lL follows, leL us say, noL Lhe "loglc" or Lhe "law" of
Lhe glfL, buL aL leasL lLs movemenL or dynamlc. !usLlce musL move Lhrough, musL "Lraverse" or "ex-per-
____________________
8 1homas McCarLhy, "Cn Lhe Marglns of ollLlcs," 1he !ournal of hllosophy, 83, no. 11
( november, 1988), 643-648, nancy lraser, unruly racLlces: ower, ulscourse, and Cender ln
ConLemporary Soclal 1heory ( Mlnneapolls: unlverslLy of MlnnesoLa ress, 1989), chap. 4.
9 See especlally urucllla Cornell, 8eyond AccommodaLlon: LLhlcal lemlnlsm, ueconsLrucLlon, and
Lhe Law ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1991), and 1he hllosophy of Lhe LlmlL ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1992).
-140-
lence" Lhe "aporeLlcs" of Lhe glfL, musL experlence Lhe same paralysls and lmpasse. lor Lhe glfL, Loo, llke
[usLlce, ls Lhe lm-posslble, someLhlng whose posslblllLy ls susLalned by lLs lmposslblllLy. LeL us say, ln plaln
Lngllsh, ln a nuLshell, LhaL ln deconsLrucLlon [usLlce calls for a glfL even as Lhe glfL ls a call for [usLlce. As
uerrlda says ln "1he lorce of Law:"
1hls "ldea of [usLlce" seems Lo be lrreduclble ln lLs afflrmaLlve characLer, ln lLs demand of glfL wlLhouL
exchange, wlLhouL clrculaLlon, wlLhouL recognlLlon of graLlLude, wlLhouL economlc clrcularlLy, wlLhouL
calculaLlon and wlLhouL rules, wlLhouL reason and wlLhouL raLlonallLy [ lL 33-36/ u!23].
!usLlce and Lhe glfL, we mlghL say, are a couple of "quasl-LranscendenLals" whlch, a llLLle llke Lhe
"LranscendenLals" of medleval phllosophy, mlghL be LhoughL of as converLlble wlLh one anoLher ln re
(had Lhey any reallLy) whlle each adds a new ldea, ln raLlone, Lo Lhe oLher (had we any ldea of whaL Lhey
mean).
WhaL, Lhen, ls a glfL? Why does uerrlda assoclaLe lL wlLh [usLlce? And whaL ls so "aporeLlc" abouL a glfL?
1o puL lL very slmply: suppose LhaL A glves 8 Lo C. WhaL could be more slmple Lhan LhaL? lf A glves 8 Lo C,
Lhen C ls graLeful Lo A and owes A a debL of graLlLude, wlLh Lhe resulL LhaL C, lnsLead of belng glven
someLhlng, ls now ln debL. Cn Lhe oLher hand, A ls more or less consclously and expllclLly pleased wlLh
herself for her generoslLy. 1hls ls all Lhe more Lrue lf C ls ungraLeful and refuses Lo say "Lhank you," or lf A
has remalned an anonymous benefacLor, so LhaL C does noL know whom Lo Lhank. lor Lhen A may
congraLulaLe herself for an even hlgher generoslLy whlch ls so unselflsh LhaL lL does noL even requlre
acknowledgmenL. 1hls ls no less Lrue lf everyLhlng happens unconsclously, for one may cerLalnly conLracL
unconsclous debLs or unconsclously congraLulaLe oneself for one's belng very wonderful and generous.
1hus, Lhe aporeLlc resulL of A's glvlng 8 Lo C ls LhaL A, lnsLead of glvlng someLhlng, has recelved and C,
lnsLead of recelvlng someLhlng, ls now ln debL. 1he resulL, ln shorL, ls LhaL as soon as a glfL ls glven lL
beglns Lo annul lLself, or LhaL Lhe condlLlons whlch make Lhe glfL posslble also make lL lmposslble ( u123-
24/ C111-12).
C. L. u. (Cuod eraL deconsLruendum.) Cr, Lo add an Anglo-Cerman pun Lo Lhls LaLln one, Lhe glfL Lurns Lo
polson (dle ClfL), dle ClfL verglfLeL.
-141-
1haL ls why uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable":
A glfL ls someLhlng LhaL you cannoL be Lhankful for. As soon as l say "Lhank you" for a glfL, l sLarL
cancellng Lhe glfL, l sLarL desLroylng Lhe glfL, by proposlng an equlvalence, LhaL ls, a clrcle whlch enclrcles
Lhe glfL ln a movemenL of reapproprlaLlon [ 8118].
ClfLs Lend Lo form a clrcular economy, a clrcle of exchange, of reclprocaLlon and reapproprlaLlon, a rlng
of generoslLy and graLlLude, whlch llnks or blnds Lhe donee Lo Lhe donor by means of Lhe donaLum. (ln
lrench, Lhe word cadeau, glfL, comes from caLena, chaln.) ClfLs are "exchanged," whlch "llmlLs" Lhe very
ldea of Lhe glfL. As a "self-llmlLlng" concepL, Lhe "glfL" provldes an ob[ecL for a vlnLage sorL of
deconsLrucLlve analysls, whlch proves Lo be a real glfL Lo deconsLrucLlon. 1he very Lhlng LhaL makes Lhe
glfL posslble also makes lL lmposslble, LhaL ls, llmlLs or "de-llmlLs" lL, whlch ls whaL uerrlda means by a
"quaslLranscendenLal." 1haL ls because an exchange ls a more or less economlc LransacLlon ln whlch
Lhlngs of equlvalenL value clrculaLe beLween Lhe parLles.
1o be sure, Lhere ls a proLocol here, a cerLaln amounL of flnesse, LasLe, and Llmlng. Cne walLs (defers) a
cerLaln amounL of Llme before one "reLurns" Lhe "favor," before reclprocaLlng. SomeLlmes Lhere ls a
calendar (a clrcle, an annum) LhaL Lakes care of Lhe Llmlng for us, so LhaL when l glve you or your chlldren
a glfL for a blrLhday, weddlng, or graduaLlon, l am paLlenL and know LhaL my day ls comlng and wlll roll
around soon enough. Also, one musL be careful noL Lo glve Lhe exacL same Lhlng ln reLurn buL Lo flnd
someLhlng lnLeresLlngly dlfferenL, of more or less equlvalenL value, falllng wlLhln a prlce range abouL
whlch Lhere ls an lmpllclL, unspoken agreemenL. 1haL ls whaL regulaLes Lhe economy of "exchanglng
glfLs" aL ChrlsLmas Llme, whlch ls whaL puLs Lhe Amerlcan economy ln Lhe black every year. 1he economy
of Lhe glfL would break down lf, for example, upon recelvlng 8 from A, C slmply gave lL back on Lhe spoL
and sald "now, we're even." 1he glfLglvlng proLocol would break down ln Lhe oLher dlrecLlon lf Lhe
exchange Lurned lnLo a conLesL and Lhe clrcle splraled ouL of conLrol, one parLy Lrylng Lo ouLdo Lhe oLher
ln showlng off Lhelr lavlsh generoslLy, as happens ln Lhe phenomenon of "poLlaLch" observed by
anLhropologlsLs llke Marcel Mauss--whose book 1he ClfL preclplLaLed Lhls whole dlscusslon among
lrench Lhlnkers ( u1/C1, chap. 2). 10
____________________
10 Marcel Mauss, 1he ClfL: 1he lorm and 8eason for Lxchange ln Archalc SocleLles, Lrans. W. u.
Palls ( new ?ork: W. W. norLon, 1990).
-142-
ln order Lo avold seLLlng Lhls clrcle ln moLlon lL would be necessary LhaL Lhe glfL noL "appear" as such,
LhaL lL be deprlved of all phenomenallLy. lf 8 does noL appear as a glfL, Lhen A would noL be aware LhaL
she was "glvlng" and so would flnd no occaslon Lo swell wlLh generoslLy, whlle C, knowlng noLhlng of a
glfL, would noL conLracL a debL of graLlLude. 1he "pure" glfL ls no glfL aL all, would never conform Lo lLs
essence as glfL, would never be presenL as a glfL. 1haL glfL wlLhouL glfL, wlLhouL Lhe swelllng and
conLracLlng of glfLlng, could Lake place only lf everyLhlng happened below Lhe level of consclous
lnLenLlonallLy, where no one lnLends Lo glve anyLhlng Lo anyone and no one ls lnLenLlonally consclous of
recelvlng anyLhlng. Such ausLere, Crlnch-llke condlLlons are hardly meL aL all anywhere. noL even
Peldegger's noLlon of Lhe es glbL das Seln can meeL Lhls requlremenL, for Peldegger aL once selzes upon
Lhe generoslLy embedded ln Lhe Cerman ldlom es glbL (geben, dle Cabe), whlch ls supposed Lo mean
slmply "Lhere ls" ( u132ff./ C118ff.). Cn Lhls accounL, Lhe lrench ldlom ll ya ls beLLer and more "value-
free," more neuLral and lndeLermlnaLe.
WhaL seems besL Lo meeL Lhe demands of Lhls ungenerous and ungraLeful glfLlng ls laLo's khra, Lhe
absoluLely lndeLermlnaLe and lndeLermlnable recepLacle whlch cannoL be deLermlned as moLher, nurse
or recepLacle, whlch ls Loo un-klnd, un-kln, and un-gendered, agenos, Lo en-gender anyLhlng, whlch
emblemaLlzes or embodles (wlLhouL a body) Lhe pure "Laklng place" or "spaclng" of dlfferance lLself. 8y
all Lhls uerrlda means Lo polnL Lo an anonymous, pre-sub[ecLlve subsLraLum layered beneaLh Lhe surface
of Lhlngs, Lo a play of dlfferences beneaLh benevolence or malevolence, "wlLhln" whlch Lhe varlous
unlLles of meanlng, Lhe varlous sub[ecLs and ob[ecLs, presences and absences, are consLlLuLed, beyond or
beneaLh Lhe llfe of Lhe consclous sub[ecL.
SLlll, Lhere are sub[ecLs, all over Lhe globe, Loo many Lo counL, and Lhe very ldea of Lhe sub[ecL lmplles
Lhe deslre for resLlLuLlon and reapproprlaLlon, compleLlon and conLenLmenL, saLlsfacLlon and fulflllmenL.
1he "l" ls a prlnclple of maklng expendlLures preclsely ln order Lo galn a reLurn. 1he agenL, ArlsLoLle sald,
always acLs for lLs own good, even lf lL ls sadly mlsLaken, and whaL lL Lakes Lo be good Lurns ouL Lo be as
bad as can be. (8e careful whaL you pray for, lesL your prayers be answered.) 1he agenL always lnLends Lo
acL for lLs own good, oLherwlse, lL won'L acL aL all. Maklng allowances for cerLaln dlfferences, LhaL
perfecLly reasonable prlnclple of "reapproprlaLlon" ls whaL eudaemonlsLlc
-143-
Creeks llke ArlsLoLle and personal-salvaLlon-seeklng ChrlsLlans ln Lhe mlddle ages mean by an "agenL,"
and lL ls also whaL modernlLy means by a "sub[ecL." lrom laLo Lo Pusserl, Lhe sub[ecL/agenL slgnlfles a
cerLaln "lnLendlng," a "voulolr-dlre," a wanLlng-Lo-say, a meanlng-Losay, wanLlng, meanlng, and wllllng
well-belng. CLherwlse Lhe sub[ecL/ agenL would never do a Lhlng, noLhlng would happen or evenLuaLe.
So, Lhe "sub[ecL" can never--ln prlnclple--break ouL of Lhe clrcle, never slmply lay lL aslde or sLep ouLslde
Lhe clrcle, whlch would be Lo expecL Loo much of Lhe sub[ecL, Lo expecL Lhe lmposslble. 1he sub[ecL ls ln
an lmposslble flx, an aporla, a paralyzlng blnd. lor as soon as a "sub[ecL." "lnLends" Lo "glve" a "glfL" Lo
someone, Lhe whole Lhlng comes undone, Lhe cycle of reapproprlaLlon ls seL off, and Lhe glfL sLarLs Lo
annul lLself. 1he soluLlon, lf lL ls one, of Lhls polluLlon of Lhe glfL, Lhe "way ouL" of Lhls "aporla" (whlch
means "no way ouL"), for uerrlda ls, as we have come Lo expecL, Lo push agalnsL Lhls llmlL, Lo Lransgress
Lhls boundary as far as posslble, or (lm)posslble, Lo make a passage Lo Lhe llmlLs, Lo embrace Lhls
lmposslblllLy, Lo Lry Lo do Lhe lm-posslble, whlch ls noL a slmple loglcal conLradlcLlon. 1he glfL "calls"
upon us for an expendlLure wlLhouL reserve, for a glvlng LhaL wanLs no payback, for dlsLrlbuLlon wlLh no
expecLaLlon of reLrlbuLlon, reclproclLy, or reapproprlaLlon. 1o glve a glfL requlres LhaL one Lhen forgeL,
and asks Lhe oLher Lo forgeL, absoluLely, LhaL a glfL has been glven ( u1 30-31 / C116-17), so LhaL Lhe glfL,
lf Lhere ls one, would vanlsh wlLhouL a Lrace. lf Llme ls a calendar, a rlng or annum, a clrcle or a cycle,
Lhen Lhe glfL calls upon us Lo Lear up Lhe clrcle of Llme, Lo breach Lhe clrcular movemenL of exchange and
reclproclLy, and ln a "momenL" of madness, Lo do someLhlng for once wlLhouL or beyond reason, ln a
Llme wlLhouL Llme, Lo glve wlLhouL reLurn.
8uL LhaL ls lmposslble. 1o be sure. 1he glfL ls lmposslble, lndeed, "Lhe glfL ls anoLher name for Lhe
lmposslble." 1haL ls why we love lL so much, llke mad. lL ls Lhe one Lhlng LhaL ls above all deslrable. WhaL
we Lruly "deslre" above all, wlldly, ln a deslre beyond deslre, ls Lhls lmposslble Lhlng LhaL can never be
experlenced, never be meL wlLh ln Lhe sphere of phenomenal presence. lL ls whaL can never presenL
lLself LhaL we deslre mosL: "one can Lhlnk, deslre, and say only Lhe lmposslble accordlng Lo Lhe measure
wlLhouL measure of Lhe lmposslble" ( u143/ C129). lor all Lhe garden-varleLy posslblllLles, all Lhe
deLermlnaLe presences, all Lhe deLermlnaLe ob[ecLs of knowledge and vollLlon, all Lhe "posslbles" LhaL
remaln wlLhln Lhe horlzon of Lhe foreseeable and
-144-
Lhe same, do noL so profoundly sollclL us. 1hey do noL draw us ouL of ourselves, do noL shake us ouL of
Lhe clrcle of Lhe same, do noL call up Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher, Lhe lnvenLlon, Lhe ln-comlng of Lhe LouL
auLre, whlch ls whaL we mosL deslre. So Lhen, uerrlda says, "leL us begln by Lhe lmposslble," noL "wlLh"
buL "by": leL us be drlven by, lmpelled by, seL lnLo moLlon by, lmpassloned by Lhls lmposslble deslre, Lhls
deslre for Lhe lmposslble glfL, for Lhe lmposslble.
uerrlda Lhus Lraces ouL Lhe dlsLance or Lhe "gap" beLween Lhe "glfL, lf Lhere ls one"--LhaL whlch ls never
presenL, whlch never makes an appearance, whlch ls noLhlng presenL, exLanL, exlsLlng, whlch ls whaL we
mosL deeply deslre--and "economy"--Lhe domaln of knowledge, phllosophy, sclence, and exchange, of
enLlLles deLermlned and exchanged, of calculaLlon and balanced equaLlons, of equlLy and sound reason,
of laws and regularlLles. 1he glfL ls whaL we love and deslre, of whlch we can only "Lhlnk" or have falLh
wlLhouL knowledge. 1he glfL ls an "unpresenLable" exceedlng all presence (and presenLs), 11 and leadlng
us on, drawlng us ouL of ourselves, llke a cerLaln beneflcenL LranscendenLal llluslon. 1he glfL ls our
passlon. "Lconomy," on Lhe oLher hand, denoLes Lhe domaln of presences, of presenLs, of Lhe
commerclal LransacLlons, Lhe reasonable rules, Lhe lawful and cusLomary exchanges, Lhe plans and
pro[ecLs, Lhe rlLes and rlLuals, of ordlnary llfe and Llme.
now, lL ls never a quesLlon of slmply chooslng beLween Lhese Lwo, beLween "economy" and Lhe "glfL"
(LhaL's someLhlng of a rule or a nuLshell ln deconsLrucLlon Lo be lnvoked whenever you run up agalnsL a
dlsLlncLlon LhaL ls passlng lLself off as sLrlcL). "We" "agenL/sub[ecLs" are always Lo be found somewhere
"beLween" Lhe Lwo, ln medlas res, ln Lhe gap or space beLween Lhe glfL, lf Lhere ls one, and economy,
hanglng on by our LeeLh, abouL Lo go under. lL ls never a maLLer of decldlng for one raLher Lhan Lhe
oLher:
Cn Lhe conLrary, lL ls a maLLer--deslre beyond deslre--of respondlng falLhfully buL also as rlgorously
boLh [my emphasls] Lo Lhe ln[uncLlon or Lhe order of Lhe glfL ("glve") as well as [my emphasls] Lo Lhe
ln[uncLlon or Lhe order of meanlng (presence, sclence, knowledge) [ u146-47/ C130].
____________________
11 uerrlda ls dlsLlngulshlng Lhe lmposslble don, glfL, from Lhe all Loo posslble "cadeau" (from
caLena, chaln) or presenL.
-143-
Learn boLh Lo glve and Lo exchange, learn Lo see LhaL each depends upon, lnvades, and lnLerweaves wlLh
Lhe oLher, and learn Lo keep waLch, Lo see whaL ls whaL, as far as LhaL ls posslble. know how lmposslble
Lhe glfL ls, how much lL Lears you ouL of yourself, and know how much you are lnLrudlng lnLo your glfL:
know sLlll whaL glvlng wanLs Lo say, know how Lo glve, know whaL you wanL and wanL Lo say when you
glve, know whaL you lnLend Lo glve . . . [ u147/ C130].
WaLch, waLch ouL, waLch for Lhe clrcle LhaL cancels Lhe glfL as soon as Lhe glfL shows lLself, LhaL swlngs
around and slams you from behlnd, buL do noL leL lL back you down from Lhe glfL:
. . . know how Lhe glfL annuls lLself, commlL yourself even lf commlLmenL ls Lhe desLrucLlon of Lhe glfL
by Lhe glfL . . . [ u147/ C130].
And do noL glve up on economy, do noL wrlLe lL off buL:
. . . glve economy lLs chance [ u147/ C130].
lor afLer all, ln Lhe end, Lhere are only varlous economles of one sorL or anoLher, and you are noL golng
Lo puL an end Lo reapproprlaLlon or sub[ecLs, you are noL, whaLever you deslre, golng slmply Lo sLep
ouLslde Lhe clrcle, especlally noL by some herolc acL of self-sacrlflce. lL would never be a quesLlon of
chooslng beLween lnhablLlng Lhe clrcle and flndlng some spoL slLLlng slmply ouLslde Lhe clrcle:
lor flnally, Lhe overcomlng of Lhe clrcle by Lhe glfL, lf Lhere ls any, does noL lead Lo a slmple, lneffable
exLerlorlLy LhaL would be LranscendenL and wlLhouL relaLlon [ u147/ C130].
lL would never be a quesLlon of flndlng some place LhaL ls slmply ouLslde Lhe clrcle, buL of lnLerrupLlng
Lhe clrcle, Lransgresslng and breachlng lL, Lhrowlng away Lhe securlLy of Lhe clrcle, lf only for Lhe
"momenL." 1he glfL Lakes place ln a momenL, ln a Llme wlLhouL Llme, ln whlch Lhe agenL/sub[ecL Lhrows
reapproprlaLlon Lo Lhe wlnds, ln an lnsLanL of madness ln whlch we know all along LhaL Lhe clrcle wlll
close over soon enough, LhaL Lhe wlnds of reasonable expendlLure wlll soon enough send Lhe glfL drlfLlng
back Lo Lhe sub[ecL. lL ls noL a quesLlon of acLually falllng lnLo a LranscendenLal llluslon, of requlrlng LhaL
Lhe glfL acqulre acLual belng here below or ldeal belng up above, buL raLher of belng drlven by Lhe glfL
whlch ls whaL geLs Lhlngs movlng:
-146-
lL ls Lhls exLerlorlLy LhaL seLs Lhe clrcle golng, lL ls Lhls exLerlorlLy LhaL puLs Lhe economy ln moLlon. lL ls
Lhls exLerlorlLy LhaL engages ln Lhe clrcle and makes lL Lurn [ u147/ C130].
1he glfL "as Lhe flrsL mover of Lhe clrcle" geLs Lhe clrcle golng, seL lL off, puLs lL ln moLlon ( u147/ C131).
1he momenLary breach whlch momenLarlly bursLs Lhe clrcle open also opens lL up Lo a wlder loop,
leLLlng more Lhlngs ln, keeplng lL ln a splrallng moLlon.
uerrlda Lhus polnLs Lo a double ln[uncLlve, whlch ls a blL of a double blnd (LhaL's a surprlse), boLh Lo glve
and Lo do commerce, Lo love Cod and mammon. Pe ls saylng aL one and Lhe same Llme: (1) Clve, buL
remember how Lhe glfL llmlLs lLself. 8ecause Lhere never ls a glfL (don), Lhe glfL ls Lhe lmposslble LhaL we
all deslre, because lL annuls lLself Lhe lnsLanL lL would come Lo be, lf lL ever does, Lhe glfL ls whaL we mosL
wanL Lo make presenL. 1he glfL ls our passlon and our longlng, whaL we deslre, whaL drlves us mad wlLh
deslre, and whaL drlves us on. 1haL means LhaL we musL keep waLch over our glfLs, whlch should be ways
of exceedlng and surpasslng ourselves, empLylng and dlvesLlng ourselves, lesL Lhey Lurn lnLo someLhlng
less Lhan Lhey (already) are, blLs of self-aggrandlzlng selflshness meanL Lo show Lhe oLher whaL we can
do, self-servlng "presenLs" (presenLs, cadeaux) belonglng Lo Lhe senslble, raLlonal clrcle of Llme ln whlch
we are noL glvlng Lo Lhe oLher buL maklng a exhlblL of ourselves.
(2) Clve economy a chance, leL a llLLle chance and glfL make lLs way lnLo our economles. LlghLen up,
loosen up, Lhe clrcle (whlch, ln a nuLshell, ls whaL deconsLrucLlon ls). lor Lhe glfL ls also whaL Lurns Lhe
clrcle, whaL "drlves Lhe economy," so LhaL Lhere never ls or can or should be a pure economy, any more
Lhan Lhere ls or can be a pure glfL, and Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL Lhere ls a pure economy lL would be qulLe
Lerrlble--and qulLe uneconomlcal. lf Lhe weddlng "rlng" 12 were a rlng LhaL blnds Lhe spouses ln muLually
consLralnlng obllgaLlons, lL would noL be much of a marrlage. lor Lhen every marrlage would deLerloraLe
lnLo a pure conLracL, and one spouse would do for Lhe oLher only whaL has been promlsed ln Lhe
conLracL--wlLh noLhlng "exLra" "added on," noLhlng "more," no generous glvlng, no expendlLure wlLhouL
reserve, no superfluous, exLravaganL glvlng Lo Lhe oLher. ln a nuLshell, no mar-
____________________
12 ln lrench Lhe word for weddlng rlng ls alllance, whlch also means Lhe "covenanL" Cod made wlLh
lsrael. uerrlda explores Lhe resonances of Lhls word ln Clrcumfesslon, see Clrcon.143/ Clrcum.134.
-147-
rlage. 13 1hen, Loo, every [ob and employmenL would deLerloraLe lnLo a pure labor conLracL, wlLh
noLhlng exLra added. Lmployees would [usL "work Lhe conLracL," workers begrudglng Lhelr employer and
Lhelr work every mlnuLe, never dolng anyLhlng ln order Lo do lL well, never "glvlng" Lhemselves Lo Lhe
[ob. Lmployers, on Lhe oLher hand, would be as parslmonlous and puslllanlmous as posslble wlLh Lhelr
employees, never glvlng Lhem Lhe leasL break or beneflL LhaL ls noL forced ouL of Lhem. Any such
buslness or flrm as LhaL would be noL only a mlserable workplace buL also a poor excuse of a buslness
LhaL wlll noL Lurn a proflL, aL leasL noL for long, noL ln Lhe long run. We hope noL, anyway.
1he double blnd, Lhe double ln[uncLlve ls Lhls: glve, buL know LhaL Lhe glfL, alas, lnevlLably Lurns back lnLo
a clrcle, and glve economy a break, for economles, Lhank Cod, Lurn on Lhe glfL.
All of Lhls ls a way of saylng LhaL, as Lhere ls no clean dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhe glfL and economy, LhaL
Lhere ls also no clean dlsLlncLlon beLween narclsslsm and non-narclsslsm, buL only cerLaln degrees,
gradaLlons, or economles of narclsslsm, more or less open and wldened narclsslsms, LhaL self-love ls
capable of dlfferenL forms, some of whlch are noL so selflsh. We are all more or less narclsslsLlc, for LhaL
ls whaL Lhe agenL/sub[ecL ls. 1he agenL, ArlsLoLle and Lhe medlevals sald, acLs for lLs own good. lf Lhe
agenL expends all lLs energles on Lhe oLher wlLhouL reLurn, LhaL ls afLer all whaL Lhe agenL wanLs, and
LhaL ls how Lhe agenL geLs her klcks. lf you don'L belleve LhaL, Lrylng blocklng Lhe way of someone who ls
worklng for Lhe oLher. 1hose people are lmposslble! lf Lhe agenL sLopped lovlng lLs own good, lL would
sLop lovlng Lhe good of Lhe oLher, slnce Lhe good of Lhe oLher ls Lhe good for whlch Lhe agenL acLs and by
seeklng Lhe good of Lhe oLher Lhe agenL ls dolng whaL lL loves Lo do. !esus sald Lo love your nelghbor as
you love yourself, because lf you sLopped lovlng yourself you would sLop lovlng Cod, your nelghbor, and
mammon Loo, you would sLop lovlng, perlod. 1he whole momenLum of agency, sub[ecLlvlLy, and love
would [usL shuL down, Lhe clrcle would sLop Lurnlng, and Lhere would be noLhlng anybody could do for
you.
So Lhere are only varlous economles of narclsslsm, ranglng from
____________________
13 ln Clas ( arls: Calllee, 1974), Lng. Lrans. Clas, Lrans. 8lchard 8and and !ohn Leavey ( Llncoln:
unlverslLy of nebraska ress, 1986), uerrlda provldes a runnlng commenLary on Pegel's vlew of marrlage
and Lhe famlly ln Lhe early Lheologlcal wrlLlngs and ln Lhe laLer phllosophy of rlghL, showlng how
everyLhlng ls regulaLed by Lhe laws of Lhe dlalecLlc, Lhls law, for uerrlda, ls conLlnually belng lnLerrupLed
by Lhe glfL.
-148-
unlnLerrupLed narclsslsm, whlch ls mean, conLempLlble, and puslllanlmous, whlch fllls everyone who
runs lnLo lL wlLh dlsgusL, up Lo Lhe mosL frequenLly lnLerrupLed and rupLured narclsslsm. ln Lhe laLLer, Lhe
clrcle of Lhe same ls consLanLly belng Lorn asunder, lf only Lo close over agaln, resulLlng ln someone qulLe
open-ended and magnanlmous, someone who has made herself beauLlful by maklng herself, lf noL
downrlghL good, aL leasL noL half-bad:
1here ls noL narclsslsm and non-narclsslsm, Lhere are narclsslsms LhaL are more or less
comprehenslve, generous, open, exLended. WhaL ls called non-narclsslsm ls ln general buL Lhe economy
of a much more welcomlng, hosplLable narclsslsm, one LhaL ls much more open Lo Lhe experlence of Lhe
oLher as oLher. l belleve LhaL wlLhouL a movemenL of narclsslsLlc reapproprlaLlon, Lhe relaLlon Lo Lhe
oLher would be absoluLely desLroyed, lL would be desLroyed ln advance. 1he relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher--even
lf lL remalns asymmeLrlcal, open, wlLhouL posslble reapproprlaLlon--musL Lrace a movemenL of
reapproprlaLlon ln Lhe lmage of oneself for love Lo be posslble, for example. Love ls narclsslsLlc [dS 212-
213/ olnLs 199].
Amen. Cn LhaL polnL, ArlsLoLle, !esus, 1homas Aqulnas, and uerrlda are all agreed (a formldable
processlon ln whlch !acques can somewhaL nervously Lake hls place, aL Lhe end, aL a llLLle dlsLance, so
LhaL we are noL sure wheLher he ls ln lL or [usL waLchlng).
lL does noL Lake much Lo see LhaL Lhe llnes we have drawn beLween Lhe glfL and exchange mlrror
perfecLly, are lsomorphlc wlLh, perhaps lndeed converge wlLh, Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween [usLlce and Lhe
law. lor [usLlce calls for a glfL even as Lhe glfL ls a call for [usLlce. !usLlce ls Lhe welcome glven Lo Lhe oLher
ln whlch l do noL, so far as l know, have anyLhlng up my sleeve, lL ls Lhe hosplLallLy LhaL l exLend Lo Lhe
oLher, Lhe expendlLure wlLhouL reLurn, glven wlLhouL a deslre for reapproprlaLlon, dlspensed ln a
momenL of madness, ln whlch l Lear up Lhe clrcle of Lhe law, ln a Llme wlLhouL Llme, ln a deslre beyond
deslre. !usLlce and Lhe glfL are lmposslble, Lhe lmposslble, whlch ls my passlon, LhaL by whlch l begln and
am lmpassloned. 1he passlon for [usLlce and Lhe passlon for Lhe glfL come LogeLher ln and as Lhe passlon
for Lhe lmposslble.
1o Lhlnk [usLlce as Lhe glfL ls, lf you Lhlnk abouL lL, Lo propose an lnLeresLlng Lheory of obllgaLlon, namely,
an obllgaLlon wlLhouL debL and Lhe deadenlng welghL of gullL and compulslon, yeL sLlll wlLhouL
-149-
slmply cancellng or annulllng Lhe obllgaLlon. lf l am addressed by Lhe oLher, overLaken and surprlsed,
LraumaLlzed even, as Levlnas llkes Lo say, shocked by Lhe blow LhaL Lhe clrcle of Lhe same recelves from
Lhe lncomlng of Lhe oLher, Lhen l "musL" "respond." 8uL Lhls "musL" ls wlLhouL necesslLy, compulslon, or
force, lL ls beyond mere duLy or duLlfulness. lf l respond Lo Lhe sollclLaLlon of Lhe oLher ouL of pure duLy,
LhaL ls almosL lnsulLlng (please, do noL boLher, lf you haLe lL LhaL much!). lf [usLlce ls whaL ls "owed" Lhe
oLher, lL ls aL Lhe same Llme "glven" wlLhouL resLralnL, noL ouLslde buL beyond duLy, beyond Lhe sheer
force LhaL would wrlng lL ouL of me almosL agalnsL my wlll, glven ln an expendlLure wlLhouL reserve LhaL
goes beyond whaL would be "rlghLfully" expecLed, beyond whaL "duLy dlcLaLes." !usLlce ls "rendered" (re-
dare), glven back Lo Lhe oLher, whlch ls where lL belongs ln Lhe flrsL place.
1he law as law, on Lhe oLher hand, ls no glfL, and hence no guaranLee of [usLlce. lnsofar as lL ls only law,
Lhe law ls puslllanlmous and mean-splrlLed, bllnd and unklnd, unlovlng, and ungenerous, unglvlng and
unforglvlng, LlghL-flsLed and rlgorlsLlc, wooden and "legallsLlc." 1he law ls a calculaLed balance of
paymenLs, of crlme and punlshmenL, of offense and reLrlbuLlon, a closed clrcle of paylng off and paylng
back. When Lhlngs are merely legal, no more Lhan legal, Lhen Lhey conLracL lnLo narrowly conLracLual
relaLlonshlps wlLh no "glve," no glfLs. lf all we had were Lhe law, lf Lhe law were our only recourse,
everyLhlng would grlnd Lo a halL, would be ground up ln legallsLlc, llLlglous squabbllng, llLLered wlLh
lawyers runnlng everyLhlng, who would evenLually run everyLhlng lnLo Lhe ground. 1haL ls why urucllla
Cornell, ln her lnlmlLable way, says LhaL Lhe law ls a "monsLer." 1haL ls a flamboyanL buL qulLe preclse
way of drawlng aLLenLlon Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhe law ls an economy LhaL wlll eaL you up lf you do noL waLch
ouL for lL. 14
8uL leL us noL forgeL how such dlsLlncLlons work. 1here ls never a quesLlon of flndlng some place LhaL ls
slmply exLerlor Lo Lhe law, LhaL lles purely ouLslde Lhe law, some pure ouL-law sLaLe (alLhough MonLana
mlghL be a good place Lo sLarL looklng for one). 1haL ls (one reason) why urucllla Cornell ls a professor of
law, noL a !ewlsh propheL. no such place ls Lo be found, Lhere ls, Lhere exlsLs, no pure [usLlce, any more
Lhan a pure glfL ls someLhlng LhaL exlsLs. Pence, [usL as we musL
____________________
14 Cornell, hllosophy of Lhe LlmlL, p. 167.
-130-
learn boLh Lo "glve" and also Lo "glve economy a chance," so we musL also learn Lo love [usLlce and also
Lo glve Lhe law a chance, Lo open Lhe law as much and as far and as frequenLly as posslble Lo [usLlce. !usL
as Lhere are only degrees and economles of narclsslsm, so Lhere are only degrees and economles of law,
varleLles of legal sysLems, whlch consLlLuLe more or less open-ended, porous, welcomlng legal codes--
lesL Lhey Lurn lnLo ouLrlghL monsLers. !usL as we flnd ourselves always beLween Lhe glfL and economy, so
we flnd ourselves always beLween [usLlce and Lhe law, always Lrylng Lo lnLerrupL Lhe auLhorlLaLlve volce
of Lhe law wlLh Lhe sofL slghs of [usLlce, Lo relleve Lhe harsh sLrlcLures of Lhe law wlLh Lhe genLleness of a
glfL.
ulkL: uL88luA, PLluLCCL8, Anu ulS-!unC1lvL !uS1lCL
1he quesLlon of [usLlce and Lhe glfL ralses Lhe quesLlon of Peldegger (and of Peldegger's "quesLlon").
Peldegger ls never far from uerrlda's LhoughLs--here, as elsewhere. Whlle lL would be a mlsLake Lo
underesLlmaLe uerrlda's debL Lo Peldegger's dellmlLaLlon of Lhe "hlsLory of meLaphyslcs" as a hlsLory of
belng-as-presence, 13 lL would be no less mlsLaken Lo overlook Lhe dlsLance LhaL uerrlda puLs beLween
hlmself and Peldegger. 1hls ls someLhlng LhaL l Lhlnk needs furLher emphasls, glven Lhe llnk beLween
uerrlda and Peldegger. 16 ln Lhe "8oundLable," uerrlda comes back Lo one of hls mosL consLanL
complalnLs abouL Peldegger, whlch has Lo do wlLh Lhe consLancy of Lhe Lheme of "gaLherlng"
( versammlung) ln Peldegger:
[C]ne of Lhe recurrenL crlLlques or deconsLrucLlve quesLlons l pose Lo Peldegger has Lo do wlLh Lhe
prlvllege Peldegger granLs Lo whaL he calls versammlung, gaLherlng, whlch ls always more powerful Lhan
dlssoclaLlon. l would say exacLly Lhe opposlLe [ 8114].
no maLLer whaL LrlbuLe Peldegger pays Lo Lhe "dlfference" beLween 8elng and belngs, lL remalns Lrue
LhaL for hlm belngs gaLher (or are
____________________
13 "WhaL l have aLLempLed Lo do would noL have been posslble wlLhouL Lhe openlng of Peldegger's
quesLlons." 8uL desplLe Lhls debL, or because of lL, whaL uerrlda calls dlfferance goes beyond Peldegger's
onLologlcal dlfference. See uerrlda, oslLlons, Lrans. Alan 8ass ( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress,
1981), pp. 9-10.
16 lor a good LreaLmenL of Lhe connecLlon, see Perman 8apaporL, Peldegger and uerrlda:
8eflecLlons on 1lme and Language ( Llncoln: unlverslLy of nebraska, 1989), l have also explored boLh Lhe
llnk and Lhe break ln 8adlcal PermeneuLlcs, chaps. 6-7.
-131-
gaLhered, ln Lhe mlddle volce) Lhemselves LogeLher back lnLo 8elng where Lhey converge upon a more
profound unlLy and LruLh, whlch ls llkewlse Lhe gaLherlng of Lhlnklng Lo belng. 1hus, when Peldegger
dellmlLs Lhe meLaphyslcal ldea of "ldenLlLy," he does so noL ln Lerms of someLhlng llke dlfferance buL ln
Lerms of a hlgher, or deeper (lL doesn'L maLLer much) noLlon of "belonglng LogeLher"
( Zusammengehren). When armenldes says LhaL belng and LhoughL are Lhe same (auLo), Peldegger
says LhaL Lhls ls Lo be undersLood noL as Lhe slmple ldenLlLy of a self-Lhlnklng LhoughL, buL as Lhe muLual
Lendlng Loward each oLher of belng and Lhlnklng, whlch belong Lo each oLher as Lo Lhelr own mosL
proper elemenL. lor belng needs LhoughL ln order Lo be manlfesL, even as LhoughL ls always Lhe LhoughL
of belng. now, LhaL may be very lovely, very edlfylng, a poeLlc lmprovemenL upon cold-hearLed loglcal
ldenLlLarlanlsm. 8uL as a gesLure almed aL dellmlLlng meLaphyslcs, lL succeeds slmply ln repeaLlng
meLaphyslcs on a hlgher (or deeper, lf you lnslsL), more edlfylng level, Lhlnklng beyond ldenLlLy Lo unlLy,
heavlng and slghlng afLer some sorL of hyper-unlLy, raLher ln Lhe way LhaL negaLlve Lheology goes beyond
belng Lo an even hlgher (or deeper) afflrmaLlon of Lhe 8elng of Cod as a hyperouslos. 17
All Lhe Peldeggerlan hype abouL a gaLherlng hyper-unlLy, Lhe whole Peldeggerlan axlomaLlcs of
gaLherlng, parLlcularly as regards Lhe quesLlon of [usLlce, uerrlda Lhlnks, spells Lrouble. As uerrlda says ln
Lhe "8oundLable":
Cnce you granL some prlvllege Lo gaLherlng and noL Lo dlssoclaLlng, Lhen you leave no room for Lhe
oLher, for Lhe radlcal oLherness of Lhe oLher, for Lhe radlcal slngularlLy of Lhe oLher [ 8114].
1he lncomlng and Lranscendence of Lhe oLher would be closed off and suffocaLed by Lhls valorlzaLlon of
unlLy and accord. now, whlle uerrlda has no wlsh slmply Lo wash hls hands of Peldegger, Lo denounce
hlm as a nazl who no longer deserves Lo be read--on Lhe conLrary, Lhe more Lhe Llde Lurns agalnsL
Peldegger Lhese days, Lhe more uerrlda rallles Lo hls defense--lL ls equally clear LhaL Peldegger would
never have been able Lo assoclaLe hlmself wlLh naLlonal Soclallsm, lndeed wlLh any naLlonallsm
whaLsoever, blologlcal (lower) or splrlLual (hlgher), of whaLever alLlLude, had he shared uerrlda's
radlcally "dls-
____________________
17 See MarLln Peldegger, ldenLlLy and ulfference, Lrans. !oan SLambaugh ( new ?ork: Parper & 8ow,
1969) for Lhe analysls of ldenLlLy as belonglng LogeLher.
-132-
soclaLlve," LhaL ls, plurallsLlc and democraLlc senslblllLles, had he been more susplclous of Lhe
versammlung LhaL he valorlzes and uerrlda crlLlques. Cn Lhls polnL of plurallsm, of a democracy Lo come,
and, hence, of [usLlce as dlssoclaLlon and dls[uncLlon, as polyvalence and plurlvoclLy, uerrlda could noL
be furLher removed from Peldegger. uerrlda ls as far removed from Peldegger on Lhls polnL of pollLlcs as
a arlslan, posL-MarxlsL lefL lnLellecLual can be from a rlghL-wlng, reacLlonary, mounLaln-cllmblng anLl-
MarxlsL and anLl-modernlsL.
uerrlda's crlLlque of Peldegger on Lhls polnL ls developed, approprlaLely enough, ln SpecLers of Marx.
Pere uerrlda pursues Lhe lmplsh paradox LhaL [usLlce happens preclsely when "Lhe Llme ls ouL of [olnL,"
LhaL Lhe posslblllLy of [usLlce lles ln dls-[olnlng, dlsad-[usLmenL, a polnL he pursues by way of a cross-
readlng of Shakespeare's PamleL wlLh karl Marx, whlch ls lLself a pecullar con[olnlng of Lhe dls[olnL. 1he
noLlon LhaL [usLlce has Lo do wlLh a Llme LhaL ls off lLs hlnges, deranged, a llLLle mad, ls a perfecL flL ln Lhe
sense of a perfecL foll for Peldegger's famous analysls of Lhe "saylng of Anaxlmander." 18 1here
Peldegger clalms LhaL Lhe emergence of belngs lnLo unconcealmenL, Lhelr rlslng up from and falllng back
lnLo concealmenL, Lakes place accordlng Lo Lhe rule of dlke, whlch ls Lhus Lo be lnLerpreLed as a word of
8elng and noL "morallsLlcally." ulke [udlclously oversees Lhe unconcealmenL process, alloLLlng Lo each
enLlLy lLs apporLloned momenL, lLs Lemporary place ln Lhe sun of phalnesLhal, flLLlng each enLlLy lnLo Lhe
LranslLlon beLween concealmenL and unconcealmenL. 8y Lhe same Loken, dlke sLrlkes down Lhe
Lenaclous and sLlff-necked enLlLy LhaL would reslsL golng under and perslsL ln presence, whlch
perslsLence ls Lhe very sLuff of adlkla, Lhe dls[olnlng of Lhe whole. rovldlng Lhus Lhe opporLune [uncLure
for Lhe enLlLy, dlke "harmonlously con[olns" (SdM 49/SoM 23) enLlLy Lo enLlLy, Lhereby gaLherlng enLlLles
LogeLher ln an all-pervaslve accord, a harmonlc (fugal) movemenL whose name ls also aleLhela. (!usLlce
for Peldegger has Creek, noL !ewlsh names.)
8uL uerrlda complalns LhaL, by "LranslaLlng" (however medlLaLlvely) dlke as lug, flL, [olnlng, [uncLure, and
by LreaLlng dls[uncLure, dlsloca-
____________________
18 See MarLln Peldegger, Larly Creek 1hlnklng, Lrans. u. l. krell ( new ?ork: Parper & 8ow, 1973),
pp. 13-38, for Lhe lnLerpreLaLlon of gaLherlng ln "1he Anaxlmander lragmenL." lor a commenLary on
uerrlda's earller observaLlons on Peldegger's lnLerpreLaLlon of Lhe Anaxlmander fragmenL, see !ohn
roLevl, "Avoldlng a 'Superflclal 8eadlng': uerrlda's 8eadlng of Lhe 'Anaxlmander lragmenL,'" "hllosophy
1oday, 38, no. 1 ( 1994), 88-97.
-133-
Llon, belng-ouL-of-[olnL as adlkla, Peldegger remalns wlLhln Lhe horlzon of 8elng as presence LhaL he
would oLherwlse brlng lnLo quesLlon. lor 8elng ls Laken Lo mean Lhe close flL, close Lo lLself, Lhe proper
[olnlng of Lhe proper Lo lLself. 1haL means LhaL Lhls Peldeggerlan dlke would funcLlon for uerrlda as drolL,
as a klnd of law of assoclaLlon or assembllng LogeLher LhaL rlsks represslng Lhe relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher. lor
Lhe laLLer requlres Lhe "lrreduclble excess of a dls[uncLure or an anachrony" LhaL, rlsky as lL ls, "would
alone do [usLlce or render [usLlce Lo Lhe oLher as oLher" ( SdM33/ SoM27), whlch requlres one Lo glve
beyond oneself, Lo glve whaL one does noL have (cf. u112-13n1/ C1 2n2, 201-202n1/139-160n28,
Sauf83-84/ Cn70, 112/84-83). uolng [usLlce Lo Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher depends upon Lransgresslng Lhe
law of gaLherlng, breaklng open and dls[olnlng whaL gaLhers lLself LogeLher and closes ln upon lLself ln
self-proxlmlLy. !usLlce Lhus ls dls-ad-[usLmenL and dls-[uncLure. lor only Lhus ls Lhere an openlng up Lo
Lhe fuLure, Lo whaL ls Lo come, Lo Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher and Lhe democracy Lo come. 1haL openlng
breaks Lhe spell of Lhe presenL closure, allowlng Lhe presenL Lo be haunLed by ghosLs. noL only oughL Lhe
llvlng presenL Lo be dlsLurbed by Lhe splrlLs (revenanLs) of Lhe dead, whose sufferlng [usLly clalms our
memory and mournlng, buL lL oughL also Lo be prled open by Lhe ones sLlll Lo come (arrlvanLs), who also
lay clalm Lo [usLlce.
!usLlce ls never found ln Lhe presenL order, ls never presenL Lo lLself, ls never gaLhered unLo lLself. !usLlce
ls raLher Lhe relaLlon Lo Lhe oLher, Lhe dls-[uncLure LhaL opens Lhe space for Lhe lncomlng of Lhe oLher.
1he essence of [usLlce, Lhus, ls Lo have no essence, Lo be ln dlsequlllbrlum, perpeLually dlsproporLlonaLe
wlLh lLself, never Lo be adequaLe Lo lLself, never ldenLlcal wlLh lLself. !usLlce never exlsLs, and LhaL ls
essenLlal Lo [usLlce, for [usLlce, llke Lhe glfL, ls Lhe lmposslble, our passlon, whlch we deslre wlLh a deslre
beyond deslre, whaL we love llke mad. !usLlce calls, [usLlce ls Lo come, buL [usLlce does noL exlsL. lndeed,
lL would be Lhe helghL of ln[usLlce Lo Lhlnk LhaL [usLlce exlsLs, LhaL lL exlsLed once ln Creece whose Lrue
sons are Cermans, or LhaL lL ls here, for example, ln Lhe good old u.S.A., ln Lhe mlddle of Amerlcan
aparLheld, Lhe naLlonal 8lfle AssoclaLlon, Lhe unlmaglnable vlolence of our sLreeLs, Lhe growlng exLremes
of poverLy and wealLh, and Lhe demorallzlng, demagoglc degradaLlon and corrupLlon of democracy LhaL
we wlLness wlLh every pollLlcal campalgn. !usLlce haunLs us, dlsLurbs our sleep, sLalks us llke Lhe specLer
of old Marx whom we can'L
-134-
qulLe bury, keeps us up paclng Lhe floors well lnLo Lhe nlghL, has us seelng ghosLs. 1he specLer of [usLlce
dlsLurbs Lhe assured dlsLlncLlon beLween whaL ls and whaL ls noL, beLween Lo be and noL Lo be, whlch ls
a blL of sleeplessness over belng abouL whlch we can be lnsLrucLed raLher beLLer by PamleL Lhan by
Peldegger.
-133-
6
1he Messlanlc: WalLlng for Lhe luLure
"As soon as you address Lhe oLher, as soon as you are open Lo Lhe fuLure, as soon as you have a
Lemporal experlence of walLlng for Lhe fuLure, of walLlng for someone Lo come: LhaL ls Lhe openlng of
experlence. Someone ls Lo come, ls now Lo come. !usLlce and peace wlll have Lo do wlLh Lhls comlng of
Lhe oLher, wlLh Lhe promlse. . . . 1hls unlversal sLrucLure of Lhe promlse, of Lhe expecLaLlon for Lhe fuLure,
for Lhe comlng, and Lhe facL LhaL Lhls expecLaLlon of Lhe comlng has Lo do wlLh [usLlce--LhaL ls whaL l call
Lhe messlanlc sLrucLure.
-- "8oundLable,"23
1PL MLSSlAnlC 1WlS1 ln uLCCnS18uC1lCn
lL ls clear Lo anyone wlLh a !ewlsh ear, Lo anyone wlLh half an ear for Lhe Pebrew and ChrlsLlan
scrlpLures, LhaL Lhls whole Lhlng called "deconsLrucLlon" Lurns ouL Lo have a very messlanlc rlng. 1he
messlanlc Lone LhaL deconsLrucLlon has recenLly adopLed (whlch ls noL all LhaL recenL and noL only a
Lone) ls Lhe Lurn lL Lakes Loward Lhe fuLure. noL Lhe relaLlve and foreseeable, programmable and
plannable fuLure-Lhe fuLure of "sLraLeglc plannlng"--buL Lhe absoluLe fuLure, Lhe welcome exLended Lo
an oLher whom l cannoL, ln prlnclple, anLlclpaLe, Lhe LouL auLre whose alLerlLy dlsLurbs Lhe complacenL
clrcles of Lhe same. 1he messlanlc fuLure of whlch deconsLrucLlon dreams, lLs deslre and lLs passlon, ls
Lhe unforeseeable fuLure Lo come, absoluLely Lo come, Lhe [usLlce, Lhe democracy, Lhe glfL, Lhe
hosplLallLy Lo come. Llke Lll[ah knocklng on our door! 1he flrsL and lasL, Lhe consLanL word ln
deconsLrucLlon ls come, vlens. lf uerrlda were a man of prayer--
-136-
whlch he ls, as l have elsewhere Lrled Lo show--"Come" would be hls prayer.
vlens, oul, oul ( arages116, dS70/ olnLs63). 1haL ls deconsLrucLlon ln a word, ln Lhree words. ln a
nuLshell.
uerrlda aL flrsL avolded Lhe noLlon of Lhe messlanlc on Lhe grounds LhaL lL enLalled Lhe ldea of an
"horlzon of posslblllLy" for Lhe fuLure and, hence, of some sorL of anLlclpaLory enclrcllng of whaL ls Lo
come. 1 8uL afLer Lhls lnlLlal "heslLaLlon," uerrlda adopLed Lhe Lerm "messlanlc," evldenLly under Lhe
lnfluence of WalLer 8en[amln ( SdM9396n2/ SoM180-181n2). 2 8en[amln spoke of a "weak messlanlc
power" (Lhe "weak" correspondlng Lo whaL uerrlda calls Lhe messlanlc "wlLhouL" messlanlsm), whlch
8en[amln assoclaLes wlLh hlsLorlcal maLerlallsm. ln 8en[amln's vlew, Lhe presenL generaLlon ls Lo be
vlewed messlanlcally, as Lhose who were all along Lo come, Lhose who were all along expecLed preclsely
ln order Lo "redeem" Lhe pasL. We Loday llve ln a pacL wlLh Lhe dlsasLers of Lhe pasL, lnherlLlng a promlse
we never made, Lo recall Lhe dangerous memory of pasL sufferlng, whlch ls a pledge noL Lo be Laken
llghLly. 1he "now," Lhe presenL Llme, ls preclsely a messlanlc Llme ln whlch we are responslble for Lhe
enLlre hlsLory of humanklnd. Lvery presenL, every "second of Llme," whaL uerrlda wlll call Lhe "momenL,"
ls "a sLralL gaLe Lhrough whlch Lhe Messlah mlghL enLer." Lvery day ls a "holy day," a day of "remem-
____________________
1 noLe Lhe alLeraLlon of "1he lorce of Law," Lhe orlglnal lecLure dellvered ln new ?ork ClLy ( u!23),
LhaL ls lnLroduced ln Lhe Calllee edlLlon ( lL36), concernlng Lhe "messlanlc promlse" or "oLher horlzons
of Lhe same Lype."
2 WalLer 8en[amln, "1heses on Lhe hllosophy of PlsLory," ln lllumlnaLlons: Lssays and 8eflecLlons,
Lrans. Parry Zohn, ed. Pannah ArendL ( new ?ork: Schocken 8ooks, 1969), pp. 233-264, cf. SdM93-96n2/
SoM180-181n2. lor a classlc dlscusslon of Lhe messlanlc, see Cershom Scholem, 1he Messlanlc ldea ln
!udalsm and CLher Lssays on !ewlsh SplrlLuallLy, Lrans. Mlchael Meyer eL al. ( new ?ork: Schocken 8ooks,
1971). Cn Lhe llnk beLween Scholem and 8en[amln, see Susan A. Pandel man , lragmenLs of
8edempLlon: !ewlsh 1houghL and LlLerary CrlLlclsm ln 8en[amln, Scholem, and Levlnas ( 8loomlngLon:
lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1991), and Lduardo Cadava , "Words of LlghL: 1heses on Lhe hoLography of
PlsLory," ulacrlLlcs, 22 ( 1992), 98-99n19. lor more on 8en[amln's "weak messlanlc power," see lrvlng
WohlfarLh , "Cn Lhe Messlanlc SLrucLure of WalLer 8en[amln's LasL 8eflecLlons," Clyph, 3 ( 1978), 148-
212, lseulL Ponohan, "ArendL and 8en[amln on Lhe romlse of PlsLory: A neLwork of osslblllLles or Cne
ApocalypLlc MomenL?" Cllo ( 1990), 311330, ChrlsLopher Perlng, "Messlanlc 1lme and MaLerlallsLlc
rogress," !ournal of Lhe 8rlLlsh SocleLy for henomenology, 16 ( 1983), 136-166, and ChrlsLopher lynsk,
"1he Clalm of PlsLory," ulacrlLlcs, 22 ( 1992), 113-126. uerrlda hlmself clLes Lhe role of eLer Szondl,
"Pope ln Lhe asL: Cn WalLer 8en[amln," CrlLlcal lnqulry, 4 ( 1978), ln underllnlng Lhls Lheme ln 8en[amln
for hlm, cf. MfdM133n10.
-137-
brance, " an "all salnLs" day ln whlch we remember Lhe salnLs, Lhe dead and Lhelr sufferlng. 1hls
8en[amlnlan moLlf enLers cruclally lnLo whaL uerrlda calls "Lhe work of mournlng" ln Lhe subLlLle of Lhe
Marx book, Lhe work of rememberlng Lhe splrlL of Lhose who precede us (revenanLs) wlLhouL
asslmllaLlng Lhelr alLerlLy lnLo Lhe presenL, 3 where lL collaboraLes wlLh Lhe dlsLlncLlvely uerrldean moLlf
of Lhe [usLlce "Lo come" (l'a venlr) and Lhe afflrmaLlon of Lhe fuLure, of Lhose who are yeL Lo come
(arrlvanLs).
1hls messlanlc moLlf appears alongslde hls recenL "clrcumfesslon" (clrconfesslon) of hls "alllance"
("covenanL") wlLh !udalsm, never broken buL never kepL, by lgnorlng whlch he has been "read less and
less well over almosL LwenLy years," hls revelaLlon of "my rellglon abouL whlch nobody undersLands
anyLhlng" ( Clrcon. 143-146/ Clrcum. 134). 1he news could noL be worse for uerrlda's secularlzlng,
nleLzscheanlzlng admlrers. 1hey LhoughL Lhey found ln deconsLrucLlon Lhe consummaLlng concluslon of
Lhe ueaLh-of-Cod, Lhe flnal sLake ln Lhe sLlllLwlLchlng hearL of Lhe old Cod. lf Lhe flrsL verslon of Lhe
ueaLh-ofCod, ln leuerbach and Lhe young Pegellans, Lurned lnLo Lhe 8lrLh of Man, Lhen accordlng Lo Lhls
aLhelsLlc meLanarraLlve, deconsLrucLlon has been senL lnLo Lhe world Lo proclalm Lhe Lnd of Man, Lo
deconsLrucL Lhe sub[ecL and all meLaphyslcal humanlsms, and hence flnally Lo scaLLer Lhe ashes of Lhe
old delLy Lo Lhe four wlnds of dlfferance. 4 Powever much LhaL llne on uerrlda may conform Lo Lhe
requlslLe academlc dogmas abouL rellglon--lf Lhere ls one "oLher" LhaL ls [usL Loo oLher, Loo, Loo LouL
auLre for academlcs Lo swallow, lL ls rellglon!--lL has noLhlng Lo do wlLh deconsLrucLlon, wlLh lLs leLLer or
lLs splrlL, or wlLh uerrlda, wlLh hls eye or hls ear, whlch ls deeply messlanlc and noL a llLLle !ewlsh.
ueconsLrucLlon ls always more compllcaLed, more plurlvocal and heLerogeneous Lhan any secularlzlng,
modernlsL crlLlque of rellglon, whlch ls, afLer all, a vlnLage componenL ln Lhe old LnllghLenmenL. 1he
genealoglcal llnes and llnks of deconsLrucLlon run back, noL only Lo nleLzsche, buL also, as l am
consLanLly lnslsLlng, Lo klerkegaard and
____________________
3 Mournlng, for uerrlda, ls anoLher "self-llmlLlng" ldea: lf lL succeeds (ln lnLerlorlzlng Lhe dead
oLher) lL falls (ln respecLlng hls or her alLerlLy), see MddM49-32/ MfdM28-32.
4 Lhlnk LhaL ln Lrrlng: A osL/modern AlLheology ( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1984)
Mark 1aylor feeds Lhese secularlzlng admlrers of uerrlda Lhe besL sLaLemenL of Lhls deaLh-of-Cod
meLanarraLlve, even Lhough 1aylor's own lnLeresLs ln rellglon and deconsLrucLlon run deeper Lhan LhaL,
as evldenced by "uenegaLlng Cod," CrlLlcal lnqulry, 20 ( 1994), 392-611.
-138-
Levlnas, who are arguably Lhe mosL lmporLanL rellglous phllosophers, or phllosophlcal men of rellglon,
or Lhlnkers engaged ln a phllosophlcal repeLlLlon of rellglon ( uM32-33/ Cu49), ln Lhe lasL Lwo cenLurles.
lf Lhere ls any sense Lo speaklng of deconsLrucLlon as "posL-modern" (whlch dlmlnlshes wlLh each
passlng day) or as engaged ln Lhe producLlon of a "new" LnllghLenmenL ( SdM149/ SoM90), whlch l hope
ls lncreaslng day by day, Lhen deconsLrucLlon musL llkewlse be seen as a form of "posL-secularlzaLlon."
lor deconsLrucLlon moves beyond all LnllghLenmenL debunklng of rellglon and chasLlses Lhe
LnllghLenmenL--as uerrlda chasLlses Marx--for havlng chased away one ghosL Loo many ( SdM277/
SoM174). lor wlLhouL Lhe messlanlc splrlL, whlch llkewlse haunLed Marx ln hls mosL propheLlc momenLs
and ls lndeed parL of hls legacy ( SdM36/ SoM28), deconsLrucLlon (whlch expecLs [usLlce, whlch ls [usLlce)
does noL have a ghosL of a chance.
1he messlanlc Lurn ln deconsLrucLlon, lf lL ls a Lurn, whaL ls aL leasL a messlanlc LwlsL recenLly glven Lo
deconsLrucLlon, also glves Lhe lle Lo uerrlda's crlLlcs, one more Llme, lf Lhls ls sLlll necessary, who Lake
deconsLrucLlon Lo be Lhe enemy, noL only of lnsLlLuLlons, Lhe sLaLe, law, order, llLeraLure, readlng, reason,
Lhe good, Lhe Lrue and Lhe beauLlful, eLc., buL also of rellglon. ueconsLrucLlon ls a blesslng for rellglon, lLs
poslLlve salvaLlon, keeplng lL open Lo consLanL relnvenLlon, encouraglng rellglon Lo reread anclenL LexLs
ln new ways, Lo relnvenL anclenL LradlLlons ln new conLexLs. ueconsLrucLlon dlscourages rellglon from lLs
own worsL lnsLlncLs by holdlng Lhe feeL of rellglon Lo Lhe flre of falLh, lnslsLlng on seelng Lhlngs Lhrough a
glass (glas?) darkly, LhaL ls, on bellevlng Lhem noL Lhlnklng LhaL Lhey are seelng Lhem. ueconsLrucLlon
saves rellglon from seelng Lhlngs, from fanaLlclsm and Lrlumphallsm. ueconsLrucLlon ls noL Lhe
desLrucLlon of rellglon buL lLs relnvenLlon.
Llke an old and wlse faLher confessor, deconsLrucLlon helps rellglon examlne lLs consclence, counsellng
and chasLenlng rellglon abouL lLs Lendency Lo confuse lLs falLh wlLh knowledge, whlch resulLs ln Lhe
dangerous and absoluLlzlng Lrlumphallsm of rellglon, whlch ls whaL spllls blood. 8ellglon ls mosL
dangerous when lL concelves lLself as a hlgher knowledge granLed a chosen few, a chosen people of Cod:
LhaL ls a formula for war. As lf Cod favors !ews over Arabs, or prefers ChrlsLlans Lo !ews, or roLesLanLs Lo
CaLhollcs, Lhereby drawlng Cod lnLo Lhe game of whose Lheologlcal ox deserves gorlng. As lf Cod Look
Lhe slde of one people agalnsL anoLher, or granLed speclal prlvlleges Lo one people LhaL are denled Lo
oLhers--Lo "Lhe oLher." 8ellglon so lnsLrucLed,
-139-
deconsLrucLed, and reconsLrucLed, closely hewn Lo lLs messlanlc and propheLlc sources and Lo Lhe Cod
who sald LhaL Pe does noL dellghL ln rlLual sacrlflce buL ln [usLlce, rellglon as a powerful propheLlc force
whlch has a dream of [usLlce for all of Cod's chlldren--LhaL ls Lhe rellglon LhaL emerges from an hour on
Lhe couch wlLh deconsLrucLlon. 1haL rellglon ls good news, for Lhe oppressed and everybody else.
none of Lhls means Lo say LhaL uerrlda ls, as he says ln Lhe "8oundLable,""slmply a rellglous person or . . .
slmply a bellever," LhaL he ls a plous !ew, llberal, orLhodox, or conservaLlve, or a "bellevlng" !ew, or
rellglous ln Lhe convenLlonal sense. LeasL of all does lL mean LhaL he has anyLhlng Lo do wlLh Lhe 8ook-
Lhumplng fanaLlclsm and vlolence of Lhe several fundamenLallsms. ChrlsLlan, !ewlsh, or lslamlc, whlch
lnevlLably spell war for Lhe lands Lhey beseL, whlch have been spllllng Lhe blood of lnnocenL people from
Llme lmmemorlal. uerrlda has, as he Lells us ln Clrconfesslon, marrled ouLslde !udalsm, exposed hls sons
Lo Lhe lmproprleLy of noL belng clrcumclsed, even as he hlmself "qulLe rlghLly pass[es] for an aLhelsL"
( Clrcon. 146/ Clrcum. 133) Pe was born lnLo an asslmllaLed !ewlsh famlly ln Lhe ChrlsLlanlzed culLure of
Alglers (ralsed on Lhe rue SalnL-AugusLln, a sLreeL named afLer hls "compaLrloL"), and Lhe !udalsm Lo
whlch he was exposed, Lhe parLlcular rellglous falLh of Abraham and Moses such as he experlenced lL,
dld noL "Lake." 3 Pe dld noL, would noL, could noL Lake lL.
1haL ls why uerrlda dlsLlngulshes Lhe "messlanlc" as a unlversal sLrucLure (llke 8en[amln's "weak"
messlanlc) from Lhe varlous "messlanlsms," whlch are a llLLle Loo sLrong. 8y Lhe concreLe messlanlsms he
means Lhe speclflc rellglous bellefs, Lhe hlsLorlcal docLrlnes and dogmas, of Lhe "rellglons of Lhe 8ook,"
all Lhree of Lhem, !udalsm, ChrlsLlanlLy, and lslam, alLhough uerrlda also exLends Lhe Lerm Lo lnclude Lhe
"phllosophlcal messlanlsms," Lhe Leleologles and eschaLologles of Pegel, Marx, Peldegger. 1o LhaL llsL
should be added aL Lhe lasL mlnuLe Lhe laLesL, !ohnny-come-laLely verslon, lrancls lukuyama's "gospel"
of Lhe good news LhaL Lhe free markeL ls Lhe Lelos Loward whlch Lhe WesL has been groanlng and 8onald
8eagan ls lLs propheL ( SdM 97-100/ SoM36-37). 1he dlsLlngulshlng feaLure of any messlanlsm ls LhaL lL
deLermlnes Lhe flgure of Lhe Messlah, glves Lhe Messlah a deLer-
____________________
3 uerrlda has become more forLhcomlng abouL hls personal llfe ln Lwo hlghly auLoblographlcal
books, Clrcumfesslon and Memolrs of Lhe 8llnd, and also ln some lnLervlews, see dS349-333/
olnLs339-344.
-160-
mlnaLe characLerlzaLlon and speclflc conflguraLlon, wlLh Lhe resulL LhaL Lhe Messlah ls ldenLlflably
!ewlsh, ChrlsLlan, lslamlc, or, Cod forbld, CaplLallsLlc, where a supply-slde, free markeL Messlah ls Lhe
laLesL Leleologlcal consummaLlon of PlsLory. 1haL conLracLs Lhe absoluLeness of Lhe messlanlc promlse
and expecLaLlon wlLhln Lhe borders of a people, so LhaL Cod ls LhoughL Lo have cuL a speclal deal wlLh
Creco-Luropean ChrlsLlans, or !ews, or Arabs, of a language, so LhaL Cod ls sald Lo have spoken Pebrew,
Creek--or was lL Aramalc?--or Arablc, of a naLlonal hlsLory, so LhaL Cod ls made Lo Lake hls sLand wlLh Lhe
desLlny of some naLlon-sLaLe and Lakes up arms wlLhln Lhe sLrlfe among Lhe naLlons. 1he messlanlsms
have all Lhe maklngs of a caLasLrophe, LhaL ls, of war. 1hls Lhey unfalllngly provoke, wlLh merclless
regularlLy, under one of Lhe mosL groLesque and Lerrlfylng names we know, LhaL of a "holy war," whlch
means, alas, kllllng Lhe chlldren of Cod ln Lhe name of Cod, who Loo ofLen really are chlldren, kllllng Lhe
lnnocenL ln Lhe name of peace and [usLlce, kllllng ln Lhe name of Lhe promlse. 1oday, uerrlda says, Lhe
war waged by Lhese messlanlsms over Lhe "approprlaLlon of !erusalem" has become a world war
( SdM101/ SoM38).
nor are Lhe phllosophlcal messlanlsms lnnocenL of Lhls blood. Pegel LhoughL LhaL war was Lhe way for
Lhe SplrlL Lo beaL lLself lnLo shape, and Marx was ln a rush Lo flnlsh kaplLal before Lhe revoluLlon made
hls prophecy redundanL. 1here ls noLhlng accldenLal ln Peldegger's love of war, hls love of kampf as Lhe
way Lo beaL 8elng lnLo shape, noLhlng accldenLal ln hls supporL of Lhe nazl selzure of power, whlch
afforded Lhe Creco-Cermanlc PlsLory of 8elng Lhe chance Lo fulflll lLs mlsslonary desLlny, whlch ls
noLhlng more Lhan a corrupLed Peldeggerlan messlanlsm dlsgulslng lLs blbllcal sources. 6 lukuyama ls
dellghLed wlLh Lhe ouLcome of Lhe cold war, whlch was fueled all along by several hoL ones ln LasL Asla
and CenLral Amerlca. 1he several messlanlsms always Lake Lhemselves Lo have an ldenLlflable "mlsslon,"
a mlsslonary ldenLlLy, a mlsslon Lo esLabllsh Lhe rule of Lhelr messlanlc vlslon ln a foreseeable and
foregraspable fuLure, and Lhey have rarely lacked Lhe nerve Lo selze Lhe opporLunlLy Lo glve Lhelr desLlny
a llLLle boosL wherever Lhe occaslon presenLed lLself. 1haL ls when Lhe blood beglns Lo flow.
1he "messlanlc," on Lhe oLher hand, has Lo do wlLh Lhe absoluLe sLrucLure of Lhe promlse, of an
absoluLely lndeLermlnaLe, leL us say, a
____________________
6 lor more on Peldegger's kampf, see my uemyLhologlzlng Peldegger, chap. 2.
-161-
sLrucLural fuLure, a fuLure always Lo-come, a venlr. 1he messlanlc fuLure ls noL a fuLure-presenL and ls
noL sparked by a deLermlnaLe Messlah, lL ls noL fuLural slmply ln Lhe sense LhaL lL has noL as a maLLer of
facL shown up yeL, buL fuLural ln Lhe sense of Lhe very sLrucLure of Lhe fuLure. 1he messlanlc fuLure ls an
absoluLe fuLure, Lhe very sLrucLure of Lhe Lo-come LhaL cannoL ln prlnclple come abouL, Lhe very
openendedness of Lhe presenL LhaL makes lL lmposslble for Lhe presenL Lo draw lLself lnLo a clrcle, Lo
close ln and gaLher around lLself. 1he messlanlc ls Lhe sLrucLure of Lhe Lo come LhaL exposes Lhe
conLlngency and deconsLrucLlblllLy of Lhe presenL, exposlng Lhe alLerablllLy of whaL we llke Lo call ln
Lngllsh Lhe "powers LhaL be," Lhe powers LhaL are presenL, Lhe presLlglous power of Lhe presenL. 1he
messlanlc fuLure, Lhe unformable flgure of Lhe Messlah ln deconsLrucLlon, has Lo do wlLh someLhlng
absoluLely unpresenLable and unrepresenLable LhaL compromlses Lhe presLlge of Lhe presenL, Lhe
absoluLely undeconsLrucLlble LhaL breaks Lhe spell of presenL consLrucLlons.
1he messlanlc, uerrlda says, ls a "sLrucLure of experlence" ( SdM 266/ SoM168), Lhe very sLrucLure of
experlence lLself where experlence means runnlng up agalnsL Lhe oLher, encounLerlng someLhlng we
could noL anLlclpaLe, expecL, fore-have, or fore-see, someLhlng LhaL knocks our socks off, LhaL brlngs us
up shorL and Lakes our breaLh away.
vanlLas vanlLaLum, sald CoheleLh ln hls besL LaLln, eL omnla vanlLaLes. 1he whole Lhlng ls a vanlLy, an
ldol. LveryLhlng ls deconsLrucLlble, Lhe lrench LranslaLlon reads, buL [usLlce ln lLself, lf Lhere ls such a
Lhlng, ls noL deconsLrucLlble (LranslaLlon from "1he osLmodern's 8lble"). 1he essenLlal lndeLermlnacy of
Lhe messlanlc fuLure, of Lhe flgure of Lhe Messlah, ls of Lhe essence of lLs non-essence. 1he nonpresence
of Lhe Messlah ls Lhe very sLuff of hls promlse. lor lL ls ln vlrLue of Lhe messlanlc LhaL we can always,
musL always, have no alLernaLlve buL Lo say, "come." We can and we musL pray, plead, deslre Lhe comlng
of Lhe Messlah. Always.
1haL ls parL of Lhe force of Lhe sLory of Lhe comlng of Lhe Messlah LhaL uerrlda repeaLs ln Lhe
"8oundLable" (havlng clLed lL ln ollLlques de l'amlclLle, 33nl), whlch ls Lo be found aL Lhe end of
8lanchoL's WrlLlng Lhe ulsasLer. 7 ln Lhls sLory, Lhe Messlah, havlng appeared ouLslde Lhe clLy of 8ome
dressed ln rags, ls recognlzed by someone who
____________________
7 Maurlce 8lanchoL, WrlLlng Lhe ulsasLer, Lrans. Ann Smock ( Llncoln: unlverslLy of nebraska ress,
1986), pp. 141-143.
-162-
peneLraLes Lhls dlsgulse--whlch ls meanL Lo shelLer hls presence--and who, "obsessed wlLh quesLlonlng,"
says Lo Lhe Messlah, "When wlll you come?" 1he sLory, 8lanchoL says, has Lo do wlLh Lhe relaLlon
beLween Lhe messlanlc "evenL" (evenemenL), leL us say wlLh an evenL ln messlanlc Llme, and lLs
"nonoccurrence" (lnavenemenL), lLs noncomlng abouL ln ordlnary hlsLorlcal Llme. lor Lhe comlng (venue)
of Lhe Messlah, Lhe messlanlc comlng, ls noL Lo be confounded wlLh hls acLual presence (presence) ln
recorded hlsLory, wlLh occurrlng ln ordlnary Llme, wlLh acLually showlng up ln space and Llme, whlch
would ruln everyLhlng. 1he comlng of Lhe Messlah has Lo do wlLh Lhe very sLrucLure of a messlanlc Llme,
as Lhe Llme of promlse and expecLaLlon and openlng Lo Lhe fuLure, for Lhe "Come, Come" musL resound
always, accordlng Lo 8lanchoL. 1he llghLness of a messlanlc expecLaLlon, lLs buoyancy and aglllLy, are noL
Lo be welghed down by Lhe lead-fooLed grossness of Lhe presenL. 1he Messlah ls Lhe one of whom we
are always saylng "Come," whlch ls whaL keeps Lhlngs on Lhe move. 1he messlanlc has Lhe sLrucLure of
whaL 8lanchoL punnlngly calls le pas au dela: Lhe sLep (pas)/noL (pas) beyond, Lhe beyond LhaL ls never
reached buL always pursued. 8
Were Lhe Messlah ever Lo show up ln Lhe flesh, were, per lmposslblle, hls comlng ever Laken Lo be an
occurrence ln hlsLorlcal Llme, someLhlng LhaL could be plcked up on a vldeo camera, LhaL would be a
dlsasLer. 1he effecL would be Lo shuL down Lhe very sLrucLure of Llme and hlsLory, Lo close off Lhe
sLrucLure of hope, deslre, expecLaLlon, promlse, ln shorL, of Lhe fuLure. Lven lf, as some !ewlsh sages
hold, Lhe Messlah has acLually come and gone ln ordlnary Llme, LhaL would noL be Lhe "comlng," and lL
would sLlll be necessary Lo say "Come." 1haL ls why, ln ChrlsLlan messlanlsm, where lL ls held LhaL Lhe
AnolnLed Cne has already come, all eyes and all hope are Lurned, noL only Lo hls earLhly so[ourn, buL Lo
Lhe day when he wlll come agaln, for Lhe Messlah musL always be Lo come. 1he Messlah ls a very speclal
promlse, namely, a promlse LhaL would be broken were lL kepL, whose posslblllLy ls susLalned by lLs
lmposslblllLy. (AnoLher self-llmlLlng ldea.)
now, Lhe remarkable Lhlng ls LhaL all Lhls ls noL [usL a blL of esoLerlc !ewlsh Lheology buL Lhe very sLuff of
Lhls posLmodern bugbear called
____________________
8 See Maurlce 8lanchoL, 1he SLep noL 8eyond, Lrans. LyceLLe nelson ( Albany: SLaLe unlverslLy of
new ?ork ress, 1992), for a commenLary hlghllghLlng lLs relevance Lo uerrlda, see my rayers and 1ears
of !acques uerrlda, 6.
-163-
deconsLrucLlon. ueconsLrucLlon Lurns on Lhe unpresenLable and unrepresenLable, unforeseeable and
unnamable, lmposslble and undeconsLrucLlble promlse of someLhlng Lo come, someLhlng, l know noL
whaL, [e ne sals quol, leL us say a [usLlce Lo come, or a democracy Lo come, or a glfL or a hosplLallLy Lo
come, a sLranger Lo come. ueconsLrucLlon ls messlanlc all Lhe way down buL lLs Messlah ls LouL auLre, a
[usL one who shaLLers Lhe sLable horlzons of expecLaLlon, Lransgresslng Lhe posslble and concelvable,
beyond Lhe seeable and foreseeable, and who ls Lherefore noL Lhe prlvaLe properLy of some chosen
people.
lAl1P Wl1PCu1 8LLlClCn
1haL ls why uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable" LhaL he wlshes Lo dlsLlngulsh beLween rellglon and falLh. lor
deconsLrucLlon has Lo do wlLh someLhlng l know noL whaL, abouL whlch lL ls posslble only Lo have falLh,
Lo keep Lhe falLh, Lo hold on Lo by a prayer. WhaL uerrlda calls Lhe "promlse" ls noL a personal promlse,
noL a personal covenanL made beLween a deLermlnaLe dlvlnlLy, ?ahweh, and an ldenLlflable people, Lhe
!ews. uerrlda wanLs Lo credlL falLh, as he says ln Lhe "8oundLable," buL wlLhouL "accredlLlng," glvlng
speclal credenLlals Lo, some deLermlnaLe body of rellglous bellefs, wlLh lLs assoclaLed noLlons of a chosen
people, promlsed land, sacred language, hand-plcked vlcar, or lnsLlLuLlonal commlsslon. lor LhaL rellglon,
on hls Lelllng, would leL all hell break loose. 1he way Lo avold Lhls holy hell ls deconsLrucLlvely Lo
reconsLrucL, wlLhln Lhe parameLers of Lhe absoluLe promlse, whaL uerrlda does noL fllnch from calllng ln
a recenL plece a "rellglon wlLhln Lhe llmlLs of reason alone." 9 8uL he uses Lhls vlnLage kanLlan chesLnuL
from Lhe old LnllghLenmenL wlLhouL opposlng reason Lo falLh and wlLhouL leLLlng reason hold courL over
falLh, whlch ls Lhe deflnlng mark of Lhe old LnllghLenmenL. lor Lhe whole polnL of a deconsLrucLlve,
posLcrlLlcal, posLsecularlzlng analysls of whaL ls called reason--LhaL ls, Lhe polnL of a new LnllghLenmenL--
would be Lo show Lhe exLenL Lo whlch reason ls woven from Lhe very fabrlc of falLh.
1he "promlse" LhaL uerrlda has ln mlnd ls Lhe very sLrucLure of
____________________
9 !acques uerrlda, lol eL savolr: Les deux sources de la 'rellglon' aux llmlLes de la slmple ralson, ln
!acques uerrlda and Clannl vaLLlmo, La 8ellglon ( arls: Seull, 1996). See CapuLo, rayers and 1ears of
!acques uerrlda, 11, for a commenLary.
-164-
Lhe promlse, a promlse proLecLed ln all lLs lndeLermlnacy and openendedness, LhaL lnhablLs and dlsLurbs
whaLever ls presenL and phenomenallzable. lL would be Lhe very essence or presence of ln[usLlce Lo say
LhaL [usLlce ls presenL, here and now, LhaL Lhe glfL has been made, Lhe Messlah has shown up, for Lhen
we would have Lo go on Lo ldenLlfy when, where, and among whom. Pas he arrlved ln Lhe u.S.A. Loday?
ln Callfornla, perhaps? Cr ln Lhe "new order" of Peldegger's CrecoCermanla? ln Lhe new World Crder of
Lhe lree MarkeL? ls he a supply-slder? 1haL would have Lhe effecL of blesslng some presenL order or
anoLher, endowlng lL wlLh Cod's or PlsLory's or 8elng's favor, and Lurnlng whaLever dlffers from lL lnLo
Lhe devll hlmself, lnLo an obsLacle blocklng Lhe way of Cod, or 8elng, or PlsLory, or Lhe AbsoluLe SplrlL.
Such an obsLacle musL be removed by an uncondlLlonal war waged ln Lhe name of all LhaL ls holy agalnsL
Lhe devll hlmself, Lhe evll emplre, Lhe occluslon of 8elng, or whaLever. An old, famlllar, and bloody sLory.
So, much Lo Lhe surprlse of lLs crlLlcs and Lo Lhe chagrln of lLs more secularlzlng frlends, lL Lurns ouL LhaL
deconsLrucLlon Lurns on falLh, buL on falLh "wlLhouL rellglon" ( SdM102/ SoM39), falLh as dlsLlngulshed
from rellglon ln Lhe sense of Lhe several rellglous messlanlsms, on falLh as non-knowlng, on a cerLaln
dellmlLaLlon of Lhe power Lo deLermlne cognlLlvely a program or an ldeal. We are requlred Lo proceed by
falLh alone, whlch ls also whaL uerrlda means by reason, whlch ls a klnd of falLh, slnce Lhe only
reasonable Lhlng Lo do mosL of Lhe Llme ls Lo belleve. 1o paraphrase kanL's famous saylng, uerrlda has
found lL necessary Lo llmlL knowledge, Lo dellmlL and deconsLrucL any deLermlnaLe phllosophlcal or
rellglous vlslon, any messlanlsm, ln order Lo make room for falLh, for an open-ended messlanlc falLh ln
Lhe comlng of someLhlng unforeseeable and underonsLrucLlble. 1hls messlanlc falLh, he says, "guldes us
here llke Lhe bllnd" ( SdM112/ SoM63). 1haL remark glves us some lnslghL lnLo a work uerrlda publlshed
ln 1990 enLlLled Memolrs of Lhe 8llnd, a LexL accompanylng a collecLlon of Louvre palnLlngs and drawlngs
LhaL deplcL Lhe varlous faces of bllndness. Pavlng been lnvlLed by Lhe Louvre Lo serve as Lhe flrsL ln a
serles of guesL curaLors, wlLh Lhe freedom Lo organlze Lhelr own exhlblLs from among Lhe Louvre
holdlngs, uerrlda had chosen Lhe Lheme of bllndness. 1he LexL, one of several LhaL he has casL ln recenL
years ln dlalogue form, beglns and ends wlLh Lhe quesLlon "do
-163-
you belleve?" (croyez-vous?). 1he flnal senLence ls, "l don'L know. Cne musL belleve." 10
1he lmporL and Lhe lmpulse, Lhe drlve and Lhe deslre of deconsLrucLlon ls noL cognlLlve or consLaLlve buL
performaLlve, deconsLrucLlon ls noL a maLLer of knowlng or seelng, buL of bellevlng. ueconsLrucLlon does
noL LermlnaLe ln a vlslon or a LruLh, lL proceeds as uerrlda says sans vlslon, sans verlLe, sans revelaLlon,
wlLhouL vlslon, verlLy, or revelaLlon, wlLhouL seelng or LruLh ( 1on. 93/ 81167). lndeed, deconsLrucLlon
does noL LermlnaLe aL all, buL keeps sLarLlng up all over agaln, beglnnlng where we are, drlven by a falLh
ln Lhe lmposslble and undeconsLrucLlble. ueconsLrucLlve falLh ls very much caughL up ln whaL Levlnas
would call Lhe prlmacy of [usLlce over LruLh, Lhe prlmacy of hosplLallLy and frlendshlp over seLLllng
LheoreLlcal dlfferences ln a dlscusslon. lcklng up a phrase from SalnL AugusLlne, uerrlda says LhaL LruLh
ln deconsLrucLlon has Lo do wlLh dolng or maklng LruLh (facere verlLaLem), maklng LruLh happen,
effecLlng lL, formlng and forglng LruLh wlLh Lhe flres of [usLlce--noL adequaLlo or aleLhela. 1he
dellmlLaLlon of LruLh, Lhe dlssemlnaLlon of 1ruLh lnLo many LruLhs, Loo many, ls noL only and noL
ulLlmaLely a nleLzschean gesLure, whlch a one-slded readlng of Spurs: nleLzsche's SLyles mlghL suggesL.
11 lL ls noL LhaL Lhe "Lrue world" has become a fable ln deconsLrucLlon, buL LhaL lL has been subordlnaLed
as a consLrucLlon Lo undeconsLrucLlble [usLlce. SLlll less ls Lhls dellmlLaLlon of Lhe "Lrue world" a skepLlcal
one, for LruLh has been dellmlLed ln Lhe name of falLh, of a messlanlc falLh ln a nameless, unpresenLable,
undeconsLrucLlble [usLlce, or glfL. 1he dellmlLaLlon of LruLh ls a gesLure of welcome Lo Lhe wholly oLher
whlch consLlLuLes a cerLaln hyper-eLhlcal, noL a skepLlcal or despalrlng gesLure. 12
Pere ls a way Lo puL all Lhls ln a nuLshell. Cne day an lnLervlewer asked uerrlda where hls work was
golng. Pls response:
____________________
10 Memolrs d'aveugle: L'auLoblographle eL auLres rulnes ( arls: LdlLlons de la 8eunlon des musees
naLlonaux, 1990), p. 130, Memolrs of Lhe 8llnd: 1he Self-orLralL and CLher 8ulns, Lrans. ascale-Anne
8raulL and Mlchael naas ( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1993), p. 129. lor a commenLary, see
rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda, 19.
11 1rans. 8arbara Parlow ( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1978).
12 See Lhe excellenL dlscusslon of Lhls polnL ln Lwa Zlarek, "1he 8heLorlc of lallure and
ueconsLrucLlon," hllosophy 1oday, 40 ( 1996), 80-90, and 1he 8heLorlc of lallure: ueconsLrucLlon of
SkepLlclsm, 8elnvenLlon of Modernlsm ( Albany: SLaLe unlverslLy of new ?ork ress, 1993).
-166-
l don'L know. Cr raLher l belleve Lhls ls noL on Lhe order of knowledge, whlch does noL mean one musL
glve up on knowledge and reslgn oneself Lo obscurlLy. AL sLake are responslblllLles LhaL, lf Lhey are Lo glve
rlse Lo declslons and evenLs, musL noL follow knowledge, musL noL flow from knowledge llke
consequences or effecLs. . . . 1hese responslblllLles . . . are heLerogeneous Lo Lhe formallzable order of
knowledge [ dS370/ olnLs339].
1haL ls why uerrlda emphaslzes Lhe prlmacy of falLh ln Lhe "8oundLable," noL Lhe deLermlnable falLhs of
Lhe varlous messlanlsms, buL Lhe very sLrucLure of falLh LhaL lnhablLs everyLhlng we say and do, a falLh
LhaL, lf Laken Lo hearL by Lheology, would open up Lhe varlous messlanlsms Lhemselves Lo a falLh beyond
Lhelr deLermlnaLe, secLarlan dogmas and bellefs. lar from belng lLself someLhlng secLarlan, uerrlda does
noL heslLaLe Lo say LhaL falLh, leL us say, hls "falLh wlLhouL rellglon," ls someLhlng "unlversal," lylng aL Lhe
rooL of our mosL everyday pracLlces, noL opposed Lo buL formlng Lhe very sLuff of whaL we llke Lo call
"reason," LhaL holy name aL Lhe sound of whlch Lhe knee of every Aufklarer and analyLlc phllosopher,
from Pabermas Lo 8uLh 8arcan Marcus, musL bend.
As soon as l open my mouLh, l am golng on falLh, asklng you Lo belleve me, asklng for your credlL and
credence, asklng you Lo belleve LhaL l am Lelllng you Lhe LruLh, LhaL ls, Lelllng you whaL l myself belleve Lo
be Lrue. Lven and especlally when l am lylng, lL ls necessary for you Lo be bellevlng, for how else wlll l
succeed ln decelvlng you and abuslng your confldence? Whenever whaL we say lacks full Lransparency-
and when does lL noL?--we proceed by falLh. Whenever whaL we submlL Lo Lhe conslderaLlon of Lhe
oLher lacks demonsLraLlve cerLalnLy--and when does lL noL?--we ask for credlL. All Lhe exchanges and
LransacLlons of everyday communlcaLlon Lake place ln Lhe elemenL of falLh.
1he credlL we bulld up wlLh one anoLher ls noL forged from Lhe demonsLraLlve cerLalnLy LhaL
accompanles whaL we say, buL from "LesLlmony" or "wlLnesslng," from Lhe wlLness LhaL l glve Lo you LhaL
l am Lrylng Lo be foursquare. l glve you, lf noL Lhe LruLh, aL leasL my LesLlmony Lo Lhe LruLh. 1esLlmony,
Loo, presupposes bllndness. My ablllLy Lo glve LheoreLlcal warranL Lo my asserLlons ls llmlLed, buL Lhere ls
noLhlng Lo llmlL Lhe glfL l glve Lo Lhe oLher, my sLandlng by whaL l say, my dolng whaL l say. 1esLlmony ls
whaL l glve Lo Lhe oLher, who ls preclsely oLher, on Lhe oLher shore, beyond my knowledge and ken, au
dela du
-167-
savolr, a maLLer for falLh noL knowledge. 1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL wlLnesslng makes lL Lrue, slnce men and
women can glve LesLlmony Lo opposlLe and lncompaLlble falLhs, buL lL makes such LruLh as Lhere ls.
WlLnesslng Lakes place ln Lhe elemenL of falLh and [usLlce, noL ln Lhe order of knowledge and LruLh.
Lven Lhe hardesL, coldesL, mosL calculaLlng men of flnance are men of falLh, men of credlL, who belleve
ln ghosLs. 1hey move abouL ln a vlrLual reallLy where cash--whlch ls lLself, relaLlve Lo Lhe old mercanLlle
sysLem, buL a slgn--has all buL dlsappeared, replaced by a sLream of molecules, by elecLronlc slgnals LhaL
say LhaL cerLaln monles have been pald or losL, grown or dlmlnlshed, been Lransferred or advanced,
whlch everyone belleves lmpllclLly. Lveryone who ls lnvolved ln banklng, Lhe sLock markeL, ln buylng
opLlons and "fuLures," ln lnLernaLlonal currency exchange, ln commerclal LransacLlons of any sorL, musL
slmply belleve, LrusL. When Lhe blg players and hlgh rollers sLarL Lo lose confldence (whlch means falLh)
ln Lhe markeL, Lhen Lhe markeL conLracLs. When falLh ceases Lo clrculaLe ln Lhe economlc sysLem, Lhen
Lhe clrcle draws LlghL, markeL values fall, lnLeresLs raLes soar, and Lhe markeL, held Lhe whole whlle ln
mld-alr by falLh, "crashes." 1hen Lhe blg players, blg as Lhey are, slnk Lo Lhelr knees and sLarL praylng llke
hell (cf. u1120-123/ C192-96).
1PL MLSSlAnlC Anu 1PL MLSSlAnlSMS
Whlch Comes llrsL?
AL Lhe end of Lhe "8oundLable" dlscusslon, uerrlda ralses a whlchcomes-flrsL conundrum:
1he problem remalns . . . wheLher . . . Lhe rellglons of Lhe 8ook are buL speclflc examples of Lhls
general sLrucLure, of messlanlclLy. 1here ls Lhe general sLrucLure of messlanlclLy, as Lhe sLrucLure of
experlence, and on Lhls groundless ground Lhere have been revelaLlons, a hlsLory whlch one calls
!udalsm or ChrlsLlanlLy and so on. . . . [1]hen you would have a Peldeggerlan gesLure ln sLyle. ?ou would
have Lo go back from Lhese rellglons Lo Lhe fundamenLal onLologlcal condlLlons of posslblllLles of
rellglons, Lo descrlbe Lhe sLrucLure of messlanlclLy on Lhe groundless ground on whlch rellglons have
been made posslble [ 8123].
-168-
1haL ls one posslblllLy:
1he oLher hypoLhesls . . . ls LhaL Lhe evenLs of revelaLlon, Lhe blbllcal LradlLlons, Lhe !ewlsh, ChrlsLlan
and lslamlc LradlLlons, have been absoluLe evenLs, lrreduclble evenLs whlch have unvelled Lhls
messlanlclLy. We would noL know whaL messlanlclLy ls wlLhouL messlanlsm, wlLhouL Lhese evenLs whlch
were Abraham, Moses, and !esus ChrlsL, and so on. ln LhaL case slngular evenLs would have unvelled or
revealed Lhese unlversal posslblllLles and lL ls only on LhaL condlLlon LhaL we can descrlbe messlanlclLy
[81 23-24].
1he conundrum ls Lhls. (1) Are we Lo Lhlnk LhaL Lhe "messlanlc"--or, someLlmes, as ln Lhe "8oundLable,"
"messlanlclLy" 13 --ls Lhe onLologlcal condlLlon of posslblllLy of any concreLe messlanlsm, Lhe formal, a
prlorl sLrucLure relaLlve Lo whlch ChrlsLlanlLy or !udalsm, for example, would be Lhe maLerlal
lnsLanLlaLlon? ln LhaL case, no hlsLorlcal messlanlsm ls posslble wlLhouL Lhe messlanlc a prlorl. (2) Cr, are
we Lo Lake Lhe concreLe messlanlsms as "absoluLe evenLs" or "slngular evenLs," LhaL ls, lrreduclble
slngularlLles LhaL cannoL be subsumed under a general, formal caLegory, as unrepeaLable happenlngs
LhaL cannoL be Laken as "cases" of someLhlng more unlversal? ln LhaL case, we would know noLhlng
whaLever of Lhe messlanlc wlLhouL Lhe hlsLorlcal messlanlsms, so LhaL Lhe messlanlc lnsLead of belng a
prlorl would come laLer, a posLerlorl. uerrlda emphaslzes LhaL Lhls ls a serlous dllemma for hlm and LhaL
he mlghL perhaps one day flnd LhaL he wlll be drlven by lL beyond Lhe very dlsLlncLlon beLween messlanlc
and messlanlsm.
1he same conundrum ls descrlbed ln SpecLers of Marx as a dlfflculLy beseLLlng Lhe "Lwo messlanlc
spaces." Cn Lhe one hand, Lhe messlanlc mlghL be seen as a "unlversal sLrucLure," a "sLrucLure of
experlence," whlch consLlLuLes:
Lhe hlsLorlcal openlng Lo Lhe fuLure, Lherefore, Lo experlence lLself and Lo lLs language, expecLaLlon,
promlse, commlLmenL Lo Lhe evenL of whaL ls comlng, lmmlnence, urgency, demand for salvaLlon and for
[usLlce beyond law, pledge glven Lo Lhe oLher lnasmuch as he or she ls noL presenL, presenLly presenL or
llvlng [ SdM266/ SoM167].
8uL, Lhen, how ls Lhls unlversal sLrucLure Lo be relaLed Lo Lhe varlous "flgures of Abrahamlc messlanlsm"?
ls Lhe messlanlc an "orlglnary
____________________
13 1he Lerm "messlanlclLe" ls used lnLerchangeably wlLh "messlanlque" ln lL (see lL36), buL lL ls noL
Lo be found ln Lhe Marx book.
-169-
condlLlon" of Lhe Lhree Abrahamlc messlanlsms, or are Lhe laLLer "Lhe only evenLs on Lhe basls of whlch
we approach and flrsL all name Lhe messlanlc ln general" ( SdM267/ SoM168)?
1he dllemma calls for a number of commenLs. 14 ln Lhe flrsL place, as uerrlda polnLs ouL ln SpecLers, "Lhe
Lwo hypoLheses do noL exclude each oLher" ( SdM266/ SoM168). l Lake Lhls as follows. lL may well be
LhaL, ln Lhe order of belng (ordo essendl), Lhe messlanlc ls Lhe formal condlLlon of posslblllLy of Lhe
concreLe messlanlsms, even whlle, ln Lhe order of knowlng (ordo cognoscendl), of how we acLually learn
abouL lL, Lhe hlsLorlcal messlanlsms are Lhe only way we have come Lo learn abouL Lhe sLrucLure of Lhe
messlanlc ln general. WhaL ls flrsL ln Lhe order of belng ls lasL ln Lhe order of knowlng.
ln Lhe second place, Lhere ls someLhlng deeply unsaLlsfacLory abouL Lhe dllemma LhaL uerrlda has posed,
and Lhls because lL moves wlLhln Lhe mosL classlcal dlsLlncLlons beLween facL and essence, maLerlal and
formal, parLlcular and unlversal, example and orlglnary exemplar, emplrlcal and LranscendenLal, onLlc
and onLologlcal, LhaL ls, wlLhln dlsLlncLlons LhaL uerrlda has spenL hls enLlre llfe Lroubllng and
desLablllzlng. 1o lllusLraLe Lhls, ask yourself where, for lnsLance, deconsLrucLlon ls Lo be slLuaLed? Are we
Lo belleve LhaL deconsLrucLlon, ln conLravenLlon of everyLhlng LhaL uerrlda has been argulng for Lhree
decades, ls Lo be assoclaLed wlLh a unlversal, formal, LranscendenLal, onLologlcal condlLlon of posslblllLy?
Cr, alLernaLlvely, are we Lo Lhlnk of deconsLrucLlon as one more hlsLorlcally speclflc, leL us say
posLmodern messlanlsm? 1haL would conLravene everyLhlng LhaL uerrlda says abouL aLLachlng
deconsLrucLlon Lo Lhe absoluLe, abyssal ( SdM36/ SoM 28), deserL-llke "quasl-aLhelsLlc dryness" of Lhe
messlanlc ln general LhaL keeps lL absoluLely free of any deLermlnlng flgure of Lhe Messlah, whlch would
always spell war. Clearly, we need Lo redescrlbe Lhls oLherwlse valuable and provocaLlve dlsLlncLlon,
whlch l would propose Lo do as follows.
We have been lnslsLlng (noL wlLhouL a cerLaln deconsLrucLlve Schadenfreude) LhaL, by lnLroduclng Lhe
"messlanlc" lnLo deconsLrucLlon, uerrlda ls belng very !ewlsh. 1hls ls noL an enLlrely new Lurn of evenLs,
lL has been golng on ln one way or anoLher for a long Llme. Susan Pandelman polnLed ouL some Llme ago
how very rabblnlcal, albelL
____________________
14 lor furLher dlscusslon, see rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda, 10.
-170-
wlLh a hereLlcal LwlsL, ls Lhe whole problemaLlc of ecrlLure. 13 lL ls by now wldely recognlzed, also, LhaL
Lhe flrsL Levlnas essay ls cruclal Lo everyLhlng LhaL uerrlda has been saylng of laLe abouL Lhe oLher and
[usLlce. Agaln, he has shown a llfelong preoccupaLlon wlLh Lhe LhemaLlcs of clrcumclslon as a way Lo
emblemaLlze deconsLrucLlve analyses. 8uL ln hls mosL recenL work, and as he has goLLen Lo be an older
man, all Lhls !ewlshness comes Lo a head, lf l may say so, ln works llke Clrconfesslon--aL age flfLy-nlne, he
says, l dlscover Lhe word "dylng" ( Clrcon. 193/ Clrcum. 208)--and Memolrs of Lhe 8llnd, where he has
become more auLoblographlcal, more auLo-blo-LhanaLo-graphlcal. ln such works he flnds hlmself golng
back Lo hls !ewlsh beglnnlngs, whlch are noL only or noL qulLe !ewlsh, for hls was a very ChrlsLlanlzed,
asslmllaLed !udalsm whlch was also noL a llLLle Arab and Algerlan, and hls bond wlLh !udalsm has been
boLh broken and ablded by.
So uerrlda has become wlLh Lhe years lf noL very !ewlsh, aL leasL very quasl-!ewlsh, or hyper-!ewlsh, or
meLa-!ewlsh, cerLalnly noL !ewlsh ln Lhe convenLlonal sense, for, as we have lnslsLed Llme and Llme agaln,
uerrlda ls noL a convenLlonallsL buL an lnvenLlonallsL or a relnvenLlonallsL or even an lnLervenLlonallsL. 8y
glvlng deconsLrucLlon a messlanlc LwlsL he ls engaglng ln a cerLaln relnvenLlon of !udalsm, leL us say, a
relnvenLlon of !udalsm as deconsLrucLlon buL also, leL us lnslsL on Lhls ln order Lo scandallze hls
secularlzlng admlrers, a relnvenLlon of deconsLrucLlon as a quasl-!udalsm. ls deconsLrucLlon really a
!ewlsh sclence? 16 Well, almosL. Pe ls glvlng a cerLaln messlanlc benL Lo deconsLrucLlon, LwlsLlng and
bendlng lL ln a messlanlc dlrecLlon, and Lhls by way of glvlng !udalsm a new LwlsL, bendlng lL a blL, Lo Lhe
horror of Lhe rabbls, be Lhey conservaLlve, orLhodox, or llberal, ln a quasl-aLhelsLlc dlrecLlon. Pe ls
maklng deconsLrucLlon lnLo a devlanL, sllghLly hereLlcal !udalsm, one LhaL relnvenLs Lhe propheLlc and
messlanlc benL ln !udalsm, LhaL Lurns lL squarely ln Lhe dlrecLlon of [usLlce, and Lhls
____________________
13 Susan Pandelman, 1he Slayers of Moses: 1he Lmergence of 8abblnlc lnLerpreLaLlon ln Modern
LlLerary 1heory ( Albany: SLaLe unlverslLy of new ?ork ress, 1982), !acques uerrlda and Lhe PereLlc
PermeneuLlc, ln ulsplacemenL: uerrlda and AfLer, ed. Mark krupnlck ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy
ress, 1983), pp. 98-129, arodlc lay and ropheLlc 8eason: 1wo lnLerpreLaLlons of lnLerpreLaLlon, ln
1he 8heLorlc of lnLerpreLaLlon and Lhe lnLerpreLaLlon of 8heLorlc, ed. aul Pernadl ( uurham, n.C.: uuke
unlverslLy ress, 1989), pp. 143-171.
16 See Mal d'archlve: une lmpresslon freudlenne ( arls: Calllee, 1993), "Archlve lever: A lreudlan
lmpresslon," Lrans. Lrlc renowlLz, ulacrlLlcs, 23 ( 1993), 9-63, for a commenLary, see rayers and 1ears
of !acques uerrlda, 17.
-171-
wlLhouL regard for sacrlflce and burnL offerlngs. 1hls he does by lnslsLlng upon a cerLaln "deserLlflcaLlon"
of Abrahamlc messlanlsm, by an:
[a]scesls [LhaL] sLrlps Lhe messlanlc hope of all blbllcal forms, and even all deLermlnable flgures of Lhe
walL or expecLaLlon, lL Lhus denudes lLself ln vlew of respondlng Lo LhaL whlch musL be absoluLe
hosplLallLy, Lhe "yes" Lo Lhe arrlvanL(e), Lhe "come" Lo Lhe fuLure LhaL cannoL be anLlclpaLed [ SdM266-
267/ SoM168].)
ueconsLrucLlon ls a deserLlfled Abrahamlsm: agaln, Lo Lhe scandal of Lhe rabbls, lL has deserLed faLher
Abraham and gone ouL lnLo a khral deserL, llke an an-khr-lLe, where Lhe flower of no deLermlnable
Messlah grows. ueconsLrucLlon ls, he also says, a sllghLly "despalrlng" !udalsm, noL ln Lhe sense of glvlng
up all hope buL ln Lhe sense of glvlng up deLermlnable hope, noL belng able Lo "counL on," and hence Lo
calculaLe, Lhe comlng of some deLermlnable messlanlc flgure. Some wlll say, Lhe rabbls surely among
Lhem, maybe uerrlda hlmself wlll say, lL ls even a deadly or deaLhly !udalsm, LhaL "Lhls despalrlng
'messlanlsm' has a curlous LasLe, a LasLe of deaLh" ( SdM267-268/ SoM 169), for lL has leL any
deLermlnable messlanlc flgure dle off.
8uL none of Lhls ls Lo say, we hasLen Lo add, LhaL uerrlda's quasl!ewlsh messlanlc ls dead as a doornall,
LhaL lL ls noL on Lhe move, noL asLlr wlLh a quasl-!ewlsh passlon for lLs lmposslble dream. lor whaLever
parLs of !udalsm uerrlda has deserLed (or have deserLed hlm) and leL dle away, he has been engaged all
along ln relnvenLlng a cerLaln !udalsm, leL us say, a propheLlc !udalsm, Lhe !udalsm LhaL consLlLuLes a
propheLlc call for [usLlce, buL noL Lhe !udalsm of rellglous rlLual and sacrlflce or even of speclflc
docLrlnes. Amos has ?ahweh say LhaL Pe Lakes no dellghL ln fesLlvals, solemn assemblles, or burnL
offerlngs, buL ln [usLlce:
1ake away from me Lhe nolse of your songs,
l wlll noL llsLen Lo Lhe melody of your harps.
8uL leL [usLlce roll down llke waLers
And rlghLeousness llke an ever-flowlng sLream.
( Amos 3:21-24)
1haL ls Lhe !udalsm LhaL uerrlda lnvokes, Lhe alllance Lo whlch he has remalned falLhful, Lo whlch he calls
"come," whlch he would leL come, leL come agaln--Lhls Llme as deconsLrucLlon. lndeed lL ls whaL
deconsLrucLlon ls, ln a nuLshell. lor llke Lhe rellglon of Amos, decon-
-172-
sLrucLlon Lakes no dellghL ln sacrlflce and burnL offerlngs, or ln Lhe rlLes and Lhe rlLuals, Lhe dogmas and
docLrlnes, of Lhe several messlanlsms, buL burns wlLh propheLlc passlon for [usLlce, longs Lo see [usLlce
flow llke waLer over Lhe land. 1ake away from me Lhe nolse of your messlanlsms, he seems Lo say, and leL
[usLlce come.
ueconsLrucLlon ls a passlon for [usLlce, for Lhe lmposslble. lor Cod, "my Cod." ln Clrconfesslon, uerrlda
says LhaL, llke hls "compaLrloL" SalnL AugusLlne, he has all along been asklng hlmself "WhaL do l love
when l love my Cod" (Culd ergo amo, cum deum meum amo)? lor Lhls quasl-aLhelsLlc, deserLlfled,
denuded !udalsm does noL do away wlLh Lhe name of Cod. lndeed, Lhe name of Cod remalns Lo lL of Lhe
uLmosL lmporLance, a name Lo save (Sauf le nom), noL as Lhe answer Lo every quesLlon, as ln Lhe
Peldeggerlan complalnL abouL onLo-Lheology, buL, on Lhe conLrary, as Lhe quesLlon dlsLurblng every
answer, Lhe quesLlon of all quesLlons, Lhe quesLlon one asks oneself day and nlghL. 1he quesLlon ls noL
wheLher Lo love Cod--who would be so hard of hearL?--for LhaL ls lmposed upon us absoluLely, buL of
whaL we love when we love our Cod. ueconsLrucLlon ls love ( dS89/ olnLs83), Lhe love of someLhlng
unforeseeable, unforegraspable, someLhlng Lo come, absoluLely, someLhlng undeconsLrucLlble and
lmposslble, someLhlng nameless (cf. Sauf91-93/ Cn74). 1hen whaL name shall we glve Lo Lhls nameless
love, Lo whaL ln rellglon ls always called Cod? Shall we call lL [usLlce? ln deconsLrucLlon Lhe consLancy of
whaL we call "my Cod" goes by oLher names ( Clrcon. 146/ Clrcum. 133)--names llke [usLlce, hosplLallLy,
LesLlmony, Lhe glfL--and democracy. lor Cod ls Lhe name of Lhe oLher, any oLher, no maLLer whom
( Sauf90/ Cn73).
1he parLlcular benL LhaL Lhls !ewlsh-messlanlc glves deconsLrucLlon, Lhe parLlcular LwlsL LhaL Lhe
messlanlc Lakes ln deconsLrucLlon, l would llke Lo suggesL, ls Lo become a messlanlsm of Lhe democracy
Lo come. ueconsLrucLlon ls, l would say, sLlll one more messlanlsm, or aL leasL a "quasl-messlanlsm, so
anxlous, fraglle, and lmpoverlshed . . . a quaslLranscendenLal messlanlsm" ( SdM267/ SoM168), an
hlsLorlcally speclflc--lrench and laLe LwenLleLh-cenLury--phllosophlcal, or quaslphllosophlcal,
messlanlsm, or a "posLmodern messlanlsm," lf LhaL word glves you a charge. ueconsLrucLlon Lakes Lhe
speclflc form of a democraLlc messlanlsm, by whlch l mean a LhoughL and pracLlce ln whlch everyLhlng ls
Lurned Loward a democracy Lo come, whlch Lakes Lhe form, as uerrlda says, of "absoluLe hosplLallLy, Lhe
'yes' Lo Lhe arrlvanL(e), Lhe 'come' Lo Lhe fuLure LhaL cannoL be anLlclpaLed" ( SdM
-173-
266-267/ SoM168). AfLer all, Lhe open-endedness of Lhe messlanlc asplraLlon does noL lssue ln speaklng
of a "monarchy Lo come" or an "ollgarchy Lo come." 1he democracy Lo come ls a democracy Lo come, an
a venlr wlLh a deLermlnaLe hlsLorlcal genealogy. ln Lhls messlanlsm of Lhe democracy Lo come, all eyes
and ears are Lurned Lo everyone and everyLhlng LhaL ls ground under by Lhe powers LhaL be, Lhe powers
LhaL are presenL, Lhe powers LhaL preslde, whlch ls whaL Lhe scrlpLures call "Lhe naLlons" (eLhne). 8y
keeplng lLself free of all prevalllng ldols, deconsLrucLlon dreams of a democracy LhaL keeps lLself open,
welcomlng, Lo Lhe lmposslble, Lo Lhe comlng of Lhe LouL auLre.
8y a democracy Lo come he ls noL assoclaLlng hlmself, a la 8lchard 8orLy, wlLh Lhe nA1C-ese
Lrlumphallsm of Lhe WesLern democracles and "llberal euphorla," buL wlLh an eLhlco-pollLlcal, l would
say a propheLlc, "asplraLlon" (as opposed Lo a "vlslon"). 17 A democraLlc messlanlsm Lurns on a hope and
falLh ln an order LhaL allows dlsorder ("ouL of [olnL"), on a hope ln someLhlng radlcally plurallsLlc,
plurlvocal, mulLl-culLural, heLeromorphlc, heLerologlcal, and heLeronomlc, someLhlng LhaL ouLsLrlps whaL
we Loday call naLlon and naLlonal clLlzenshlp (Lhe "naLlons"), naLlonallsm and naLlonallLy. ln Lhls
messlanlc asplraLlon, Lhe hegemonlc rule of Lhe mosL powerful naLlons, who domlnaLe Lhe so-called
"unlLed naLlons," would be dellmlLed ln a new lnLernaLlonal, one LhaL ls aLLuned Lo Lhe graLulLous
sufferlngs LhaL ensue from whaL Levlnas called Lhe haLred of Lhe oLher. 1hls ls a quaslpollLlcal, quasl-
eLhlcal, quasl-propheLlc, posL-MarxlsL, neo-democraLlc, arlslan messlanlsm benL on keeplng any
prevalllng or exlsLlng democracy sLrucLurally open Lo a democracy Lo come, whlch means palnfully and
acuLely consclous of lLs own ln[usLlce, whlch ls why deconsLrucLlon can be a paln.
A democraLlc messlanlsm ls on Lhe qul vlve abouL all Lhe ways ln whlch every exlsLlng democracy ls
undemocraLlc, ln whlch Lhere are no democracles, my frlends, noL yeL, for democracy ls sLlll Lo come. 18
____________________
17 lor crlLlques of 8orLy from uerrlda's polnL of vlew, see LrnesLo Laclau, "CommunlLy and lLs
aradoxes: 8lchard 8orLy's 'Llberal uLopla,'" ln CommunlLy aL Loose Lnds, pp. 83-98, Mark 1aylor,
"aralecLlcs," ln 1ears ( Albany: SLaLe unlverslLy of new ?ork ress, 1990), pp. 123-144, !ohn u. CapuLo,
"ln Search of Lhe Cuasl1ranscendenLal: 1he Case of uerrlda and 8orLy," Worklng 1hrough uerrlda, ed.
Cary Madlson ( LvansLon, lll.: norLhwesLern unlverslLy ress, 1993), pp. 147-169.
18 ln "1he ollLlcs of lrlendshlp," Lrans. Cabrlel MoLzkln, !ournal of hllosophy, 83, no. 11
( november, 1988), 632-644, uerrlda beglns by clLlng MonLalgne, "C my frlends, Lhere ls no frlend."
MonLalgne ls hlmself repeaLlng Lhe aLLrlbuLlon of Lhls
-174-
1hls democraLlc messlanlsm ls acuLely consclous LhaL Lhe mosL un[usL, Lhe mosL undemocraLlc LhoughL
of all ls LhaL democracy ls here, now, ln WesLern Lurope or Lhe good old u.S.A., or ln Lhe new World
Crder. uerrlda wanLs Lo keep Lhe propheLlc denunclaLlon ln place, always and already, never Lo sllence
Lhe shrlll volce of Lhe propheLlc clalm LhaL lsrael ls unfalLhful Lo Lhe Lord and consLanLly falls down before
ldols of presence, LhaL she puLs burnL offerlngs before [usLlce. Such a "propheLlc" clalm ls noL, however,
excused from Lhe mosL consLanL and careful calculaLlon, Lhe mosL scrupulous and deLalled analyses of
lnsLlLuLlons, laws, and programs LhaL serve Lhe lnLeresLs of blg money, and Lhe mosL relenLless crlLlclsm
of leaders who pass Lhemselves off as "democraLlc" even as Lhey concern Lhemselves noL wlLh subsLance
buL wlLh Lhelr medla lmage, noL wlLh Lhe common weal buL Lhelr own reelecLlon. ueconsLrucLlon
slLuaLes lLself ln Lhe gap beLween all exlsLlng democracles, whlch are noL democraLlc, and Lhe democracy
Lo come, and Lhls preclsely ln order Lo keep allve wlLh propheLlc fervor a messlanlc falLh ln Lhe
unforeseeable and lncalculable flgure of Lhe !usL Cne, of Lhe democracy, Lo come. 19
So, Lhen, Lo reLurn Lo our conundrum, l would say LhaL lL ls lmposslble for uerrlda Lo slL down Lo Lhe
Lable wlLh Lhe "messlanlc" lf LhaL ls Laken as a Lrue or sLrong unlversal, a genulne LranscendenLal or
onLologlcal condlLlon of posslblllLy. lor Lhe whole LhrusL of deconsLrucLlon and lLs noLlon of dlfferance ls
Lo show LhaL such sLrucLures are always Lraces ln Lhe play of dlfferences and we do noL have access Lo
overarchlng, Lrans-hlsLorlcal, LranscendenLal, onLologlcal, unlversal sLrucLures. We are, lf Lhere ls
anyLhlng aL all Lo dlfferance, always sLuck where we are, ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe play of Lraces, ln cerLaln
hlsLorlcal
____________________
sLaLemenL Lo ArlsLoLle by ulogenes LaerLlus, and uerrlda has come upon lL ln Lhe flnal pages of
8lanchoL's Mlchel loucaulL as l lmaglne Plm, Lrans. !effrey Mehlman, ln loucaulL, 8lanchoL ( new ?ork:
Zone 8ooks, 1987), see ol.333ff.
19 1he mosL lnLeresLlng flgures worklng on a "radlcal democraLlc" Lheory wlLhln a uerrldean
framework are LrnesLo Laclau and ChanLal Mouffe, see LrnesLo Laclau's revlew of SpecLers of Marx, "1he
1lme ls CuL of !olnL," ulacrlLlcs, 23 ( 1993), 86-97, new 8eflecLlons on Lhe 8evoluLlon of our 1lme
( London: verso, 1990), and, wlLh ChanLal Mouffe, Pegemony and SoclallsL SLraLegy: 1owards a 8adlcal
uemocraLlc ollLlcs ( new ?ork: verso, 1983), and ChanLal Mouffe, 1he 8eLurn of Lhe ollLlcal ( new ?ork:
verso, 1993). lor a dlscusslon of Laclau and SpecLers of Marx, see Slmon CrlLchley , "uerrlda's SpecLers of
Marx," hllosophy and Soclal CrlLlclsm, 21 ( 1993), 1-30. Laclau and Mouffe have lnauguraLed a new
book serles wlLh verso enLlLled "hronesls," dedlcaLed Lo an "anLl-essenLlallsL" Lheory of radlcal
democracy and lefLlsL pollLlcs. 8ennlngLon's LeglslaLlons appears ln Lhls serles.
-173-
(and soclal, sexual, pollLlcal, eLc.) webs or neLworks ( uLC233/ CC 162). 1haL means we would always
have Lo do wlLh cerLaln messlanlsms, cerLaln slngular and hlsLorlcal formaLlons LhaL are forged by Lhe
clrcumsLances of hlsLory. LeL us recall LhaL uerrlda does noL renounce Lhe ldea of Lhe "hlsLorlcal," as hls
mosL LhoughLless crlLlcs charge, buL raLher reconcelves lL ln Lerms of Lhe "slngularlLy" of Lhe "evenL," Lhe
unlque and lrreduclble momenL ln whlch someLhlng ldlosyncraLlc happens, someLhlng LhaL, lf lL ls Lruly
hlsLorlcal, cannoL be saLuraLed wlLh unlversallLy, baLhed ln Lhe llghL of Lhe general, Lurned lnLo a Loken of
a Lype. So, !udalsm musL be for hlm, l venLure Lo say, and Lhls oughL also Lo hold for deconsLrucLlon lLself,
an "absoluLe" evenL, slngular, lrreduclble Lo some general form.
WhaL, Lhen, of Lhe dry, deserL-llke "messlanlc"? ls lL noL an absLracLlon from Lhe varlous Abrahamlc
messlanlsms?
1hls crlLlque [deconsLrucLlon] belongs Lo Lhe movemenL of an experlence open Lo Lhe absoluLe fuLure
of whaL ls comlng, LhaL ls Lo say, a necessarlly lndeLermlnaLe, absLracL, deserL-llke experlence LhaL ls
conflded, exposed, glven up Lo lLs walLlng for Lhe oLher and for Lhe evenL. ln lLs pure formallLy, ln Lhe
lndeLermlnaLlon LhaL lL requlres, one may flnd yeL anoLher essenLlal afflnlLy beLween lL and a cerLaln
messlanlc splrlL [SdM 148/SoM 90].
1o be sure. 8uL l conLend LhaL Lhls ls a necessarlly parLlal absLracLlon, almed aL exLrlcaLlng lLself from Lhe
secLarlan bellefs and rlvalrles of Lhe messlanlsms, buL noL from Lhe common, undenlably Abrahamlc
ground Lhey share. 1o LhaL exLenL Lhe messlanlc represenLs a falled absLracLlon, a weak unlversal, a
llmlLed formallLy LhaL LwlsLs free from faLher Abraham only Lhus far buL noL farLher, and cerLalnly noL ln
such a way as Lo leave behlnd no Lrall or Lracks. We can easlly Lrack lL down and Lrace lL back Lo faLher
Abraham, and especlally Lo Lhe propheLlc hope ln [usLlce Lo come. 1haL ls why anyone wlLh an ear for Lhe
Pebrew and ChrlsLlan scrlpLures ls soon enough led Lo remark abouL how very !ewlsh, or quasl-!ewlsh,
or hyper-!ewlsh, uerrlda and whaL ls called deconsLrucLlon ls geLLlng Lo be. nobody Lhlnks he sounds llke
a "8uddhlsL" aL Lhls polnL, aL Lhls preclsely propheLlc and messlanlc polnL. 1haL ls why l have argued ln
1he rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda LhaL Lhe "apophaLlc" elemenL ln deconsLrucLlon, Lhe lnsLrucLlve
convergences of deconsLrucLlon boLh wlLh ChrlsLlan negaLlve Lhe-
-176-
ology and wlLh Aslan and speclflcally 8uddhlsL moLlfs, has a llmlL and musL be relnscrlbed wlLhln Lhls
more !ewlsh "messlanlc" moLlf.
lf lL ls Lhe mark of a messlanlsm Lo deLermlne or ldenLlfy Lhe flgure of Lhe Messlah, l would say LhaL
deconsLrucLlon represenLs a messlanlsm LhaL, lf lL does noL ldenLlfy Lhe form of Lhe messlah, does reLaln
an ldenLlflably or deLermlnably messlanlc form, Lhe very form of a Messlah. ueconsLrucLlon does noL
have Lo do wlLh a deLermlnaLe fuLure buL lL reLalns Lhe messlanlc deLermlnaLlon of fuLurlclLy, of Lhe a
venlr. ueconsLrucLlon does noL glve a deLermlnaLe form Lo Lhe welcome Lo Lhe oLher buL lL reLalns Lhe
form of Lhe welcome. ueconsLrucLlon does noL ldenLlfy Lhe promlse or covenanL, or consLrlcL Lhem Lo
some prlvlleged people, buL lL reLalns Lhe expecLanL, promlssory, and covenanLal form. lL does noL glve
conLenL Lo lLs falLh and hope, buL lL reLalns Lhe form of falLh and hope.
So Lhe "messlanlc" ls a weak unlversal, llke 8en[amln's "weak messlanlc force," or vaLLlmo's weak
LhoughL, a quasl-LranscendenLal, an absLracLlon, Lo be sure, buL one LhaL ls hlsLorlcally ldenLlflable,
lodged lnexLrlcably ln an hlsLorlcal language, ln Lhe deLermlnaLe Pebrew word maslah, LranslaLable lnLo
Lhe Creek chrlsLos, marked and lndexed lndellbly by lLs !ewlsh, Pebrew, blbllcal, and rellglous
provenance of whlch lL can never be "denuded," by whlch lL ls sLlll parLlally cloLhed. ueconsLrucLlon, no
less Lhan uerrlda, dld noL drop from Lhe sky ( Lu 233/ Wu137), and lL cannoL llfL lLself llke an algle on
Pegellan wlngs above hlsLorlcal parLlcularlLles. uerrlda has broughL hls !ewlsh prayer shawl ouL of Lhe
closeL.
l have suggesLed elsewhere LhaL uerrlda mlghL be alded here by employlng Lhe noLlon of a "formal
lndlcaLlon" Lo be found ln Lhe young Peldegger, as opposed Lo Lhe sLronger, more Marburglan,
neokanLlan Lalk Lo be found ln 8elng and 1lme of a "fundamenLal onLology" and "LranscendenLal."
"concepLs," Lo whlch uerrlda refers ln Lhe "8oundLable." So vlewed, Lhe messlanlc would be, noL a
"unlversal" "concepL" LhaL grasps or "lncludes" lLs parLlculars, buL a klnd of weak or fraglle polnLer aL Lhe
lush complexlLles of Lhe "facLlcal" messlanlsms. 1he key Lo a formal lndlcaLlon ls LhaL lL does noL
subsume or enclose parLlculars wlLhln or under lL, does noL preconLaln Lhem, buL slmply polnLs an
lndlcaLlve flnger aL "slngularlLles" LhaL are beyond lLs ken, klnd, genus, and generlc appeLlLe. 1he facLlclLy
or slngularlLy, on Lhe oLher hand, ls noL "concelved" or "grasped" buL enLered lnLo, glven ln
-177-
Lo, by a cerLaln pracLlcal or praxlcal engagemenL, whlch means LhaL you can never "geL" lL from Lhe
ouLslde and you can never "geL lnLo" lL excepL by "dolng" lL, facere verlLaLem. 10
Cn LhaL accounLlng, Lhe "messlanlc" would be a lndex polnLlng aL Lhe several messlanlsms, among whlch
would Lhen be lncluded deconsLrucLlon lLself, whlch we would need Lo add Lo Lhe llsL as sLlll one more
messlanlsm, as a cerLaln deconsLrucLlve messlanlsm, an hlsLorlcally ldenLlflable and deLermlnably laLe
LwenLleLh-cenLury, arlslan, posLMarxlsL, radlcally democraLlc, eLhlco-pollLlcal, propheLlco-messlanlc plea
for [usLlce and Lhe absoluLe fuLure. Such a democraLlc messlanlsm ls aLLuned Lo Lhe Lerror and sufferlng
LhaL Lhe LwenLleLh cenLury has produced ln lLs LoLallLarlan excesses of Lhe lefL and rlghL, whlch ls Lhe
hlsLorlcal maLrlx from whlch deconsLrucLlon was born ln Lhe 1960s. nowadays, lLs ear ls Luned Lo Lhe
Lrlumphallsm of Lhe "new world order" whlch, havlng had a vlslon of a free-markeL Messlah wanderlng
Lhe sLrlp malls and freeways of Los Angeles, has hardened lLs hearL agalnsL Lhe vlcLlms of caplLallsL
excess. no maLLer how deep lL venLures lnLo Lhe deserL, uerrlda's "messlanlc" would always be a cerLaln
resLrlcLed, relaLlve, or weak formallzaLlon of a baslcally blbllcal and very !ewlsh ldea. ueconsLrucLlon ls,
ln parLlcular, Lhe relnvenLlon of a deLermlnably propheLlc ldea of Lhe expecLaLlon of an everlasLlng [usLlce
Lo come, of one who comes "Lo brlng good news Lo Lhe oppressed" ( ls. 61:1).
When Wlll ?ou Come?
uerrlda concludes hls remarks on Lhe messlanlc ln Lhe "8oundLable" by comlng back Lo Lhe sLory he
found ln 8lanchoL's WrlLlng Lhe ulsasLer-whlch 8lanchoL found ln Lhe !ewlsh commenLaLors--ouL Lhe
comlng of Lhe Messlah. When Lhe Messlah ls recognlzed, Lhe flrsL Lhlng LhaL ls sald Lo hlm ls "When wlll
you come?" up Lo now we have
____________________
10 See MarLln Peldegger, "hanomenologlsche lnLerpreLaLlonen zu ArlsLoLeles: Llnfuhrung ln dle
phanomenologlsche lorschung", WS 1921/22, CesamLausgabe 61, ed. W. 8rcker and k. 8rcker-
ClLmanns ( lrankfurL am Maln: klosLermann, 1983), pp. 33-34, 60-61, and passlm, Lhe noLlon of formale
Anzelge ls dlscussed LhroughouL CA 61. See uanlel C. uahlsLrom, "Peldegger's MeLhod: hllosophlcal
ConcepLs as lormal lndlcaLlons," 8evlew of MeLaphyslcs, 47 ( 1994), 773-793, and Lhe groundbreaklng
sLudles of !ohn van 8uren, 1he ?oung Peldegger ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1994) and
1heodore klslel, 1he Cenesls of Peldegger's 8elng and 1lme ( 8erkeley: unlverslLy of Callfornla ress,
1993).
-178-
undersLood Lhls quesLlon, whlch uerrlda says ls "very profound," by pursulng Lhe 8lanchoLlan polnL, so
cenLral Lo deconsLrucLlon, LhaL Lhe comlng (venue) of Lhe Messlah ls noL Lo be confused wlLh acLual,
hlsLorlcal presence (presence), LhaL Lhe messlanlc "evenL" ls noL Lo be confused wlLh lLs "occurrence" ln
ordlnary Llme. lor Lhe Messlah ls always, sLrucLurally Lo come, so LhaL even were he Lo show up we
would sLlll need Lo ask when we may expecL hlm Lo come. lndeed, uerrlda Lells us elsewhere LhaL lL was
ln 8lanchoL, noL Lhe 8lble, LhaL he flrsL came upon Lhe LhemaLlcs of Lhe "come" (vlens) LhaL are so cenLral
Lo deconsLrucLlon ( 1on.87/ 81162). 8uL ln Lhe "8oundLable" uerrlda offers us Lwo addlLlonal ways Lo
read Lhls sLory.
ln Lhe flrsL place, Lhe quesLlon slgnlfles:
a way of walLlng for Lhe fuLure, rlghL now. 1he responslblllLles LhaL are asslgned Lo us by Lhls messlanlc
sLrucLure are responslblllLles for here and now. 1he Messlah ls noL some fuLure presenL, lL ls lmmlnenL,
and lL ls Lhls lmmlnence LhaL l am descrlblng under Lhe name of messlanlc sLrucLure.
So, Lhere ls noLhlng procrasLlnaLlve abouL deconsLrucLlve expecLaLlon. 1he messlanlc ls noL a wlsLful
longlng for a fuLure occurrence LhaL ls a more or less calculable number of years off, noL a dreamy
walLlng for a fuLure presenL, buL a sollclLaLlon, a provocaLlon happenlng ln messlanlc Llme, whlch means
a provocaLlon comlng from Lhe fuLure Lo come, from Lhe LouL auLre, from Lhe [usLlce or glfL or hosplLallLy
Lo come, LhaL ls vlslLed upon us now, here and how. 1he messlanlc "overLakes" us ln Lhe messlanlc
"momenL," ln a Lransformlng "surprlse" LhaL selzes us here and now--ln Lhe "presenL, as Lhe 'Llme of Lhe
now,'" as 8en[amln says 21.--and ellclLs and sollclLs [usLlce from us, now. uerrlda assoclaLes Lhls momenL,
as we have seen, wlLh Lhe momenL of madness ln lear and 1rembllng ln whlch we Lear up Lhe carefully
calculaLed clrcle of expendlLures and reLurns and glve ourselves Lo Lhe fuLure wlLhouL reserve. 1hls ls
whaL ls called Lhe "aporla of urgency" ln "1he lorce of Law," Lhe noLlon LhaL [usLlce, lf Lhere ls such a
Lhlng, does noL walL, LhaL [usLlce, whlch ls always Lo come, ls needed now, musL be broughL abouL here,
now, Loday ( lL37-38/ u!26). ln WrlLlng Lhe ulsasLer 8lanchoL says LhaL "Come, come" ls noL sald wlLh
your llps alone, whaL ls requlred ls "Lhe efforLs of men, vlrLue, Lhelr repenLance." 22 1he messlanlc ls a
call LhaL ls whlspered ln my ear Lo begln
____________________
21 lllumlnaLlons, . 263.
22 WrlLlng Lhe ulsasLer, p. 142.
-179-
now, Loday, worklng for [usLlce, wlLhouL delay, even Lhough [usLlce ls always Lo come (sLrucLurally
delayed). So, 8lanchoL adds, Lhe Messlah may, lf he chooses, answer Lhls lmperLlnenL quesLlon by saylng
"1oday." 1he messlanlc commands us noL Lo walL--Lo brlng abouL [usLlce Loday, Lo change our llves
Loday--even as lL puLs us under Lhe obllgaLlon also Lo walL--Lo concede, Lo lnslsL LhaL [usLlce ls never here.
8uL uerrlda menLlons ln Lhe "8oundLable" sLlll anoLher LwlsL Lo Lhls sLory, whlch ls, alas, preclsely
deferral:
l would llke hlm Lo come, l hope LhaL he wlll come, and, aL Lhe same Llme, l am scared. l do noL wanL
whaL l wanL, and l would llke Lhe comlng of Lhe Messlah Lo be lnflnlLely posLponed. . . . [A]s long as l ask
you Lhe quesLlon, "When wlll you come?", aL leasL you are noL comlng. . . . So Lhere ls some amblgulLy ln
Lhe messlanlc sLrucLure. We walL for someLhlng we would noL llke Lo walL for. 1haL ls anoLher name for
deaLh [ 8124-23].
We walL for Lhe Messlah Lhe way we walL for deaLh, hoplng lL never arrlves. lor Lhe comlng of Lhe
Messlah asks someLhlng of us, makes a demand upon us, lays clalm Lo us, flxes us flrmly ln a place of
accusaLlon, obllgaLlon, and responslblllLy, asks us Lo glve. 1haL ls someLhlng we would, lf we could, lf lL
could go unnoLlced, forgo, omlL, duck, dodge. So, we have an "anxlous" relaLlonshlp Lo Lhe Messlah, an
amblguous mlx of sympaLhy and anLlpaLhy, llke Lhe "anxleLy before Lhe good" descrlbed by vlglllus
Paufnlensls. 23 lor Lhe sub[ecL, whlch ls a prlnclple of approprlaLlon and narclsslsm, prefers good
lnvesLmenLs, glves ln Lo Lhe lazy drlfL of ordlnary Llme ln whlch Lhe clrcle of reLurn ls allowed Lo
accumulaLe galns. 1he sub[ecL prefers Lhe easy clrculaLlon of self-approprlaLlon, wlLhouL rupLure and
lnLerrupLlon, wlLhouL all Lhe dlsLurbance of an "evenL," wlLhouL all Lhe (nolseless) ruckus of Lhe
"momenL" whlch Lears up Lhe clrcle.
So, agaln, conLrary Lo uerrlda's crlLlcs, "undecldablllLy" and dlfferance do noL lmply lndeclslon and delay.
Cn Lhe conLrary, Lhey serve Lo underllne and expose posLponemenL, Lo make Lhe reLardaLlon of [usLlce
look bad, Lo make more sallenL Lhe urgency of declslon. lor deconsLrucLlon, lf Lhere ls such a Lhlng, ls a
passlon, an lmpasslonlng, an lmpaLlence, for [usLlce.
"When wlll you come?"
"1oday."
1haL ls deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell.
____________________
23 klerkegaard, ConcepL of AnxleLy, pp. 42, 118ff.
-180-
7
8e-!oyce, Say ?es
". . . and how he klssed me under Lhe Moorlsh wall and l LhoughL well as well hlm as anoLher and Lhen
l asked hlm wlLh my eyes Lo ask agaln yes and Lhen he asked me would l yes Lo say yes my mounLaln
flower and flrsL l puL my arms around hlm yes and drew hlm down Lo me so he could feel my breasLs all
perfume yes and hls hearL was golng llke mad and yes l sald yes l wlll ?es."
-- !AMLS !C?CL, ulysses
"lor a very long Llme, Lhe quesLlon of Lhe yes has moblllzed and Lraversed everyLhlng l have been
Lrylng Lo Lhlnk, wrlLe, Leach, or read."
-- uC108/ AL287
1he "8oundLable" concludes wlLh a quesLlon abouL uerrlda's work on !ames !oyce, abouL Lhe back-and-
forLh movemenL beLween uerrlda and !oyce, for lf uerrlda has made a denL ln !oycean scholarshlp, lf he
has lnfluenced how people read !oyce, LhaL ls only because !oyce has flowed deeply lnLo uerrlda's pen
and been aL work on uerrlda almosL from Lhe beglnnlng of hls sLudles. uerrlda's lnLeresL ln !oyce, whlch
beglnnlng early on has lefL lLs mark on many of hls works, 1 ls noL dlfflculL Lo explaln. lor !oyce ls a wrlLer
who pracLlced, who enacLed Lhe "dlssemlnaLlon" of whlch uerrlda dreamed and wroLe. !oyce ls a wrlLer
who ralses Lhe quesLlon of wrlLlng, whose wrlLlng ls lmmensely "wrlLerly" and draws aLLenLlon Lo Lhe
very sLuff of ecrlLure. !oyce ls one of an emlnenL llne of "modernlsLs" who have aLLracLed uerrlda's (so-
____________________
1 ln uC27-34/ S!149-132, uerrlda glves us a reLrospecLlve of hls works as varlous readlngs made
ln Lhe llghL of !oyce. Pe slngles ouL lnLroducLlon Lo Pusserl's "Crlgln of CeomeLry" ( PCC), ulssemlnaLlon,
and 1he osL Card, noL Lo menLlon Clas and "Scrlbble (wrlLlng-power)," ?ale lrench SLudles, 38 ( 1979),
116-147.
-181-
called "posLmodern") aLLenLlon--along wlLh kafka, Mallarme, 8lanchoL, Celan, ArLaud, CeneL, onge,
and oLhers--who ralse Lhe very quesLlon of llLeraLure, wrlLers whose LexLs call aLLenLlon Lo Lhemselves as
LexLs, who push us Lo Lhe llmlL, who compel us Lo ask whaL a llLerary LexL ls and whaL we should do wlLh
lL (AL 41-42). uerrlda's parLlcular lnLeresL ln !oyce Lurns on Lhe "yes, yes"--Molly's, !oyce's, uerrlda's-and
LhaL provldes a lovely way Lo conclude Lhe "8oundLable." lor lL brlngs uerrlda back Lo Lhe beglnnlng, Lo
Lhe quesLlon of beglnnlngs, of lnauguraLlons, wlLh whlch he sLarLed, for beglnnlngs and lnauguraLlons
musL consLanLly be resLarLed and reafflrmed.
8L1WLLn PuSSL8L Anu !C?CL
lL Lells us someLhlng abouL uerrlda, glves us someLhlng of a reveallng porLralL of hlm as a young man ln
Lhe 1930s, Lo see how he was, aL one and Lhe same Llme, deeply Laken by boLh Ldmund Pusserl and
!ames !oyce. ln 1936-37, afLer passlng Lhe examlnaLlon for Lhe aggregaLlon, he was awarded a granL Lo
sLudy a mlcrofllm collecLlon aL Parvard unlverslLy of unpubllshed LexLs of Pusserl. 8ennlngLon says LhaL
Lhls was a "somewhaL flcLlLlous preLexL" for seelng Parvard Square and vlslLlng Lhe u.S.A. 2 Why, afLer
all, would a arlslan phllosopher come Lo MassachuseLLs Lo sLudy Pusserl? WhaLever work he dld on
Pusserl LhaL year aL Parvard, we know from whaL uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable" LhaL he also spenL a
loL of Llme readlng !ames !oyce ln Lhe Wldener Llbrary (he also was marrled LhaL year, ln 8osLon, ln !une,
1937). uerrlda was Laken noL by Lhe more engaglng Pusserl of "llfe-world" phenomenology, Lo whlch
Merleau-onLy had glven so much currency ln Lhose heady days of "lrench phenomenology," buL by Lhe
mosL rlgorous and absLracL, Lhe mosL scrupulous, even Ledlous analyses of slgns, meanlng, and ldeallLy Lo
be found ln Pusserl's Loglcal lnvesLlgaLlons. 1o Lhls uerrlda [olned a fasclnaLlon wlLh Lhe exploslon of
meLaphorlclLy and of mulLlllngual assoclaLlon ln !oyce. "lL ls from Lhe Lenslon beLween Lhese Lwo
lnLerpreLaLlons of language," he says ln Lhe "8oundLable,""LhaL l Lrled Lo address Lhe quesLlon of
language."
lndeed, hls flrsL reference Lo !oyce occurs ln a book on Pusserl, hls flrsL publlshed work ( 1962), Lo whlch
he refers us ln Lhe "8oundLable," a lrench LranslaLlon of Pusserl's "Crlgln of CeomeLry" accompanled
____________________
2 8ennlngLon and uerrlda, !acques uerrlda, p. 329.
-182-
by a now [usLly famous "lnLroducLlon." 1rylng Lo Lrace Lhe hlsLorlcal genesls or consLlLuLlon of ldeal
meanlng, Pusserl lnslsLed upon "Lhe lmperaLlve of unlvoclLy" (PCdC 101/PCC 100) LhaL Lhe same words
bear Lhe same meanlng across Llme, LhaL laLer generaLlons be able Lo repeaL and reacLlvaLe exacLly Lhe
same sense, ln order Lhereby Lo allow communlcaLlon and, hence, progress among generaLlons of
lnvesLlgaLors. 1he opposlLe concepLlon ls !oyce's, whlch locaLes hlsLory ln releaslng every burled
assoclaLlon ln language, ln loadlng every vocable, word, and senLence wlLh Lhe hlghesL posslble amounL
of assoclaLlve poLenLlal, whlch culLlvaLes raLher Lhan avolds plurlvoclLy, so LhaL hlsLory lurches forward ln
a labyrlnLh, a "nlghLmare" of equlvocaLlon (PCdC 104-103/PCC 102).
uerrlda ls sLruck by Lhe self-llmlLaLlon of boLh ldeas. lor unbrldled equlvocallLy would breed such
confuslon LhaL "Lhe very LexL of lLs repeLlLlon" (PCdC 103/PCC 103) would be unlnLelllglble, even as
perfecL unlvoclLy, were such a Lhlng posslble, would resulL only ln paralysls and sLerlllLy, ln Lhe lndeflnlLe
relLeraLlon of Lhe same, noL ln a "hlsLory." !oyce would Lhus have Lo make some concesslons Lo unlvoclLy,
even as Pusserl would be forced Lo admlL a cerLaln equlvoclLy lnLo hlsLory, a cerLaln muLaLlon LhaL ls no
mere accldenL or fall buL a LransformaLlon LhaL musL accompany every repeLlLlon and Lransmlsslon, ln
vlrLue of whlch hlsLory ls noL a slmple reproducLlon buL a producLlve self-LransformaLlon.
ueconsLrucLlon--as usual--slLuaLes lLself ln Lhe dlsLance beLween Lhese Lwo. lL does noL renounce Lhe
consLlLuLlon of meanlng and Lhe Lransmlsslon of sclenLlflc ldeas, even whlle lL lnscrlbes ldeallLy ln Lhe
flux of wrlLlng, for Lhe sphere of ldeal meanlng ls always and already forged from below, as an effecL of
Lhe play of Lraces. ueconsLrucLlon ls a cerLaln Pusserllanlsm, a Lheory of Lhe consLlLuLlon of meanlng and
ldeallLy, buL one LhaL ls always already exposed Lo a cerLaln !oyceanlsm, Lo Lhe lrrepresslble anarchy of
slgnlflers, Lhe unmasLerable, anarchlc evenL of archl-ecrlLure. lor LexLuallLy or ecrlLure sees Lo lL LhaL we
are aL besL able Lo puL LogeLher cerLaln unsLable and conLlngenL unlLles of "meanlng," cerLaln effecLs of
Lhe dlfferenLlal play of Lraces LhaL, wlLh a llck and a promlse, may geL us Lhrough Lhe day, LhaL are only as
good as Lhe work Lhey do and only for Lhe whlle LhaL Lhey do lL, before Lhey glve way Lo more fellclLous
effecLs and more successful convergences, before Lhey are Laken up noL lnLo "hlgher" buL lnLo dlfferenL
and more fellclLous conflguraLlons.
-183-
ulssemlnaLlon ls an aLLempL noL Lo declmaLe meanlng buL Lo explaln lL by exposlng lLs !oycean
underslde, laylng bare Lhe nomlnallsLlc conLlngency of whaL we call meanlng, maklng plaln, ln shorL, Lhe
consLrucLedness and, hence, Lhe deconsLrucLlblllLy of meanlng. "!oyce" ls Lhe name of one of Lhe poles
of deconsLrucLlon, Lhe name of one of lLs Lroplcs, Lhe name of a body of LexLs ln whlch Lhe chance, Lhe
conLlngency, Lhe assoclaLlve powers, Lhe moblllLy, Lhe energy, and Lhe "[oy" of Lhe Lrace are almosL
perfecLly summoned. 1he alm of deconsLrucLlon ls noL Lo dlssolve everyLhlng ln !oycean excess and leL lL
go up ln Lhe smoke of dlssemlnaLlve plurlvoclLy. uerrlda expressly warns us agalnsL mlsLaklng Lhls Lalk of
Lhe "play of slgnlflers," whlch Loo ofLen resulLs ln "lnferences" LhaL are "faclle, Ledlous, and nalvely
[ubllaLory" ( uC111/ AL289). 1he alm ls Lo expose whaL we call "meanlng" and "ldeallLy," sclence and
phllosophy, Lo Lhls !oycean operaLlon, Lo hold Lhe feeL of Lhe ldenLlLy and ldeallLy of meanlng Lo Lhe flre
of dlfferance. 1he alm ls noL Lo Lhrow meanlng Lo Lhe four wlnds buL Lo lnslsL upon a more chasLened
sense of Lhe conLlngency of sense, of everyLhlng LhaL calls lLself unlversal or necessary, LranscendenLal or
onLologlcal, phllosophlcal or sclenLlflc. 1he ldea ls noL Lo [eLLlson Lhese ldeas buL Lo redescrlbe Lhem, for
Lhey are noL whaL Lhey say Lhey are, and Lhls by way of relnscrlblng Lhem ln Lhe play of Lraces:
8uL Lhls ldenLlLy of sense, Lhe ground of unlvoclLy and Lhe condlLlon for reacLlvaLlon, ls always relaLlve,
because lL ls always lnscrlbed wlLhln a moblle sysLem of relaLlons and Lakes lLs source ln an lnflnlLely
open pro[ecL of acqulslLlon [PCdC 106/PCC 104].
"!oyce" ls Lhus, early on, a name for an operaLlon, an energy, LhaL ls always aL work ln language, and,
hence, ln deconsLrucLlon. 8uL lL ls Lhe name of buL one operaLlon, for deconsLrucLlon ls always slLuaLed
"beLween," ln Lhe "Lenslon" beLween, Lhese !oycean and Pusserllan poles (cf. uC27-29/ S!149).
1PL C8AMCPCnL LllLC1
ln Lhe more susLalned work he publlshed on !oyce ln Lhe 1980s ( uC), 3 uerrlda Lakes up Lhe quesLlon of
Lhe "encyclopedlc" slde of !oyce, Lhus
____________________
3 lor help wlLh uC, see Lhe lnLroducLlon by uerek ALLrldge and uanlel lerrer ln S!1-14, Carol
!acqueL, nes, ?o' ln !oyce, Cul-8lre uerrlda, ln !ames !oyceLlLerary SupplemenL
-184-
brlnglng !oyce lnLo relaLlonshlp, noL wlLh Pusserl, buL wlLh Pegel. As he says ln Lhe "8oundLable,"
!oyce has represenLed for me Lhe mosL glganLlc aLLempL Lo gaLher ln a slngle work, LhaL ls, ln Lhe
slngularlLy of a work whlch ls lrreplaceable, ln a slngular evenL--l am referrlng here Lo ulysses and Lo
llnnegan's Wake--Lhe presumed LoLallLy, noL only of one culLure buL of a number of culLures, a number
of languages, llLeraLures, and rellglons. 1hls lmposslble Lask of preclsely gaLherlng ln a LoLallLy, ln a
poLenLlal LoLallLy, Lhe poLenLlally lnflnlLe memory of humanlLy ls, aL Lhe same Llme and ln an exemplary
way, boLh new ln lLs modern form and very classlcal ln lLs phllosophlcal form. 1haL ls why l ofLen
compare ulysses Lo Pegel, for lnsLance, Lo Lhe Lncyclopedla or Lhe Loglc, as an aLLempL Lo reach absoluLe
knowledge Lhrough a slngle acL of memory [ 8113].
1he lrrepresslble energy of !oycean LexLuallLy ls noL pure abandon, sheer play, and gambol, buL a
sLrucLured movemenL of acqulslLlon, an accumulaLlve, ln-gaLherlng, en-clrcllng, encyclopedlc movemenL
whlch aLLempLs Lo summarlze Lhe "lnflnlLe memory of humanlLy." WhaL ls golng on ln ulysses ls, Lhus, Lo
be compared Lo Pegellan "Lrlnnerung," lnwardly approprlaLlng and maklng one's own Lhe enLlreLy of Lhe
precedlng hlsLorlcal process, noL by way of llfLlng lL up (aufheben) "verLlcally" lnLo an lngaLherlng,
splrallzlng concepL ( 8egrlff), as ln Pegel's Loglc, buL, leL us say, by way of releaslng "horlzonLally" Lhe
lnflnlLely assoclaLlve power of slgnlflers Lo llnk on Lo oLher slgnlflers across an endless surface of
language. Were one Lo follow every llnk ln Lhls !oycean "pro[ecL of acqulslLlon," were one Lo release
every assoclaLlon, evenLually--had one world enough and Llme, ln prlnclple aL leasL, lL ls an "ldeal" and
an "lnflnlLe Lask"--one would Lraverse Lhe whole and reLurn home agaln, llke ulysses. ln ulysses slgnlflers
Lend Lo llnk up ln a world wlde web, a LelecommunlcaLlonal meLaphor LhaL for uerrlda ls Lo be Laken
serlously (phones are rlnglng all day long ln ulysses). ln elLher case, Pegel or !oyce (or "www"), we
encounLer a loglc (legeln) of Peldeggerlan gaLherlng (versammeln).
1haL makes uerrlda a llLLle nervous. lor Lhe proLoLype of deconsLrucLlon ls noL ulysses buL Abraham, a
wanderlng !ew, a dlvlnely
____________________
LlLerary SupplemenL, ed. 8. 8ensLock (Mlam unlverslLy of Mlaml ress, 1987), 8lchard kearney,
1ranslLlons: narraLlves ln Modern lrlsh CulLure ( ManchesLer: ManchesLer unlverslLy ress, 1988), M.
McArLhur, "1he Lxample of !oyce: uerrlda 8eadlng !oyce," !ames !oyce CuarLerly, 32 ( 1993), 227-241.
-183-
dlsplaced nomad senL ouL lnLo Cod-knows-where never Lo reLurn home agaln ( Lu228n1/ Wu320-
321n20), noL a Creek cuLLlng a wlde Pomerlc clrcle of reapproprlaLlon around Lhe MedlLerranean, even
as Lhe proLoLype of [usLlce ln deconsLrucLlon ls Lo cuL some slack ln all Lhls gaLherlng, Lo open up Lhe
[olnL. Pence, llke Levlnas before hlm, whose "eLhlcs as flrsL phllosophy" ls, however unllkely Lhls may
seem Lo boLh Lhe credlLors and Lhe dlscredlLors of deconsLrucLlon, one of uerrlda's mosL lmporLanL
predecessors, uerrlda ls always lnLeresLed ln lnLerrupLlng ulyssean clrcles wlLh Abrahamlc cuLs, ln
"clrcumclslng" Lhe self-encloslng clrcle of Lhe same. 1haL ls Lhe polnL, Lhe Llp, Lhe cuLLlng edge, lf l may
say so, of Lhe LhemaLlcs of clrcumclslon LhaL runs Lhrough ulysses Cramophone, whlch Lurns ouL Lo be
anoLher lmporLanL LexL for undersLandlng uerrlda's more !ewlsh slde and one LhaL prepares Lhe way for
readlng Clrcumfesslon. Pe even consldered calllng Lhls plece on !oyce "ClrcumnavlgaLlon and
Clrcumclslon" ( uC 103/ AL283). 1he problem wlLh clrcumclslon, we shall see, ls LhaL lL cuLs boLh ways,
cuLLlng off from as well cuLLlng open--so LhaL when Lhe Mohel wlelds hls blade he has Lo be very careful
lndeed abouL whaL he cuLs. (Clrcumclslon commands conslderable cauLlon.)
8eglnnlng wlLh Lhe famous end of ulysses, Molly's famous end, wlLh Lhe lasL, caplLallzed word ln Lhe
book, whlch even looks llke Lhe slgnaLure slgnlng Lhe book--Lhe book of "?es"--uerrlda's analysls of !oyce
Lurns on "yes." 1rue Lo !oyce's splrlL and slgnaLure, uerrlda ampllfles Lhe "yes" mulLlllngually, playlng on
Lhe polyphony and polyvalence of "yes," "oul," and "[a." Pe focuses on Lhe number of yeses ln ulysses,
on Lhe number of Llmes !oyce says yes (dlre oul), on Lhe yessaylng of !oyce (l'oul dlre de !oyce) ( uC73/
AL267). 1haL LlLle, ln Lhe lrench, ls a play on words LhaL also suggesLs "hearsay" (oui-dlre), an odyssean-
clrcumlocuLlonary expresslon lmplylng "whaL goes around comes around." lL also resonaLes ln Cerman,
suggesLlng Lo hlm boLh nleLzsche's "yea-saylng" (!a-sagen) and Angelus Slleslus's "CoLL sprlchL nur
lmmer '!a'" analyzed ln anoLher plece enLlLled A number of ?es ( sy.639-630/ number). Whlle he
hlmself found "more Lhan 222 yeses" ( uC 74/ AL266), and a compuLer counL subsequenLly upped Lhls
number Lo 369 ( AL266n6), uerrlda's lnLeresL ls focused on "yes, yes," "oul, oul," on "Lwo words for
!oyce," whlch ls Lhe subLlLle of ulysses Cramophone. 4
____________________
4 "1wo words for !oyce" ls also Lhe subLlLle of uC and of Lhe flrsL chapLer of uC
-186-
As Lhe LlLle suggesLs, uerrlda ls lnLeresLed ln Lhe LelecommunlcaLlonal moLlfs ln ulysses, for example, ln
Lhe occurrence of Lelephone conversaLlons, Lhe flrsL of whlch occurs on Lhe assover, [usL afLer 8loom
had reclLed Lhe mosL solemn !ewlsh prayer of all, "Shema lsrael." 1hls, uerrlda says, ls a long-dlsLance
phone call par excellence, "Pello, lsrael," placed by Cod, Lhe "collecLor of prepuces," Lo lsrael, "person-
Lo-person" ( uC79/ AL269), whlch ls an lmplsh way Lo allow Lhe serlous ldea LhaL Lhe very noLlon of
"dlvlne revelaLlon" ls lnscrlbed ln a communlcaLlons sysLem and lnvolves Lhe ablllLy Lo read and LranslaLe.
1he "llnes of communlcaLlon," Lhe "communlcaLlon neLworks," Lhe messages, Lransferences,
LransporLlngs, and LranslaLlons, embodled ln Lhe elemenLary Lechnologles (Lelephones, Lelegraphs,
gramophones, newspapers) found ln ulysses (whlch were already enough Lo scare Peldegger half Lo
deaLh) embody dlfferance ln a way LhaL Loday has become deLermlnaLlve of Lhe very sLrucLure of our
world. As he made plaln ln SpecLers of Marx, LeleLechnology fllls Lhe world wlLh Lhe specLers of "vlrLual
reallLy," blurs Lhe llnes beLween whaL ls real and unreal, presenL and absenL. 1hls ls Lhe quesLlon of whaL
uerrlda calls a "posLal Lechnology," of Lhe world as a neLwork of messages, and lLs "babellzaLlon," Cod
Plmself havlng dlssemlnaLed and deconsLrucLed Lhe flrsL aLLempL of a people Lo "make a name" for
Lhemselves by Lhelr archlLecLural and llngulsLlc compeLence ( uC77/ AL268). uerrlda's lnLeresL ln
scrambled messages ls noL a maLLer of Laklng devlllsh dellghL--afLer all, lL was Cod, noL Lhe devll, who
dlss(h)emlnaLed Lhe ShemlLes--ln reduclng communlcaLlon Lo chaos ( sy.203-233/ ul1163-207). Pls
deslre ls Lo keep Lhe llnes open, Lo prevenL LelecommunlcaLlonal "sysLems" and "neLworks" from
becomlng scenes of LoLallzaLlon and conLrol, from encloslng senders and recelvers encyclopedlcally,
lnsLead of provldlng opporLunlLles for new evenLs, for novel LwlsLs and Lurns, for unheard-of (lnoui)
messages.
uerrlda ls lnLeresLed ln whaL he calls "Lhe gramophone effecL," whlch has Lo do wlLh Lhe essenLlal
"lLerablllLy" or repeLlLlon bullL lnLo any slgnlfler, any coded Lrace. A slglnlfler, llke a sclenLlflc experlmenL,
____________________
( uC13ff./ S!143ff.), whlch ls a shorLer plece flrsL dellvered aL a 1982 conference on !oyce ln
arls. ln lL, uerrlda explores Lhe dlssemlnaLlve energy of Lhe phrase "he war" from llnnegan's Wake,
whlch lllusLraLes Lhe posslblllLy of "wrlLlng ln several languages aL once" ( uC29/ S!148): he wages war,
he "was" (Cerman war), ?ahweh, Lhe name of Cod, who sald he was Lhe one he was (war) eLc. So Lhese
Lwo words amounL Lo a loL more Lhan Lwo words.
-187-
ls noL slgnlflcanL unless lL ls repeaLable, a meanlngful message ls woven from repeaLable marks. An
absoluLely slngular, unprecedenLed, and unrepeaLable mark would be unrecognlzable and meanlngless.
1he analysls of repeaLablllLy ls broughL Lo bear ln a paradlgmaLlc way ln Lhls essay on Lhe "yes," because
Lhe yes, lf lL really ls a yes, lmplles repeLlLlon, "yes, yes," as Molly Leaches us so memorably. 1o say yes ls
Lo be ready Lo say yes agaln:
ln order for Lhe yes of afflrmaLlon, assenL, consenL, alllance, of engagemenL, slgnaLure, or glfL Lo have
Lhe value lL has, lL musL carry Lhe repeLlLlon wlLhln lLself. lL musL a prlorl and lmmedlaLely conflrm lLs
promlse and promlse lLs conflrmaLlon [ uC89/ AL276].
lf l say "yes" Loday and Lhen excuse myself Lomorrow, Lhen my "yes" wlll noL have been a "yes." l cannoL
be confldenL abouL "yes", l cannoL slL back and resL on Lhe oars of "yes." When l say "yes," l promlse Lo
remember. As uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable," "We preLend LhaL Loday we are lnauguraLlng someLhlng.
8uL who knows? We wlll see." We are noL sure wheLher we are lnauguraLlng anyLhlng Loday, noL sure
wheLher anyLhlng ls belng commenced, noL sure wheLher Lhls yes Loday--or Lhls "l do" 3 --wlLh all Lhls
pomp and clrcumsLance Loday wlll be repeaLed ln Lhe quleL, sLeady beaL of Lomorrow and Lomorrow.
8ullL rlghL lnLo "yes," whlch requlres repeaLed afflrmaLlon, haunLlng lL, as lL were, ls Lhe posslblllLy of a
merely roLe and mechanlcal repeLlLlon, "whlch paraslLes lL llke lLs mlmeLlc, mechanlcal double, llke lLs
lncessanL parody" ( uC89-90/ AL276). 1he very Lhlng LhaL makes "yes" posslble LhreaLens lL from wlLhln,
llmlLlng lL from wlLhln. Llke a gramophone LhaL perfecLly reproduces Lhe llvlng volce on Lhe surface of a
phonograph record or a compacL dlsk, ln Lhe absence of any llvlng, lnLenLlonal presence. lf Lhe
Lechnologlcal repeLlLlon, lf Lhe "reproducLlon" ls "falLhful" enough, l cannoL Lell wheLher Lhe volce ls
llvlng or long slnce dead, a llvlng "yes" or an auLomaLon. So yes musL sald, musL be consLanLly repeaLed,
ln Lhe face of Lhls LhreaL or lnLernal menace. "1haL ls whaL l call Lhe gramophone effecL" ( uC90/ AL276).
____________________
3 SLaLlsLlcs show LhaL abouL half Lhe Llme Amerlcans say "l do" lL Lurns ouL LhaL Lhey do noL,
marrlage was preclsely Lhe example, and whaL an example, favored by !udge Wllhelm ln LlLher/Cr, and
of ConsLanLln ConsLanLlus ln 8epeLlLlon, of a repeLlLlon LhaL "repeaLs forward," LhaL produces whaL lL
repeaLs, yes, yes. l have examlned Lhe communlcaLlon beLween klerkegaardlan and uerrldean repeLlLlon
ln 8adlcal PermeneuLlcs.
-188-
uerrlda ln also lnLeresLed ln Lhe occurrence of Lhe name Lll[ah, Lll-[ah, ln whlch ls lnscrlbed Molly's "!a."
1hls ls noL an lnnocenL or arblLrary cholce on uerrlda's parL, slnce Lll[ah ls Lhe propheL who ls Lo come
agaln, Lhe one for whom every assover Lable ls seL, and also Lhe propheL-paLron of clrcumclslon,
ordered by Cod Lo preslde over every clrcumclslon. Lll[ah ls also, lL Lurns ouL, uerrlda's secreL name,
glven Lo hlm on hls sevenLh day buL never offlclally recorded, when he saL on hls uncle's lap on "Lll[ah's
chalr," as he hlmself had laLely dlscovered much Lo hls surprlse (uC 104-103/AL 284-283). Lll[ah Lhus ls
Lhe name of Lhe absoluLe surprlse, Lhe one Lo come, LouL auLre, Lhe one who summons up ln us Lhe
paradoxlcal posLure of walLlng for Lhe unexpecLed, of preparlng ourselves for surprlse.
!C?CL'S SlCnA1u8L
1hls brlngs us Lo Lhe "double blnd" LhaL ulysses poses for uerrlda, buL no less for Lhe "lnLernaLlonal
esLabllshmenL" of !oycean scholarshlp, whlch ls always on uerrlda's mlnd ln Lhls plece. 1he double blnd
has Lo do wlLh whaL uerrlda calls Lhe "counLer-slgnaLure." A "LexL" for uerrlda has a "slgnaLure," whlch ls
noL reduclble Lo Lhe name of an "auLhor" or Lo slgnlng a proper name. A slgnaLure ls a maLLer of Lhe
ldlomaLlclLy of a LexL (dS 363/olnLs 334-33), of Lhe ldlosyncraLlc sLrlng of Lraces LhaL consLlLuLe lL, noL
of Lhe psychology of an auLhor. As a sLrucLure of wrlLlng lL lnvlLes or sollclLs repeLlLlon, a counLerslgnlng.
1exLs, lf Lhere ls anyLhlng Lo Lhem, ellclL, call for, and provoke oLher LexLs--responses, commenLarles,
lnLerpreLaLlons, conLroversles, lmlLaLlons, forgerles, plaglarlsms, echoes, effluences, lnfluences,
confluences, LranslaLlons, LransformaLlons, bald mlslnLerpreLaLlons, creaLlve mlsundersLandlngs, eLc.
(CLherwlse Lhey are lgnored and forgoLLen, and serve only Lhe purposes of Lenure and promoLlon.)
1hese LexLual llnks, whlch ln more LradlLlonal Lerms make up whaL ls called a "LradlLlon," or a "hlsLory of
effecLs" ( Cadamer's WlrkungsgeschlchLe), consLlLuLe for uerrlda an ensemble of "counLer-slgnaLures." lL
belongs Lo Lhe very sLrucLure of Lhe slgnaLure Lo sollclL and ellclL "counLer-slgnaLures," ways of slgnlng on
Lo, ways of repeaLlng Lhe LexL. lor Lhe LexLuallLy of a LexL, of wrlLlng, ls marked by "lLerablllLy", by lLs
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very sLrucLure, a LexL ls repeaLable, and Lhls repeaLablllLy ls lrrepresslble. 6
So, Lhe quesLlon of !oyce's slgnaLure has Lo do wlLh Lhe posslblllLy and characLer of Lhe counLer-
slgnaLures, wlLh Lhe generoslLy of !oyce's slgnaLure. Wlll lL make lLself an lnvulnerable forLress,
lmpregnable Lo aLLack and ouLsLrlpplng, endow lLself wlLh a klnd of omnlpoLence such LhaL no one, no
commenLaLor Lo come, can ever geL Lhe besL of, ever clrcumscrlbe and clrcumnavlgaLe "!ames !oyce?" Cr
wlll Lhls slgnaLure lnvlLe lnvenLlon, novelLy, someLhlng new, glvlng lLself up Lo lnnumerable, lncalculable
lnnovaLlons Lo come?
lL would requlre an encyclopedlc lnLelllgence, or, beLLer, an encyclopedlc communlLy of experLs from
several dlsclpllnes brlnglng Lo bear all Lhe compeLencles and learnlng of Lhe modern unlverslLy, ln order
Lo enclrcle !oyce, Lo wrlLe on !oyce (on !oyce's corpus, on Lhe body of !oyce), Lo lnscrlbe and
clrcumscrlbe Lhls corpus. LeL us even lmaglne a large compuLer wlLh every word of !oyce keyed ln, and
several chalrs of !oycean sLudles, Lo be called--whaL else?--Lhe "Lll[ah Chalr of !oycean SLudles." 8uL,
even so, whaL can we say abouL ulysses LhaL ls noL already preprogrammed, noL already anLlclpaLed ln
advance by !oyce? Pow could we ever ralse ourselves Lo a meLadlscurslve level, "neuLral and unlvocal
wlLh regard Lo a fleld of ob[ecLlvlLy" (uC 99/AL 282)? Pow could we ever esLabllsh a scholarly dlsLance
wlLh regard Lo Lhls encyclopedlc evenL? We are always already caughL ln !oyce's neL, by Lhe
"overpoLenLlallzed" LexL of ulysses. "?es, everyLhlng has already happened Lo us wlLh ulysses and has
been slgned ln advance by !oyce" (uC 98/AL 281). So, Lhen, Lhe double blnd ln whlch we flnd ourselves ls
Lhls:
[C]n Lhe one hand, we musL wrlLe, we musL slgn, we musL brlng abouL new evenLs wlLh unLranslaLable
marks--and Lhls ls Lhe franLlc call, Lhe dlsLress of a slgnaLure LhaL ls asklng for a yes from Lhe oLher, Lhe
pleadlng ln[uncLlon for a counLer-slgnaLure, buL on Lhe oLher hand, Lhe slngular novelLy of any oLher yes,
of any oLher slgnaLure, flnds lLself already programophoned ln Lhe !oycean corpus [uC 99-100/AL 283].)
1he very Lhlng LhaL one would mosL expecL from !oyce, Lhe lnvenLlon of Lhe oLher, Lhe slngular novelLy of
anoLher yes, an oLher readlng, a
____________________
6 lor help wlLh Lhe noLlon of "slgnaLure" and "counLer-slgnaLure," see uerek ALLrldge ,
"lnLroducLlon," AL 18-20, and 1lmoLhy Clark, Peldegger, uerrlda, 8lanchoL ( Cambrldge: Cambrldge
unlverslLy ress, 1992), pp. 130-180.
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new counLer-slgnaLure, new ways Lo slgn on Lo !oyce, endlessly, [oyously dlscoverlng new ways Lo
re[olce ln !oyce, Lo re-!oyce, Lo say yes-all LhaL has been "cuL off" ln advance, clrcumclsed and
clrcumscrlbed, by none oLher Lhan !oyce. All Lhe hauLeur of Lhe several unlverslLy compeLencles LhaL
converge ln Lhe !oycean lnsLlLuLlon are lald low by !oyce hlmself before Lhey geL off Lhe ground. noLhlng
new can happen. 1haL ls why, uerrlda muses, Lhe dlsLlngulshed scholars assembled aL Lhls !oyce
lnLernaLlonal musL have lnvlLed exLernal guesLs, amaLeurs llke hlmself, Lo address Lhls dlsLlngulshed body
of experLs. 1hey are hoplng for someLhlng new, for a surprlse, walLlng for Lhe second comlng of Lll[ah,
whlch--Lo Lhelr surprlse--ls ln a way exacLly whaL Lhey goL when Lhey lnvlLed !acques uerrlda, a.k.a. "Llle
of Ll-8lar." Cf course, lf Lhe LruLh be Lold, uerrlda Lhlnks, lL ls noL a quesLlon of chooslng beLween Lhese
Lwo, beLween Lhe mosL rlgorous !oycean scholarly compeLence, whlch ls always requlred, and Lhe
posslblllLy of someLhlng comlng from Lhe ouLslde and breaklng open Lhese scholarly clrcles.
1haL brlngs us Lo laughLer. LaughLer wlll be Lhe Lhlrd Lerm LhaL llnks Lhe slgnaLure and Lhe "yes." "who
slgns? Who slgns whaL ln !oyce's name?" 1hose quesLlons, accordlng Lo uerrlda's hypoLhesls, are
"marrled" Lo "Lhe quesLlon of knowlng who ls laughlng and how laughLer comes abouL wlLh !oyce, ln
!oyce, ln a slngular way, slnce ulysses (uC 113/AL 289). lor Lhere ls more Lhan one klnd of laughLer. 8uL--
ln lrench--"yes" lLself spllLs lnLo Lhe vlslble yes, oul, and Lhe heard yes (oul oui), oui (heard) derlvlng from
Lhe verb oulr, Lo hear, whence "hearsay" (oui-dlre), whlch ls a chance graphlc convergence wlLhouL any
eLymologlcal llnk Lo oul. Pls "meLhod," as lL were, ls Lo explore Lhe llnk beLween "saylng yes" (oul dlre)
and oul rlre, yes-laughLer. ln uerrlda's vlew, Lhls yes-laughLer consLlLuLes a LonallLy ln !oyce, whaL
Peldegger would call Lhe domlnanL mood or Lune (SLlmmung), a paLhos, LhaL marks everyLhlng ln !oyce's
LexL, LhaL "re-marks" or "overmarks" lL, LhaL leaves lLs mark on everyLhlng wlLhouL belng reduclble Lo [usL
one elemenL ln Lhe whole. 1he hypoLhesls ls LhaL yes-laughLer slgns Lhe lengLh and breadLh of !oyce's
LexL, llke Lhe flnal "?es." ln ulysses, Lhus consLlLuLlng !oyce's "slgnaLure" (uC 116/AL 291-292).
8uL, uerrlda clalms, Lhere ls a "Lypology" of yes-laughLer ln !oyce, Lurnlng on Lwo dlsLlngulshable,
domlnanL Lypes or keys (aL leasL) ln whlch yes (oul) can be heard (oui), Lwo dlfferenL yeses heard ln
!oyce,
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Lhe commenLary on whlch, shall we say, consLlLuLes Lwo words for !oyce.
(1) 1he flrsL ls "a reacLlve, even negaLlve," a "hyper-mneslc" laughLer, Laklng devlllsh [oy ln "rememberlng
everyLhlng," "ln splnnlng splder webs" LhaL defy masLery, whlle remalnlng lLself lmpregnable by
preconLalnlng any of Lhe lnLerpreLlve sLraLegles LhaL Lhe !oycean lnsLlLuLlon mlghL address Lo Lhe corpus.
1haL laughLer remalns ln conLrol of all Lhe lnLerpreLlve sLraLegles, all Lhe "slgnaLures Lo come," all Lhe
counLer-slgnaLures, Lhe commenLarles or lnLerpreLaLlons consLlLuLlng Lhe way commenLaLors "slgn on Lo"
Lhe orlglnal, and hence repeaLs or exLends Lhe (so-called) orlglnal LexL, corpus, or slgnaLure. "!oyce"
would Lhen be a "masLer slgnaLure" whlch would "precomprehend" and anLlclpaLe ln advance any
posslble commenLary or counLerslgnaLure, allowlng !oyce Lo remaln Lhe masLer of Lhe house,
omnlpoLenL as Cod, slLLlng ln Lhe cenLer laughlng aL Lhe clrcles LhaL hls commenLaLors cuL around hlm,
casLraLlng and cuLLlng Lhem off ln advance (uC 117/AL 292). 1hls yes has Lhe lasL laugh.
Powever, omnlpoLence ls always an llluslon. "!oyce cannoL noL know Lhls," LhaL hls book ls [usL one more
book among Lhe mllllons ln Lhe Llbrary of Congress, losL Loo among all Lhe elecLronlc medla LhaL Loday
are ouLsLrlpplng books. nor can Lhls book be proLecLed from Lhe ob[ecLlon LhaL lL ls Loo preclous,
"overloaded wlLh knowledge," "hyperscholasLlc," Loo subLle, overculLlvaLed, overcalculaLed, perhaps he
even foresaw belng censored and calculaLed LhaL lnLo lLs success. ln shorL, Lhere ls Loo much conLrol by a
sub[ecL, Loo much deslre Lo be a masLername. 1haL allows uerrlda Lo characLerlze Lhls flrsL verslon of
yeslaughLer, whlch Lakes on everyLhlng, Lhe whole of memory, ln Lerms of Lhe laughLer of nleLzsche's
ChrlsLlan-!udalc donkey--Lhe beasL of burden whlch Lakes on everyLhlng, whlch crles "!a, !a" Lo every
Lask, LhaL wanLs Lo clrcumclse Creek laughLer, Lo cuL lL off ln advance, and Lhen make Lhe Creek laugh
wlLh Lhls oLher, blLLer, derlslve, and sarcasLlc laughLer. "1hls yes-laughLer of enclrcllng reapproprlaLlon, of
omnlpoLenL Cdyssean recaplLulaLlon," puLs generaLlons of !oyce scholars ln lLs debL--A.L.l.C.u.--laughlng
aL Lhelr fuLlle squlrmlng. lL lmpregnaLes "ln advance lLs paLenLed slgnaLure . . . wlLh all Lhe
counLerslgnaLures Lo come," "ready Lo domesLlcaLe, clrcumclse, clrcumvenL everyLhlng," ln Lhe
encyclopedlc reapproprlaLlon of absoluLe knowledge whlch gaLhers everyLhlng close Lo lLself. ulysses
Lhen ls llke Lhe "Loglc" of Pegel, who also llved for a whlle ln lrankfurL, where Lhls
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lnLernaLlonal !oyce Conference ls belng held (uC 117-120/AL 29394). ln Lhls flrsL klnd of yes-laughLer,
"clrcumclslon" ls Laken as a clrcumscrlblng, encyclopedlc enclrcllng, a !udeo-ChrlsLlan casLraLor, whlch by
preconLalnlng cuLs off ln advance whaLever counLer-slgnaLure ls Lo come. 1haL ls very much Lhe noLlon of
"clrcumclslon" LhaL uerrlda found ln Pegel's porLralL of Lhe !ew ln 1he SplrlL of ChrlsLlanlLy, glossed aL
lengLh ln Lhe lefL-hand column of Clas, and LhaL ln one way or anoLher uerrlda spenL hls llfe conLesLlng.
7
(2) Cver and agalnsL, or raLher wlLhln and lnwardly dlsLurblng, Lhls negaLlve and reacLlve yes-laughLer,
uerrlda locaLes anoLher laughLer, anoLher Lone, Lune, and LonallLy, a dlfferenL muslc, anoLher slgnaLure, a
way Lo slng a dlfferenL song, noL Lhe slng-song of debL, ALlCu, buL a song of Lhe "glfL." 1he glfL ls always
wlLhouL debL, Laklng Lhe Lone noL of hyper-mneslc masLery buL of a-mneslc abandon, for Lhe glfL (don) ls
noL a closed clrcle buL an abandoned (aban-donne) evenL, an evenL of aban-donaLlon. 1he glfL lnscrlbes
anoLher slgnaLure, one LhaL [oyfully glves lLself up for losL, LhaL surrenders lLs "proper name," LhaL drops
lLs defenses and lLs deslre for reapproprlaLlon. AfLer all, an "edlLlon" ls supposed Lo be a "glfL," a glvlng
ouL, e-dare, edlLlo, wlLh a "dedlcaLlon," a LexLual evenL of glvlng away LhaL cannoL be conLalned Lo some
parLlcular frlend of Lhe auLhor's. When a LexL ls publlshed and dedlcaLed, from LhaL very momenL, lL ls
dellvered over Lo Lhe sLrucLure of Lhe Lrace, senL off "above and beyond any deLermlned addressee,
donee, or legaLee," dellvered up "Lo a dlssemlnaLlon wlLhouL reLurn" (u1 130/C1 100). A LexL ls supposed
Lo be an evenL LhaL provokes oLher evenLs, an occaslon for oLher occaslons. A LexL--above all a LexL llke
ulysses--oughL "Lo conLrlve Lhe breach necessary for Lhe comlng of Lhe oLher, whom one can always call
Lll[ah, lf Lll[ah ls Lhe name of Lhe unforeseeable oLher for whom a place musL be kepL." 1hls Lll[ah
uerrlda conLrasLs (holds ln undecldable flucLuaLlon) wlLh Lhe oLher flgure of Lll[ah ln ulysses, Lhe "greaL
operaLor," Lll[ah "Lhe head of Lhe megaprogramoLelephonlc neLwork" (uC 120/AL 294-293). 1here would
never be, uerrlda adds, any way Lo keep Lhe one Lll[ah safe from Lhe oLher, any way Lo be sure who
would show aL your door lf you seL a place aL your Lable for Lll[ah.
!oyce's "slgnaLure," LhaL ls, Lhe slngular concaLenaLlon of Lraces, Lhe
____________________
7 l subsLanLlaLe Lhls polnL ln rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda, 13, Pegel and Lhe !ews.
-193-
unlque and lrreplaceable "evenL"--Lhe ldlom named only from Lhe ouLslde, as lL were, ln legal
shorLhand, by Lhe paLronym "!oyce" and Lhe name glven aL bapLlsm or clrcumclslon--ls Lo be LhoughL of
ln Lerms of "anoLher" clrcumclslon, ln Lerms of Lhe mark, Lhe ln-clslng, Lhe cuL LhaL dlfferance makes ln
someLhlng LhaL preLends Lo be one and whole. 1o undersLand LhaL, uerrlda says, lL ls necessary Lo
examlne more closely how Lhe slgnaLure ls a funcLlon of Lhe "yes."
"?es" ls noL only, or noL merely, a deLermlnaLe word ln Lhe language, wrlLLen or spoken, an elemenL of
language analyzable by llngulsLlcs (uC 86/AL 274), buL also, more lmporLanLly, a word LhaL comes before
language, and afLer language, and Lraverses Lhe whole of language, belng "co-exLenslve wlLh every
sLaLemenL." "?es" ls llke a vasL "amen" (uC 122n/omlLLed from AL) LhaL sllenLly sweeps over every word
and gesLure, even accompanylng a dlscreeL Lap on a prlson wall. "?es" accompanles whaLever ls sald or
spoken, every word or senLence:
[?]es, LhaL's rlghL, LhaL's whaL l am saylng, l am, ln facL, speaklng, yes, Lhere we are, l'm speaklng, yes,
yes, you can hear me, l can hear you, yes, we are ln Lhe process of speaklng, Lhere ls language, you are
recelvlng me, lL's llke Lhls, lL Lakes place, lL happens, lL ls wrlLLen, lL ls marked, yes, yes [uC 124/AL 297].
As a deLermlnaLe word, "yes" ls an adverb, a word deslgnaLlng noLhlng buL referrlng Lo oLher words, as a
supplemenL of words, enhanclng Lhem, perfumlng Lhem (llke Molly's perfume). 8uL Lhe "yes" LhaL
lnLeresLs uerrlda, whose operaLlons have surfaced and become expllclL ln Molly, ls prlor Lo Lhls llngulsLlc
caLegory, prlor even Lo performaLlvlLy, "a pre-performaLlve force," prlor Lo Lhe dlsLlncLlon beLween
performaLlve and consLaLlve, afflrmaLlve and negaLlve. "l" always means "yesl," or "yes-l-say-Lo-Lhe-
oLher, " even when l say "no." ?es, language ls happenlng, you and l, Lhe l and Lhe oLher, are happenlng.
1here can be no meLalanguage Lo encompass or comprehend, Lo geL behlnd or on Lop of Lhls "yes,"
because any language, lncludlng any meLalanguage, already presupposes Lhls prlmal "yes." "?es" ls noL
Lhe self-poslLlng yes of Lhe ego coglLo, buL Lhe responslve "yes" Lo Lhe oLher, Lhe anachrony of
respondlng Lo a sLrucLurally prlor address LhaL lnLerrupLs all narclsslsm ln advance. 8y Lhe Llme l say "yes"
l have already been addressed by Lhe oLher, already been Laken up ln hls arms, whlch ls why Molly's
"monologue," whlle lL may be a llLerary "sollloquy," ls noL Lruly a
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monologue buL a "yes" addressed Lo Lhe oLher. My "yes" ls always second, a "yes" Lo a prlor "yes," whlch
"beglns by respondlng" (uC 130/AL 301). 1he "yes" precedes onLology, Lhe poslLlng of belng, and
egology, Lhe poslLlng of self, precedes any poslLlng aL all, because all poslLlng and poslng presuppose
response. ?es, l am respondlng--Lo Lhe call of 8elng, of Cod, of [usLlce, of Lhe glfL, of hosplLallLy, of Lhe
oLher, no maLLer by whaL name Lhe oLher goes (or comes).
uerrlda proposes LhaL we can Lhlnk of Lhls ln Lerms of Lhe "posLal" Lechnology LhaL he explored ln 1he
osL Card, of mlsslves, sendlngs (envols), flylng hlLher and yon, Lhe quesLlon belng wheLher sendlng can
be gaLhered LogeLher lnLo Lhe clrcular rouLe of a posLal clrcle so LhaL no mall ls losL and every leLLer
reaches lLs desLlnaLlon (cf. uC 30-34/S! 130-132). 1he posLal clrcle descrlbes a clrcle of self-possesslon,
of Lhe "same," a sub[ecL ln conLrol of hls/her comlngs and golngs, of whaL s/he means Lo say or do, llke
an "auLhor" who would remaln masLer of whaL s/he has wrlLLen and would domlnaLe all fuLure
"crlLlclsm," whlch ls a llLLle auLo-eroLlc. now, lL ls almosL an axlom ln deconsLrucLlon LhaL when you see a
clrcle, you should breach lL (or leL lL be seen LhaL lL ls always already breached). So Lhe "yes" ln Lhls
second, more afflrmaLlve sense ls Lo be Laken as lLself a response Lo whaL has already been senL our way,
whlch lnLerrupLs ln advance Lhe clrcle of self-sendlng, of narclsslsm, of self-affecLlng auLo-eroLlclsm, of
Lhe self-consclous and self-possessed ego. 1o Lhe exLenL LhaL "Lhe ulyssean clrcle of self-sendlng" ls
allowed Lo close, a reacLlve yes-laughLer wlns ouL, and Lo LhaL exLenL Lhe llluslon of omnlpoLence
Lrlumphs: Lhe "phanLasm of Lhe slgnaLure wlns ouL, a slgnaLure gaLherlng LogeLher Lhe sendlng ln order
Lo gaLher lLself LogeLher near lLself." Cr lL does noL, and Lhen Lhe clrcle ls Lorn open ln Lhe momenL of Lhe
"glfL," beglnnlng by Lhe lmposslble (glvlng wlLhouL reLurn), and "Lhe specular gaLherlng of Lhe sendlng
leLs lLself be [oyfully dlspersed ln a mulLlpllclLy of unlque yeL numberless sendlngs, Lhen Lhe oLher yes
laughs, Lhe oLher, yes, laughs" and LhaL laughLer ls, yes, afflrmaLlve (uC 136/AL 304).
8e-!oyce.
1wo slgnaLures parallel and are a funcLlon of Lhe Lwo yeses. A selfencloslng, proLecLlve, self-defenslve
slgnaLure LhaL ls lnLenL on proLecLlng lLs paLronymy and paLernal-auLhorlal rlghLs, on remalnlng masLer of
Lhe house of !oyce. 1haL ls Lhe slgnaLure of a cerLaln !oyce who seems Lo sneer and laugh cynlcally, ln a
splrlL of ressenLlssemenL, aL
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any posslble fuLure commenLary, or of an lnLernaLlonal !oyce Clrcle LhaL mlghL be LempLed Lo clrcle
around !oyce's slgnaLure and Lo close ranks around lLs own experLlse. 1he only leLLers ln Lhls posLal
economy are auLhorlLaLlve "encycllcals" whlch make Lhe rounds of Lhe falLhful Lelllng Lhem whaL Lo
belleve. Such a slgnaLure ls lnLenL on gaLherlng agaln Lo lLself whaL lL sends ouL, on reellng back Lo lLself
whaLever ls "glven ouL" (Ausgabe), lnsLead of glvlng lL up for losL.
1here ls no glfL, no Cabe ln Lhls Ausgabe, no dare or daLum ln Lhls edlLlo, because Lhe auLhor/edlLor
wanLs everyLhlng back. 8uL a LexL should be a glfL, and a slgnaLure should make a glfL of lLself, glve lLself
Lo Lhe oLher wlLhouL reLurn, senL ouL wlLhouL expecLaLlon of pay-back, LhaL sollclLs and lnvlLes counLless
new and unexpecLed counLer-slgnaLures. 1haL would be a slgnaLure LhaL says "yes" Lo Lhe oLher, and LhaL
ls no easy maLLer, lL requlres consLanL pracLlce and repeLlLlon, yes, yes:
[A] yes demands a prlorl lLs own repeLlLlon, lLs own memorlzlng, demands LhaL a yes Lo Lhe yes lnhablL
Lhe arrlval of Lhe "flrsL" yes, whlch ls never Lherefore slmply orlglnary. We cannoL say yes wlLhouL
promlse Lo conflrm lL and Lo remember lL, Lo keep lL safe, counLerslgned ln anoLher yes wlLhouL promlse
and memory, wlLhouL Lhe promlse of memory [uC 136-137/AL 304-303].
1he "yes" arlses ln "Lhe dlssymmeLry of requesL," comlng Lo us from Lhe oLher, of whom, llke Molly, we
requesL LhaL s/he ask us Lo say yes, sollclLlng Lhe oLher Lo ask us agaln, so LhaL we can say "yes." "?es" ls
breaLhed wlLh Lhe breaLh of Lhe oLher who lnsplres us. 8uL Lhere ls noLhlng, no, Lo proLecL Lhe second
"yes" from becomlng roLe repeLlLlon, Lhe auLomaLon of mechanlcal repeLlLlon whlch ls only mouLhlng
"yes."
Accordlngly, Lhe "yes, yes" of Lhls afflrmaLlve yes-laughLer means Lwo Lhlngs (we cannoL be surprlsed by
LhaL), counL Lhem, Lwo. (1) 1he second "yes" ls Lhe "yes" of "response," LhaL ls, made ln response Lo Lhe
oLher whose comlng, yes, we have already acknowledged, Lhe second "yes" ls an answer Lo Lhe flrsL,
breaLhed under Lhe lnsplraLlon of Lhe flrsL, of Lhe oLher. (2) 1he second "yes" ls also--ln Lhe same
breaLh--Lhe "yes" of repeLlLlon, LhaL ls, made ln conflrmaLlon of Lhe flrsL afflrmaLlon and [usL as prlmal
and prlsLlne as Lhe so-called flrsL. 1he "yes" lf lL really ls "yes" cannoL run on auLomaLlc buL musL really be
resLarLed agaln and agaln, each "yes" belng orlglnarlly "yes," sLlll anoLher orlgln. 1he "yes" of repeLlLlon
musL already lnhablL Lhe flrsL
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and be lald clalm Lo by Lhe flrsL, lesL Lhe flrsL be noL flrsL buL a hollow cymbal, whlch only Llme wlll Lell.
1he slmllarlLles of uerrlda's "yes, yes" Lo ConsLanLln ConsLanLlus's "repeLlLlon forwards," whlch produces
whaL lL repeaLs, should noL go unnoLlced.
So, Lhen, ln concluslon, uerrlda asks wheLher we can Lake accounL of Lhe "yes" ln !oyce's ulysses, Lo
whlch should be added llnnegan's Wake, hence, ln !oyce's "slgnaLure." Can we counL Lhe ways of "yes"?
Can we, ln Lhe mosL elemenLary sense, even counL Lhem aL all? lf noL by hand, Lhen wlLh a compuLer?
8uL compuLers, qulck as Lhey are, are noLorlously sLupld, berefL of [udgmenL and phronesls, unable Lo
move beLween Lhe unlversal and Lhe slngular, and requlre consLanL dlrecLlon and lnLervenLlon. WhaL
advlce shall we glve Lhe compuLer abouL forelgn words, llke Lhe Cerman [a, Lhe lLallan sl (noL Lo menLlon
Lhe lrench oul)? Cr, more dlfflculL sLlll, how shall we counsel Lhe compuLer when lL comes Lo
"caLegorlzlng" Lhe yeses, Lo sorLlng Lhem ouL lnLo a Lypology, Lo havlng an ear for Lhe LonallLles of Lhe
"yes"? Pow can Lhe compuLer, how can we, how can !oyce hlmself, be senslLlve Lo Lhe dlfferenL LonallLles
of "yes," Lo Lhe way Lhe Lwo yeses lnvade and dlsLurb each oLher? Pow could anyone be sure LhaL Lhe
afflrmaLlve, [oyous yes-laughLer of Lhe glfL ls noL belng subLly and surrepLlLlously undermlned by Lhe
sneerlng, resenLful, hlsslng, slbllanL "yes" LhaL would proLecL lLself and draw lLself lnLo a clrcle, by Lhe
"yes" of "recaplLulaLlng conLrol and reacLlve repeLlLlon" (uC 141/AL 308) (llke Lhe slbllanL "yes" of a
supersLar who has [usL execuLed a slam dunk, whlch salLs Lhe wound of Lhe oLher slde)? 1haL would
requlre one unheard-of (lnoui) compuLer! Add Lo all Lhese encumbrances one more, absoluLely
lnelucLable dlfflculLy: any program or compuLer, any convoklng of an lnLernaLlonal !oyce Symposlum, any
body of llLeraLure collecLed LogeLher, any efforL Lo wrlLe on !oyce's corpus LhaL would aLLempL Lo counL
or Lake accounL of "yes," would ln facL presuppose Lhe "yes," would come ln response, yes, as a yes, Lo a
LexL by whlch lL has, yes, already been addressed.
1he ldea ln readlng !oyce (ln readlng anyone) ls Lo ward off, Lo prevenL "LoLallzaLlon, and Lhe closlng of
Lhe clrcle, and Lhe reLurn of ulysses, and ulysses hlmself, and Lhe self-sendlng of some lndlvlslble
slgnaLure" (uC 142/AL 308). Cn uerrlda's accounLlng, Lhe slgnaLure ls, ln a nuLshell, lncalculable and
unenclosable. 1haL ls because lL ls always already dlvlslble, lnclsable, clrcumclsable by a "yes," so LhaL
"yes" severs, slashes, sllces Lhrough Lhe slgnaLure, sendlng lL off ln
-197-
lnnumerable dlrecLlons, openlng lL up Lo mulLlple repeLlLlons, allowlng a self-Lransformlng LradlLlon Lo
grafL lLself upon lL, permlLLlng, sollclLlng lnnumerable counLer-slgnaLures.
8uL a clrcumclsed ulysses has become Abrahamlc, whlch ls, Lo be sure, [usL whaL was feared by Pegel,
whose ChrlsLlan SplrlL of love dld noL lnclude forglvlng Lhe !ew whom he accused of clrcumclslng Creeks.
8uL for uerrlda clrcumclslon ls Lo be LhoughL ln Lerms of Lhe cuL LhaL severs Lhe clrcle of Lhe same, as Lhe
cuL LhaL opens Lhe same Lo oLher, whlch cuLs a very dlfferenL flgure--noL unllke Lhe clrcumclsed ear or
hearL ln !eremlah. 1hls clrcumclslon cuLs Lhe slgnaLure open Lo Lhe call of Lhe oLher, so LhaL Lhe slgnaLure
ls llke a wanderlng !ew, ln dlaspora, never Lo come home agaln. now bad as Lhls may seem Lo Pomer,
Pegel, Plderlln, Pusserl, or Peldegger, all of whom have asplr(aL)ed Lo Creco-Cermanlc homecomlngs,
ln one way or anoLher, Lhls cuL ls noL a loss buL a galn. lor by prevenLlng Lhe closure of Lhe slgnaLure, Lhe
cuL provldes an opporLunlLy Lo dlscover, Lo lnvenL, Lo come upon (lnvenlr), someLhlng new, Lhe comlng
(venlr) of Lhe oLher, yes, Lo Lhe ln-comlng of Lhe oLher (l'lnvenLlon d'auLre). !oyce's slgnaLure Lhen would
be a glfL, cuL open and overflowlng wlLhouL reLurn, whlch sollclLs endless counLer-slgnaLures, a klnd of
open-ended slgnlng, re-slgnlng, and counLer-slgnlng, an open-ended re-!oyclng LhaL leLs !oyce be !oyce
agaln, yes, and Lhen agaln, yes, yes, leLs hls slgnaLure slgn on Lo and provlde Lhe openlng or Lhe occaslon
for unforeseeable rereadlngs and reslgnlngs.
8e-!oyce, say yes.
"LeL us laugh, amen." 8
lnAuCu8A1lCnS (Lncore)
"?es" ls very close Lo Lhe hearL of deconsLrucLlon, lf lL has a hearL, close Lo lLs core or kernel, lf Lhere ls
elLher, and would flgure slgnlflcanLly ln any aLLempL, however mad, Lo puL deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell,
whlch ls someLlmes helpful. 1he very ldea of Lhe "yes" as sLlll anoLher nuLshell ls self-llmlLlng, of course,
slnce Lhe ldea behlnd "yes" ls Lo cuL Lhrough all caslngs and self-enclosures. 8uL ln deconsLrucLlon belng
a self-llmlLlng ldea ls no ob[ecLlon.
____________________
8 1he flnal words of "1wo Words for !oyce" are "leL us laugh, amen" (uC 32/S! 138), Lo whlch ls
added ln Lhe Calllee edlLlon, "slc, sl, oc, oil."
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AL Lhe end of Lhe "8oundLable" uerrlda comes back full clrcle Lo Lhe "yes" LhaL lmpels and drlves every
lnauguraLlon. 1hls clrcllng back on uerrlda's parL ls a blL of a llLerary flourlsh, a llLLle ornamenLaLlon and
perfume, noL a ulyssean clrcle, no, no. lor uerrlda ls comlng back Lo Lhe breach ln Lhe clrcle, Lo Lhe "yes"
LhaL cuLs Lhrough every clrcle and opens lL Lo Lhe oLher. So he comes back Lo Lhe quesLlon wlLh whlch we
sLarLed "Loday"--leL us consLrue Lhls LexL of some Lwo hundred pages or so as havlng Lraversed buL a
slngle day--have we lnauguraLed anyLhlng Loday? Pas anyLhlng goLLen sLarLed Loday? Who knows?
lf, Lomorrow, you do noL conflrm LhaL Loday you have founded your program, Lhere wlll noL have been
any lnauguraLlon. 1omorrow, perhaps nexL year, perhaps LwenLy years from now, you wlll know wheLher
Loday Lhere has been an lnauguraLlon. We do noL know LhaL yeL. We preLend LhaL Loday we are
lnauguraLlng someLhlng. 8uL who knows? We wlll see.
Lvery lnauguraLlon ls ln no small parL a preLense, preLendlng wlLh a loL of ceremony and a banqueL,
speaklng always ln Lhe fuLure perfecL, saylng (forecasLlng) LhaL someLhlng wlll have been done Loday,
LhaL someLhlng wlll have begun Loday, when no one honesLly knows wheLher or noL LhaL wlll have
happened or noL. 1lme wlll Lell. lL depends upon Lhe promlse Lo remember and Lhe memory of Lhe
promlse, whlch ls whaL an lnauguraLlon ls. lnauguraLlons depend upon promlses, all Lhe way from blg
promlses, llke Lhe one LhaL ?ahweh made Lo Abraham, Lo smaller-scale ones, as when lnsLlLuLlons
lnsLlLuLe programs. 8uL uerrlda ls remlndlng Lhe lnsLlLuLlon LhaL Lhe relevanL polnL for deconsLrucLlon ls
LhaL you cannoL program Lhe program, LhaL Lhe program, llke Lhe clrcle, Lurns on Lhe glfL, beglns wlLh Lhe
glfL, and Lhe glfL does noL run on auLomaLlc. When lL does, Lhe program runs lnLo Lhe ground, belng
reduced Lo a rouLlne, Lo roLe, Lo Lhe llfeless repeLlLlon of pracLlces for whlch no one can glve much of a
rhyme or a reason. 1he easy rhyLhms and roLe roLaLlons of Lhe clrcle, Lhe gramophone effecL of Lhe
program, musL be regularly lnLerrupLed and dlsrupLed by unprogrammable ("grammaLologlcal")
lrrupLlons, orlglnary evenLs of varlous scale.
SomeLlmes such evenLs are ma[or overhauls LhaL are necessary Lo hew Lhe program Lo lLs real purposes,
even Lhough Lo conservaLlves Lhey look more llke lLs desLrucLlon, as Lhe angry, angulshed chorus of
deconsLrucLlon's crlLlcs amply LesLlfy. 8uL blg evenLs, llke large-scale
-199-
herolc revoluLlons, are noL whaL uerrlda chlefly has ln mlnd by Lhe "yes, yes." ueconsLrucLlon ls noL a
blg, bombasLlc, Peldeggerlan, or nleLzschean Creco-Cermanlc blasL. uerrlda ls Lhlnklng of Lhe small and
lnconsplcuous repeLlLlons LhaL weave Lhe precarlous fabrlc of dally llfe, LhaL produce whaL Lhey repeaL--
uerrlda ls really repeaLlng someLhlng ConsLanLln ConsLanLlus sald ln 8epeLlLlon--wlLhouL whlch Lhe
program wlll never make lL Lhrough Lhe year, or even Lhe monLh, Lhe week, or Lhe day. 1he program
cannoL run on auLomaLlc, buL musL be a self-revlslng, self-correcLlng, conLlnual reafflrmaLlon of lLself,
Laklng responslblllLy from momenL Lo momenL for lLself, lf lL ls Lo have a self, a "yes" followed by a "yes"
and Lhen agaln anoLher "yes."
WhaL, Lhen, could be more sulLable, more fellclLous, Lhan Lo lnvlLe a deconsLrucLlve word or Lwo, yes,
yes, from uerrlda aL Lhe lnauguraLlon of a program ln phllosophy? 8emember LhaL by phllosophy we
mean Lhe freedom Lo ralse quesLlons, whlch lnvolves a cerLaln amounL of freedom Lo ralse hell, Lo ask
any quesLlon, Lo worry oneself abouL whaLever has Lhe look of unquesLlonable auLhorlLy and hoary
presLlge. 1haL lncludes Lhe rlghL Lo quesLlon quesLlonlng, so LhaL we come Lo undersLand Lhe quesLlon Lo
be an answer, a respondlng and responslblllLy, a yes, a way of openlng up Lo a prlor address, yes.
WhaL could glve uerrlda more pleasure? (Well, we need noL go lnLo LhaL!) WhaL could glve a program ln
phllosophy beLLer dlrecLlon Lhan Lo be counseled LhaL you cannoL program Lhe program, LhaL Lhere are
no rules for Lhe appllcaLlon of Lhe rules, LhaL Lhe program cannoL run on auLomaLlc even Lhough lL
requlres Lhe auLomaLlclLy of compuLers, bureaucraLlzaLlon, lnsLlLuLlonal dlrecLlves, auLhorlzaLlon,
admlnlsLraLlve sLrucLures, and even admlnlsLraLors who Lend Lo Lhlnk Lhey own lL. lL would never be a
quesLlon of chooslng beLween Lhe program and Lhe yes, Lhe clrcle and Lhe glfL, buL of allowlng Lhe glfL Lo
Lurn Lhe clrcle.
-200-
A Concludlng Amen
WlLhouL denylng LhaL Lhe devll ls ln uerrlda's eye, or LhaL Lhere ls a loL of devlllshness ln deconsLrucLlon,
or LhaL Lhe devll of deconsLrucLlon ls ln Lhe deLalls, wlLhouL havlng Lo choose among Lhese posslblllLles, l
would say LhaL deconsLrucLlon ls hanglng on by a prayer. ueconsLrucLlon ls a way of hanglng on by a
prayer, a way of hanglng on Lo a prayer, an old !ewlsh prayer, "amen," by a vasL and sweeplng "amen,"
oul, oul. Amen ls noL Lhe end of deconsLrucLlon's prayer buL lLs beglnnlng and susLalnlng mlddle, yes,
yes, someLhlng LhaL precedes and follows and consLanLly accompanles all lLs works and days.
lf l were more responslble, llke uerrlda, l would noL Lry Lo puL deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell. 8uL, alas,
nobody's perfecL, and besldes uerrlda hlmself has sald LhaL we can be flexlble on Lhls polnL and
occaslonally lnLerrupL or Lransgress Lhe absoluLe prohlblLlon agalnsL nuLshells wlLh occaslonal
excepLlons. As uerrlda says ln Lhe "8oundLable," "someLlmes lL ls noL a bad Lhlng," and l have plnned
everyLhlng on Lhls, "aL leasL lf you do noL do lL Loo ofLen. lL ls noL LhaL bad LhaL we Lry Lo encapsulaLe
deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell."
1haL belng sald, and aL Lhe rlsk of rulnlng my repuLaLlon, lf l had one, a rlsk LhaL l have llmlLed by
developlng Lhls polnL more responslbly ln 1he rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda, l wlll rlsk one lasL
nuLshell, noL ln Lhe sense of an enLelechy, a nuLshell of all nuLshells, Lhe end-all and be-all of nuLshells
LhaL would conLaln and encapsulaLe all Lhe oLher nuLshells, buL, leL us say, a modesL, humble, open-
ended quasl-nuLshell. lf one day someone were Lo puL a mlcrophone ln my face and ask me--uerrlda
hlmself havlng boarded a [eL Lo who knows where--wheLher l could puL deconsLrucLlon ln a nuLshell, l
would reverenLly bow my head, or maybe l would fold my hands and look up uncLuously Lo heaven, or
maybe l would spread my arms faclng Lhe palms of my hands heavenward (for beLLer recepLlon), ln any
case, whaLever posLure l would assume, l would lnvoke an anclenL Pebrew word:
-201-
Amen Cf whlch l would Lhen offer a modern (or posLmodern?) LranslaLlon: vlens, oul, oul.
1he uocLoral rogram, ueparLmenL of hllosophy, vlllanova unlverslLy, vlllanova, ennsylvanla Summer,
1996
-202-
8lbllography
8l8LlCC8AP? Cl 8l8LlCC8APlLS
lor an lnvaluable and comprehenslve blbllography of uerrlda's wrlLlngs and of Lhe secondary llLeraLure
up Lo 1991, see Wllllam 8. SchulLz and Lewls L. 8. lrled, !acques uerrlda: An AnnoLaLed rlmary and
Secondary 8lbllography ( new ?ork: Carland, 1992). LxLremely helpful Loo ls AlberL LevenLure, "A
8lbllography of Lhe lrench and Lngllsh Works of !acques uerrlda, 1962-1990," 1exLual racLlce, 3, no. 1
(Sprlng 1991), 94-127.
lor an updaLlng of Lhese blbllographles whlch lncludes LlLles LhaL appear Lhrough 1993, see Soclal
1heory: A 8lbllographlc Serles, no. 37, !acques uerrlda (ll): A 8lbllography, ed. !oan nordqulsL ( SanLa
Cruz, Callf.: 8eference and 8esearch Servlces, 1993).
SLLLC1Lu 8LCLn1 WC8kS Cl uL88luA
8lbllographlcal lnformaLlon on mosL of uerrlda's ma[or works and Lhelr Lngllsh LranslaLlons, lncludlng
mosL of Lhe LlLles LhaL have appeared ln Lhe 1990s, ls Lo be found ln Lhe "AbbrevlaLlons" and fooLnoLes,
above, Lhls lncludes lol, whlch ls noL found ln Lhe above blbllographles. WhaL follows here ls lnformaLlon
on oLher recenL LlLles LhaL do noL appear elLher ln Lhe AbbrevlaLlons or Lhe fooLnoLes, or ln Lhe above-
menLloned blbllographles.
8CCkS
Aporles: Mourlr--s'aLLendre aux "llmlLes de la verlLe." arls: Calllee, 1996. Crlglnally publlshed ln Le
assage des fronLleres: AuLour du Lravall de !acques uerrlda. Colloque de Cerlsy. arls: Calllee, 1994.
-203-
p. 309-338. Lng. Lrans. Aporlas. 1rans. 1homas uuLolL. SLanford: SLanford unlverslLy ress, 1993.
Mal d'archlve: une lmpresslon freudlenne. arls: Calllee, 1993. Lng. Lrans. Archlve lever: A lreudlan
lmpresslon. 1rans. Lrlc renowlLz. Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1996. 1hls LranslaLlon
orlglnally appeared ln ulacrlLlcs, 23 ( 1993), 9-63.
Moscou aller-reLour. La 1our d'Algues: LdlLlons de l'Aube, 1993. Lng. Lrans. pp. 11-98: 8ack lrom
Moscow, ln Lhe uSS8. 1rans. Mary CualnLance . ln ollLlcs, 1heory, and ConLemporary CulLure. Ld. Mark
osLer. new ?ork: Columbla unlverslLy ress, 1993. p. 197-233.
"8eslsLances de la psychanalyse". arls: Calllee, 1996. Lng. Lrans. p. 33-88: lor Lhe Love of Lacan. 1rans.
8renL Ldwards and Ann Lecercle . Cardozo Law 8evlew, 16( 1993), 699-728. p. 89-146: '1o uo !usLlce Lo
lreud': Madness ln Lhe Age of sychoanalysls. 1rans. ascale-Anne 8raulL and Mlchael naas. CrlLlcal
lnqulry, 20 ( 1994), 227-266.
A81lCLLS
"Adleu" [Lulogy aL Lhe funeral of Lmmanuel Levlnas, uecember 28, 1993]. L'Arche, no. 439 ( lebruary
1996), 84-90. 8y lorce of Mournlng. 1rans. ascale-Anne 8raulL and Mlchael naas. CrlLlcal lnqulry, 22
( 1996), 171-192.
reface Lo Mumla Abu-!amal, Ln dlrecL du coulolr de la morL. arls: La uecouverLe, 1996. lrench
LranslaLlon of Llve from ueaLh 8ow ( new ?ork: Avon 8ooks, 1996).
lu81PL8 8LAulnC
1he besL lnLroducLlon Lo uerrlda, ln my vlew, ls hls lnLervlews, where he speaks for hlmself ln a
parLlcularly clear and unencumbered way. (ln Lhe dlscusslons followlng hls lecLures, uerrlda ls ofLen Lhe
clearesL and mosL modesL speaker ln Lhe room.) My favorlLe lnLervlew, whlch l recommend very hlghly, ls
"ueconsLrucLlon and Lhe CLher," ln ulalogues wlLh ConLemporary 1hlnkers, ed. 8lchard kearney
( ManchesLer: ManchesLer unlverslLy ress, 1984), pp. 103-126. 1haL ls Lhe besL
-204-
place Lo sLarL. olnLs ls also a superb collecLlon of very helpful lnLervlews and also a very good place Lo
sLarL.
As even a cursory look aL Lhe above blbllographles wlll reveal, Lhe secondary llLeraLure on uerrlda ls
lmmense and ulLlmaLely unmanageable. SchulLz and lrled record 1,322 books or conLrlbuLlons Lo books,
and 1,132 arLlcles on uerrlda (as of 1991). ln addlLlon Lo referrlng Lo Lhe works LhaL l clLed ln conLexL ln
Lhe fooLnoLes, l provlde here a few recommendaLlons for furLher sLudy LhaL wlll be more Lhan enough Lo
geL Lhe lnLeresLed reader sLarLed.
uerrlda was flrsL welcomed Lo Lhe unlLed SLaLes by llLerary LheorlsLs, flrsL aL !ohns Popklns unlverslLy ln
Lhe 1960s and Lhen ln Lhe 1970s aL ?ale and Cornell, nowadays he Lravels annually Lo new ?ork and
lrvlne. AfLer Lhe phllosophers caughL on Lo uerrlda and began emphaslzlng Lhe lnfluence of Pegel,
Pusserl, and Peldegger on deconsLrucLlon, a small war broke ouL beLween Lhem abouL how Lo read
uerrlda. 1he besL lnLroducLlon Lo uerrlda from Lhe sLandpolnL of llLerary Lheory ls !onaLhan Culler, Cn
ueconsLrucLlon: 1heory and CrlLlclsm afLer SLrucLurallsm ( lLhaca, n.?.: Cornell unlverslLy ress, 1982).
1he llnk beLween uerrlda and aul de Man ls cenLral Lo undersLandlng deconsLrucLlon and Amerlcan
llLerary Lheory, ln addlLlon Lo aul de Man's own classlc, 8llndness and lnslghL: Lssays ln Lhe 8heLorlc of
ConLemporary CrlLlclsm ( new ?ork: Cxford unlverslLy ress, 1971), whlch dlscusses uerrlda, see Lhe
readlngs gaLhered ln 8u8. lor a self-consclously llLerary readlng of uerrlda, see Ceoffrey ParLman,
Savlng Lhe 1exL: LlLeraLure/uerrlda/hllosophy ( 8alLlmore: 1he !ohns Popklns unlverslLy ress, 1981),
whlch ls a sLudy of Clas, posslbly uerrlda's mosL exoLlc work, lL has a lefLhand column for phllosophers
and a rlghLhand one for llLLeraLeurs. 1he classlc "manlfesLo" of Lhls phase of deconsLrucLlon ls
ueconsLrucLlon and CrlLlclsm ( new ?ork: ConLlnuum, 1979), whlch conLalns conLrlbuLlons by !. Plllls
Mlller and Parold 8loom, ln addlLlon Lo uerrlda, de Man, and ParLmann.
1he mosL aggresslvely phllosophlcal readlng of uerrlda, whlch accuses Lhe llLerary crlLlcs of
mlsrepresenLlng uerrlda, done by someone who knows hlm qulLe well, ls 8odolphe Casche, 1he 1aln of
Lhe Mlrror ( Cambrldge, Mass.: Parvard unlverslLy ress, 1986), and lnvenLlons of ulfference: Cn !acques
uerrlda ( Cambrldge, Mass.: Parvard unlverslLy ress, 1994). Slmllarly, ChrlsLopher norrls, uerrlda
( Cambrldge, Mass.: Parvard unlverslLy ress, 1987) ls an excellenL lnLroducLlon Lo uerrlda. ln hls varlous
works, norrls, who parLlcularly
-203-
conLesLs 8orLy's deplcLlon of uerrlda, can be crlLlclzed for pushlng uerrlda Loo close Lo Lhe "old"
LnllghLenmenL. lor 8orLy's sLory, see hls ConLlngency, lrony, and SolldarlLy ( Cambrldge: Cambrldge
unlverslLy ress, 1989), chap. 6. l Lrled Lo medlaLe Lhls dlspuLe ln my "ln Search of Lhe Cuasl-
1ranscendenLal: 1he Case of uerrlda and 8orLy," Worklng 1hrough uerrlda, ed. Cary Madlson ( LvansLon,
lll.: norLhwesLern unlverslLy ress, 1993), pp. 147-169.
1he mosL splrlLed and lnformed dellmlLaLlon of Lhls phllosophlcal aggresslon, also done by someone who
knows uerrlda qulLe well, ls Ceoffrey 8ennlngLon, LeglslaLlons: 1he ollLlcs of ueconsLrucLlon ( London:
verso, 1994). !ohn Llewelyn does a good [ob, desplLe some excesslve cuLeness, of negoLlaLlng Lhe
dlfference ln uerrlda on Lhe 1hreshold of Sense ( new ?ork: SL. MarLln's ress, 1986), whlle also Lrylng Lo
open up Lhe quesLlon of uerrlda and analyLlc phllosophy. uerrlda: A CrlLlcal 8eader, ed. uavld Wood
( Cxford: 8lackwell, 1992) ls a flrsL-raLe collecLlon of papers senslLlve Lo uerrlda's many sldes.
hllosophers wlll flnd LhaL ueconsLrucLlon and hllosophy: 1he 1exLs of !acques uerrlda, ed. !ohn Sallls
( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago ress, 1987) conLalns a number of rellable and helpful essays.
Worklng 1hrough uerrlda, ed. Cary 8. Madlson (see above), ls also an excellenL collecLlon of papers LhaL
Lake up domlnanLly phllosophlcal lssues. Parry SLaLen, WlLLgensLeln and uerrlda ( Llncoln: unlverslLy of
nebraska ress, 1984) and 8edrawlng Lhe Llnes: AnalyLlc hllosophy, ueconsLrucLlon, and LlLerary
1heory, ed. 8eed Way uasenbrock ( Mlnneapolls: unlverslLy of MlnnesoLa ress, 1989) wlll be of lnLeresL
Lo analyLlc phllosophers who wanL Lo read uerrlda, Lhe laLLer also also conLalns an exchange beLween
norrls and 8orLy.
1here ls a loL of debaLe abouL uerrlda's relaLlonshlp Lo hermeneuLlcs. ulalogue and ueconsLrucLlon, ed.
ulane Mlchelfelder and 8lch ard almer ( Albany: SLaLe unlverslLy of new ?ork ress, 1989) ls Lhe baslc
resource for Lhe Cadamer llnk. Leonard Lawlor, lmaglnaLlon and Chance: 1he ulfference 8eLween Lhe
1houghL of 8lcoeur and uerrlda ( Albany: SLaLe unlverslLy of new ?ork ress, 1992) ls a flne exploraLlon
of Lhe 8lcoeur connecLlon. 1he quesLlon of Peldegger and uerrlda has provoked exLenslve commenLary.
See Perman 8apaporL, Peldegger and uerrlda: 8eflecLlons on 1lme and PlsLory ( Llncoln: unlverslLy of
nebraska ress, 1992), l myself have noL found a reason Lo renounce my 8adlcal PermeneuLlcs:
8epeLlLlon, ueconsLrucLlon and Lhe PermeneuLlc ro[ecL ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress,
-206-
1987), and my uemyLhologlzlng Peldegger ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1993) ls a crlLlque of
Peldegger from a uerrldean sLandpolnL. !ohn roLevl, 1lme and LxLerlorlLy: ArlsLoLle, Peldegger, uerrlda
( LewlsLown, enn.: 8ucknell unlverslLy ress, 1994) ls a senslLlve readlng of a subLle lssue.
lf you are lnLeresLed ln uerrlda and Lheology, Lhere ls a loL of help Lo be had. l have aLLempLed Lo draw
up a comprehenslve blbllography of such LlLles ln 1he rayers and 1ears of !acques uerrlda. 8uL see, ln
parLlcular, C. uouglas ALklns, 8eadlng ueconsLrucLlon/ueconsLrucLlve 8eadlng ( LexlngLon: unlverslLy
ress of kenLucky, 1983), "arLlal SLorles: Pebralc and ChrlsLlan 1hlnklng ln Lhe Wake of ueconsLrucLlon,"
8ellglon and LlLeraLure, 13, no. 3 ( 1983), 7-21, kevln ParL, 1he 1respass of Lhe Slgn: ueconsLrucLlon,
1heology, and hllosophy ( Cambrldge: Cambrldge unlverslLy ress, 1983), WalLer Lowe, 1heology and
ulfference: 1he Wound of 8eason ( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1993), Louls Mackey,
"Slouchlng 1owards 8eLhlehem: ueconsLrucLlve SLraLegles ln 1heology," Angllcan 1heologlcal 8evlew, 63 (
1983), 233-272, Mark 1aylor, Lrrlng: A osLmodern A/Lheology ( Chlcago: 1he unlverslLy of Chlcago
ress, 1987). See also Lhe arLlcles collecLed ln un1.
lor uerrlda and Aslan rellglon and LhoughL, see uavld Loy, "1he ClLure of ueconsLrucLlon: A Mahayana
CrlLlque of uerrlda," lnLernaLlonal hllosophlcal CuarLerly, 27 ( 1987), 39-80, ueconsLrucLlon and
Peallng: osLmodern 1houghL ln 8uddhlsm and ChrlsLlanlLy ( ALlanLa: Scholars ress, Amerlcan Academy
of 8ellglon, 1996), 8oberL Magllola , uerrlda on Lhe Mend ( WesL LafayeLLe, lnd.: urdue unlverslLy ress,
1984).
1here ls a growlng and lmporLanL dlscusslon of uerrlda and eLhlcs, mosL of whlch cenLers on Lhe
quesLlon of uerrlda and Levlnas. Slmon CrlLchley , 1he LLhlcs of ueconsLrucLlon: uerrlda and Levlnas
( Cxford: 8lackwell, 1992) seLs Lhe sLandard. l myself have conLrlbuLed a fragmenL Lo Lhls llLeraLure ln my
AgalnsL LLhlcs: ConLrlbuLlons Lo a oeLlcs of CbllgaLlon wlLh ConsLanL 8eference Lo ueconsLrucLlon
( 8loomlngLon: lndlana unlverslLy ress, 1993). 1he quesLlon of pollLlcs ls ralsed ln Lhe essays ln u!, ln
8ennlngLon (above), ln Madlson's Worklng 1hrough uerrlda (above), and ln Lhe essays clLed ln Lhe noLes
Lo Lhe dlscusslons of SdM/SoM above, chaps. 3-6. 1he papers collecLed ln u! also do a good [ob of
ralslng Lhe quesLlon of uerrlda and Lhe law.
1he quesLlon of uerrlda and femlnlsL Lheory ls an lmporLanL and
-207-
ongolng concern. See ulane Llam, lemlnlsm and ueconsLrucLlon: Ms. en Abyme ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge,
1994), and Lhe collecLlon enLlLled uerrlda and lemlnlsm: 8ecasLlng Lhe CuesLlon of Woman, ed. Lllen
leder, Mary 8awllnson, Lmlly Zakln ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, Chapman and Pall, forLhcomlng). See also
urucllla Cornell, 1he hllosophy of Lhe LlmlL ( new ?ork: 8ouLledge, 1992).
lor uerrlda and archlLecLure, see Mark Wlgley, 1he ArchlLecLure of ueconsLrucLlon: uerrlda's PaunL
( Cambrldge, Mass.: 1he Ml1 ress, 1993).
Cregory ulmer, Applled CrammaLology: osL(e)-edagogy from !acques uerrlda Lo !oseph 8euys
( 8alLlmore: 1he !ohns Popklns unlverslLy ress, 1983) ls an off-beaL buL hlghly lnLeresLlng dlscusslon of
Lhe lmpllcaLlons of deconsLrucLlon for pedagogy and an exLremely senslLlve LreaLmenL of Lhe quesLlon of
posLal Lechnology and "vlrLual reallLy."
-208-
lndex of names
Abraham, 24, 128, 134, 133, 138, 139, 160, 169, 172, 176, 183, 199
Abu-!amal, Mumla, 60, 61, 61 n11
Adam, 103
Amos, 172
Applgnanesl, Llsa, 3 n1
Aqulnas, 1homas, SalnL, 74, 149
ArendL, Pannah, 137 n2
ArlsLoLle, 8, 9, 10, 37, 63, 71, 74, 73, 78, 79, 80, 81, 143, 144, 148, 149, 173 n18, 178 n20
AronowlLz, SLanley, 72, 73
ArLaud, AnLonln, 182
ArLhur, !ohn, 10 n7
ALhena, 88, 88 n3, 89
ALLrldge, uerek, 184 n3, 190 n6
AugusLlne, SalnL, 19, 21, 37, 88 n3, 166, 173
8ass, Alan, 131 n13
8en[amln, WalLer A., 16, 32, 32 n3, 137, 138, 160, 177
8eck, Lewls WhlLe, 113 n9
8enneLL, Wllllam, 79
8ennlngLon, Ceoffrey, 3 n1, 38 n7, 40 n10, 38 n8, 60 n10, 173 n19, 182, 182 n2
8ensLock, 8., 183 n3
8envenlsLe, Lmll, 110
8ernal, MarLln, 88 n3
8ernasconl, 8oberL, 60 n9, 108 n3
8lanchoL, Maurlce, 14, 24, 24 n21, 32, 107 n3, 108 n3, 162, 162 n7, 163, 163 n8, 173 n18, 178,
179, 180, 182, 190 n6
8loom, Allan, 49 n1, 33 n4, 127, 127 n1, 187
8loom, Molly, 182, 186, 188, 189, 194, 196
8raulL, ascale-Anne, 166 n10
8rogan, WalLer, 3, 8, 73 n4
8rker, W., 178 n20
8rker-ClLmanns, k., 178 n20
8ronLe, CharloLLe, 80
8usch, 1homas, 3, 11
Cadava, Lduardo, 137 n2
CapuLo, !ohn u., 3, 4, 19, 20, 21 n17, 22 n18, 28, 48 n13, 74 n3, 164 n9, 174 n17
Caws, Mary Ann, 60 n9
Celan, aul, 182
CervanLes, Mlguel de, 11
ChevenemenL, !ean-lerre, 63, 68
Clark, 1lmoLhy, 32 n1, 190 n6
Cllmacus, !ohannes, 36, 32, 138
Connor, eLer, 107 n3
ConsLanLlus, ConsLanLln, 188 n3, 197, 200
Copernlcus, nlcholas, 120
CorleLL, Wllllam, 108 n4, 124 n12
Cornell, urucllla, 32, 32 n3, 129, 140, 140 n8, 130, 130 n14
Crease, 8oberL, 74 n3
CrlLchley, Slmon, 173 n19
CrlLlas, 87, 88, 89, 90
Culler, !onaLhan, 100 n9
uaedalus, SLephen, 26
uahlsLrom, uanlel C., 178 n20
uemlurge, 84
uescarLes, 8ene, 37, 74, 98
uewey, !ohn, 40
ulogenes LaerLlus, 33, 173 n18
ulonyslus, 93
uropldes, 88
LckharL, MelsLer, 20, 92 n7, 93
Llsenmann, eLer, 140
Llam, ulane, 103 n11
-209-
Lll[ah, 136, 189, 190, 191, 193
Lsch, ueborah, 61 n12
Lvans, !. Claude, 41 n11
Lve, 103
Lyre, !ane, 80
leder, Lllen, 103 n11
lerrer, uanlel, 184 n3
leuerbach, Ludwlg, 138
llsh, SLanley, 72, 72 n2, 73 n2, 137
loucaulL, Mlchel, 173 n18
lrank, 1om, 73 n2
lrazer, nancy, 140, 140 n8
lreud, Slgmund, 26, 136 n3
lrled, Lewls L. 8., 61 n12
lrled, Ceorge, 106 n1
lukuyama, lrancls, 118, 120, 122, 160, 161
lynsk, ChrlsLopher, 137 n2
Cadamer, Pans-Ceorg, 189
Callleo Calllel, 120
Casche, 8odolphe, 38 n8, 92 n7
CeneL, !ean, 33, 182
Cray, !. Clenn, 112 n8
Crlffln, !asper, 88 n3
Cross, aul, 72 n1
CuLmann, Amy, 10 n7, 49 n1, 30, 33 n4, 34, 34 n6, 79, 81
Pabermas, !urgen, 167
Pall, W. u., 142 n10
PamleL, 133, 133
Pandelman, Susan, 137 n2, 170, 171 n13
Parlow, 8arbara, 166 n11
Parrls, 8oy, 100 n9
ParL, kevln, 93 n7
Parvey, lrene, 38 n8
Pauerwas, SLanley, 109
Paufnlensls, vlglllus, 180
Pegel, Ceorg l. W., 11, 23, 39, 33, 37, 74, 116, 117, 126, 132, 148 n3, 160, 161, 183, 192, 193,
193 n7, 198
Peldegger, MarLln, 6, 14, 14 n10, 17, 20, 43, 32, 37, 76, 88 n3, 94, 106 n1, 112 n8, 113, 118, 126,
127, 133, 143, 131, 131 nn13-16, 132, 132 n17, 133, 133 n18, 134, 133, 160, 161, 161 n6, 163, 177, 178
n20, 190 n6, 191, 198
Perlng, ChrlsLopher, 137 n2
PermocraLes, 87, 90
Pernadl, aul, 171 n13
Plmmelfarb, CerLrude, 30 n2, 33 n4, 79
Plderlln, lrledrlch, 198
Pomer, 198
Pong, Poward, 36 n3, 48 n13, 132 n3, 134 n4
Pong, Ldna, 36 n3, 48 n13, 132 n3, 134 n4
Ponohan, lseulL, 137 n 2
PounLond[l, aulln !., 69 n17
Poward, Mlchael, 30 n2
Pus, !an, 60
Pusserl, Ldmund, 26, 41 n11, 37, 117, 126, 144, 181 n1, 182, 183, 183, 198
lngram, uavld, 108 n3
lsaac, 139
!acqueL, Carol, 184 n3
!ames, Wllllam, 40
!ames, SalnL, 97
!ardlne, Allce, 3 n1
!eremlah, 198
!esus, 24, 43, 97, 148, 149, 169
!ohannes de SllenLlo, 134, 133, 139
!orls, lerre, 108 n3
!oyce, !ames, 3, 23, 26, 27, 38, 48, 181, 181 n1, 182, 183, 184, 184 n 3, 183, 183 n 3, 186, 186 n
4, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 193, 196, 197, 198, 198 n8
kafka, lranz, 182
kanL, lmmanuel, 3, 46, 32, 33 n 4, 33, 37, 66, 67, 74, 80, 94, 113, 113 n9, 163
kearney, 8lchard, 183 n3
keenan, 1homas, 61 n12
khomelnl, AyaLollah, 39
klerkegaard, Sren, 21, 36 n3, 43, 43 n12, 48 n 13, 132, 132 n3, 134 n4, 138, 139, 138, 180 n23
klslel, 1heodore, 178 n20
krell, u. l., 133 n 18
krupnlck, Mark, 171 n13
Labarrlere, lerre-!ean, 127 n2
Laclau, LrnesLo, 174 n17, 173 n19
LaerLlus, ulogenes, 33, 173 n18
Leavey, !ohn, 148 n13
LelLch, vlncenL, 64 n13, 68 n16
-210-
Levlnas, Lmmanuel 14, 14 n12, 17, 32, 97, 98, 98 n8, 126, 127, 136, 139, 130, 137 n 2, 139,
166, 171, 174, 186
LevlLL, norman, 72 n1
Lewls, hlllp. 33 n 3
Llmbaugh, 8ush, 102
Llngls, Alphonso, 14 n12, 98 n8
Lorenz, lsabelle, 60 n9
Lucy, nlall, 36 n 6, 120 n11
Lukacher, ned, 34 n2
LyoLard, !ean-lranols, 64
MaclnLyre, Alasdalr, 109
Madlson, Cary, 60 n9, 174 n17
Malan, u. l., 120 n11
Mallarme, SLephane, 38, 182
Mandela, nelson, 60, 60 n9
Marcus, 8uLh 8arcan, 39, 36, 129, 167
MarLln, 8., 39 n8
Marx, karl, 11, 12 n 9, 13, 17, 21, 22, 33, 119, 120, 121, 127, 133, 134, 138, 139, 160, 161, 169,
169 n13, 173 n19, 187
MaLusLlk, MarLln, 43 n12
Mauss, Marcel, 142, 142 n10
McArLhur, M., 183 n3
McCarLhy, 1homas, 40 n9, 140, 140 n8
McCllnLock, Anne, 120 n11
McCumber, !ohn, 39, 40 n9
Mehlman, !effrey, 173 n18
Merleau-onLy, Maurlce, 182
Meyer, Mlchael, 137 n2
MllLon, !ohn, 11
MlLLerand, lranols, 63
MonLalgne, Mlchel de, 174 n18
Moses, 24, 128, 136 n3, 160, 169
MoLzkln, Cabrlel, 10 n6, 174 n18
Mouffe, ChanLal, 173 n19
Murphy, !ames, 3, 23
naas, Mlchael, 166 n10
nancy, !ean-Luc, 107 n3, 108 n3
nelLh, 88, 88 n3
nelson, LyceLLe, 163 n8
newLon, lsaac, 74, 120
nleLzsche, lrledrlch, 43 n12, 79, 127, 138, 166, 186, 192
nlxon, 8ob, 120 n11
arks, 8osa, 130
armenldes, 132
laLo, 8, 8 n3, 9, 10, 11, 18, 21, 37, 63, 71, 74, 73, 73 n4, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 83, 86, 87, 88
n 3, 90, 90 n6, 91, 92, 93, 94, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 126, 143, 144
onge, lrancls, 182
orLer, CaLherlne, 33 n3
renowlLz, Lrlc, 136, 171 n16
roLevl, !ohn, 133 n18
CoheleLh, 162
Culne, Wllfred van Crman, 39, 39 n8
8and, 8lchard, 33 n4, 148 n13
8apaporL, Perman, 131 n16
8awllnson, Mary, 103 n11
8awls, !ohn, 109
8eagan, 8onald, 118, 160
8lnon, ?oaf, 73 n4
8orLy, 8lchard, 40, 174
8osen, SLanley, 73 n4
8oss, Andrew, 72 n1
8oLhwell, n., 38 n7
8oyle, nlcholas, 32 n1
8ushdle, Salmon, 39
Saluslnszky, lmre, 33 n3, 63 n14, 64 n13
Saussure, lerdlnand de, 100, 100 n9, 104
Schleslnger, ArLhur, 11 n8
SchmldL, uennls, 3, 13, 20
Scholem, Cershom, 137 n2
SchulLz, Wllllam 8., 61 n12
Searle, !ohn, 49 n 1, 30, 33 n4
Shakespeare, Wllllam, 10, 11, 21, 72, 133
Shaplro, Amy, 10 n7
Slleslus, Angelus, 186
Sllverman, Pugh, 73 n4
SmlLh, aul, 3 n1
SmlLh, 8arry, 39, 36, 36 n7, 126, 129
Smock, Ann, 24 n21, 162 n7
SocraLes, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 132
Sokal, Alan, 71, 72, 72 n 1, 73, 73 n 2, 77, 79, 81, 83
Solon, 88, 89, 90, 90 n6
SLambaugh, !oan, 132 n17
Szondl, eLer, 137 n2
1aylor, Mark, 140, 138 n4, 174 n17
1empel, laclde, 69, 69 n17
-211-
1lmaeus, 87, 89, 90, 91, 97, 103
1llll, MuLapha, 60 n 9
van 8uren, !ohn, 178 n20
vaLLlmo, Clannl, 22 n18, 124, 164 n9, 177
Weber, Samuel, 9 n4
Welnberg, SLeven, 73 n 2, 79
Welnglass, Leonard, 61 n11
WesLphal, Merold, 43 n12
Wleck, lred u., 112 n8
Wllhelm, !udge, 188 n3
WohlfarLh, lrvlng, 137 n2
WyganL, Amy, 334
Wyschogrod, LdlLh, 111 n7
?erushalml, ?osef, 136 n3
Zakln, Lmlly, 103 n11
Zlarek, Lwa, 166 n12
Zohn, Pans, 137 n2
ZuckerL, CaLherlne P., 73 n4
-212-
lndex of Sub[ecLs
agenL, as a prlnclple of approprlaLlon, 144, 146, 148 -149, see"sub[ecL, Lhe"
Algerla, 19, 20, 60, 114, 126, 160, 171
Amen, 149, 194, 198, 202
Amerlcan hllosophlcal AssoclaLlon, 39
analyLlc phllosophy, 39 -41
Aufklarer, 40, 32, 34, 33, 39, 167, 169
auLhor, Lhe, 78, 80, 193 -196
a venlr, see"come"
8uddhlsm, 176 -177
Cambrldge unlverslLy, 16, 31, 38 -40, 43, 132
canon, Lhe, 10 -11, 63, 73, 81 -82, 94
caplLallsm, 161 , of Lhe Luropean caplLals, 118 -120, MarxlsL crlLlque, of, 120
ChrlsLlanlLy, 10, 21, 22, 43, 160, 168
clrcumclslon, 186, 189, 191, 192, 194, 198
clrcumfesslon, 138
come, 22, 24 -23, 41 -42, 123 -124, 128, 133, 134, 136 -138, 162, 164, 172, 178 -180, 198 ,
see"democracy,""[usLlce,""messlanlc," "fuLure"
communlLarlanlsm, 108 -109
communlLy, 11, 13 -13, 7 -124 (passlm), as quasl-communlLy, 123 -124, eLymology of Lhe word,
107 -108, 108 n4
conservaLlve, uerrlda as, 8, 37 , vs. con-servaLlsm, 79, 81, 109
convenLlonallsm, 42, 103 -104, 108 109, 131
culLural sLudles, 71
declslon, 3 , aporlas of, 136 -139
democracy, 9, 12, 18, 19, 43 -44, 38 -60, 61, 107, 122, 123, 133, 173 -178
dlssemlnaLlon, 184, 193
dlfferance, 96 -103, 122, 131 n16, 138, 173, 180, 184, 187, 194
dlke, 17, 131 -133
double blnd, 147 -148, 189 -191
double gesLure, 81
economy, and Lhe glrl, 142, 143 -131
ecrlLure, see"wrlLlng"
emanclpaLlon, 33
LnllghLenmenL, old vs. new, 30 -31, 33 -33, 37, 39 -60, 69, 123, 138 -139, 164 , and rellglon, 164
essenLlallsm, 42, 101, 103 -104, 108 109, 117, 131
Lurope, 114, 118, 119, 123, 127
experlence, 32 -33
falLh, 21 -22, 23, 139 , vs. rellglon, 164 -168
femlnlsm, 104 -103, 103 n11
llnnegan's Wake, 23, 183, 187 n4, 197
formal lndlcaLlon, 177 -178
lrench phenomenology, 182
frlendshlp, 10, 14
fundamenLallsm, 160
fuLure, 22, 24 , fuLure-presenL vs. absoluLe fuLure, 133 -134, 133, 136 -138, 161 162, 178, 179 ,
see"come"
gaLherlng, 13, 14, 23, 31 -32, 33, 32, 117, 131 -133, 183, 196 ,see"versammlung"
gender, 104 -103, 121, see also"moLhers,""femlnlsm"
glfL, 13, 18 -19, 70, 71, 94 -93, 116, 140 -131, 193, 193 -196, 199 -200,and hosplLallLy, 111 -113,
and khra, 143
Cod, 20, 92, 92 n7, 93, 96 -99, 102 -103, 122, 128, 133 -136, 139, 147, 147 n12,
-213-
148, 132, 138 -161, 163, 173, 186, 187, 187 n4, 189, 192, 193
Creek phllosophy, 8 -10, 74 -76, 97 -98
C8LP, 7, 63
Parvard unlverslLy, 23, 182
headlng, 116 -117, 120 -121, 122
hlsLory, uerrlda's concepL of, 117 -118, 176
hosplLallLy, 18, 18 n13, 109 -113, 122, 172, 173
ldenLlLy, 13 -14, 106, 113 -121, uerrlda's, 114 , Luropean, 114, 118 -120, 122 , ln Peldegger, 132
ll y a, 94, 122, 134, 133
lmmlgranLs, 106 -107, 113 -116
lmposslble, Lhe, 32 -33, 64, 70, 144 143, 173 , and negaLlve Lheology, 102 103, as Lhe glfL, 144
-143, as [usLlce, 133, 134 , experlence of, 32 -33, 112, 120, 133 -134, hosplLallLy as, 111, 112
lnauguraLlon, 4, 6, 8, 27 -28, 44, 48, 49, 199 -200
lnsLlLuLlons, 3 -8, 49 -30, 38, 62, 64 , analysls of, deconsLrucLlon as, 62 , lnsLlLuLlonal lnlLlaLlves,
uerrlda's, 60 -69
lnLerdlsclpllnarlLy, 7 -8, 67 -68
lnLernaLlonal College of hllosophy, 7 -8, 63 -69, 140
lnLernaLlonal, Lhe new, 12, 119, 121
lnLernaLlonal law, 12, 119
lnLernaLlonallsm, 11, 68 -69, 119, 123
lnvenLlon of Lhe oLher, 33, 70, 76, 81, 103 -103, 109, 120, 198
lnvenLlonallsm, 42, 44, 103, 109, 131, 136, 171
lrony, SocraLlc vs. uerrlda's, 132
lslam, 21, 161, 169 ,, lslamlc fundamenLallsm, 127, 160
lLerablllLy, 28, 101, 103, 187 -188, 189 190, see"repeLlLlon"
!ewlsh, 133, 136, 138, 163, 170, 171, 176 -177
!udalsm, 20, 21, 22, 107 -108n 3, 136, 136 n3, 138, 160, 168, 171 -172, 176
[udgmenL, see"declslon"
[usLlce, 13, 19 -20, 70, 180, 123 -133 (passlm), 172 -173, as dls[olnlng, 131 133, as glfL, 140 -131,
precedes knowledge, 138, 166
kha, 18, 82 -103 (passlm)
klngdom of Cod, 133
kuhnlan phllosophy of sclence, 74
LaLln, 21, 21 n17
laughLer, 191 -193, 193, 197, 198
law, 16 -18, 70, 101, 123 -126, 130 -140, 130 -131, Peldegger's dlke as, 134
llberallsm, 108 -109, euphorla of, 174
Llfe of 8rlan, 36
llfe sclences, phllosophlcal lmpllcaLlons of, 68, 140
llngulsLlclsm, error of, 104
llLeraLure, 36, 38 -39, 69 -70, 80, 126, 181 -182
logocenLrlsm, 83, 100
love, 14, 148, 149, 173
McCarLhylsm, and analyLlc phllosophy, 39 -40
meanlng, 183 -184
memory, 6, 23, 27, 89, 93, 196, 199
Messlah, Lhe, 23 -23, 32, 123, 137, 160 161, 163 -163, 170, 172, 177 -178
messlanlc, 20, 136 -180 (passlm), 8en[amln's, 137 -138, Llme, 137, 162 -163, 179 -180, vs.
messlanlsm, 168 -178
messlanlclLy, 22, 23, 168 -169, 169 n13
messlanlsm, 22 -24, 160 -161, uerrlda's as a democracy Lo come, 173 -178, vs. messlanlc, 168
-178
meLaphyslcs, 84, 127, 132
mlsslon, 31 -32, 37
moLhers, 20, 26 -27, 91 -92, 94, 96, 103
mournlng, 138, 138 n3
narclsslsm, 44, 148 -149, 131, 194
naLlonal, Lhe, 13, 69, 106, 119, 123, 161, 174 , Peldegger and, 113, 132
naLlonallsm, see"Lhe naLlonal"
naLlonal 8lfle AssoclaLlon, 134
naLural sclences, 71 -74, 74 n3, 80
negaLlve Lheology, 92 -93, 96, 97, 102 103, 132, 176 -177
"new world order," Lhe, 114, 118, 121, 127, 163, 173, 178
nuLshell, 16 , aporla of, 31 -36
ob[ecLlvlLy, 79 -80
-214-
phllosophy, 63 -68, and llLeraLure, 38 , as deconsLrucLlon, 37, 69 -70, as dlsclpllne, 7 -8, 33 -38, as
laLonlc, 82 -83, end of, 4, 30, 61, 66 , llmlLs of, 73, 84 -83, 91 -92, 93 -96, 98 , programs, 3 -3,
6 -7, 60 , see also"rlghL"
place, 83, 86, 91 , pollLlcs of, 86 -87, 104 , sexual, 104 -103
play, of dlfferences, 38, 100 -103, 143, 173 , of slgnlflers, 77, 100 -103, 137, 184 , of Lraces, 100 -
103, 183
prayer, 143, 136 -137, 162, 164, 168, 201 -202
promlse, 22 -23, 27, 60, 161 -162, 163, 164, 163, 177, 196, 199
publlc phllosopher, uerrlda as, 43 -47
pyroLechnlcs, 34
quasl-LranscendenLal, 141 -142
quesLlonlng, 33, 36 -37, 38, 199
readlng, 82 -83, producLlve vs. reproducLlve, 76 -77, 78, 81, 88 n3
reason, 34 -33, as a form of falLh, 163 -168
rellglon, 20 -22, 70, 138 -160, uerrlda's, 47, 138 , vs. falLh, 164 -168, wlLhouL rellglon, 47
repeLlLlon, 100 -103, 183, 187 -188, 188 n3, 196 -197, 199 -200, see"lLerablllLy"
respecL, deconsLrucLlon as, 44 responslblllLy, 14, 49 -30, 77, 120, 121 -22, 199
rlghL, 31, 33 -34, Lo phllosophy, 33 -60
rlghLs, gay and lesblan, 104 -103
rules, 6
secreL, 80
slgnaLure, 186, 189 -193, 193, 197 -198, and counLer-slgnaLure, 189 -192, 196 197, uerrlda's, 46
slngularlLy, 133 -136, 137, 169, 176, 177
sub[ecL, Lhe, as a prlnclple of approprlaLlon, 143 -144, 146, 180, 193 , see "agenL"
LelecommunlcaLlons, 187 -188, 193, 193
LexL, 82 -83, 83, 88, 89 -91, 189, 193, 196 , and sacred scrlpLures, 88 , noLhlng ouLslde of, 77 -80,
117
Lhlrd Lhlng, Lhe, 84, 87, 91, 93, 94, 103
LradlLlon, 13, 27, 37, 71, 73, 79
Lransgresslon, 71, 73, 79 -82, 126
LruLh, 102 , [usLlce precedes, 166 , LruLh wlLhouL LruLh, necesslLy of, 99 -100, 102 -103,
see"[usLlce"
ulysses, 23, 27, 48, 181, 183 -187, 189 191, 193, 197
undecldablllLy, 137, 138, 180
undeconsLrucLlble, Lhe, 128 -129, 131 132, 163
unlLed naLlons, 12, 174
versammlung, 13, 14, 113, 117, 131 133, 183 , see"gaLherlng"
women, 10, 104 -103
wrlLlng, 80, 89, 91, 102, 171, 181 -182, 183
?ahweh, 128, 164, 172, 187 n4, 199
yes, yes, 27 -28, 41 -42, 33, 133, 172 173, 181 -202 (passlm)
-213-