Thought-Factory.net Philosophical Conversations Public Opinion philosophy.com Junk for code
hegel
"When philosophy paints its grey in grey then has a shape of life grown old. By philosophy's grey in grey it cannot be rejuvenated but only understood. The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of dusk." -- G.W.F. Hegel, 'Preface', Philosophy of Right.
RECENT ENTRIES
SEARCH
ARCHIVES
Library
Links - weblogs
Links - Political Rationalities
Links - Resources: Philosophy
Public Discussion
Resources
Cafe Philosophy
Philosophy Centres
Links - Resources: Other
Links - Web Connections
Other
www.thought-factory.net
'Constant revolutionizing of production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainity and agitation distinquish the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones ... All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned.' Marx

Derrida: a non binary politics « Previous | |Next »
November 23, 2004

The quotes below are from one of Derrida's last public engagements. The link is courtesy of Charlotte Street.

Derrida had been invited to Le Monde's diplomatique’s 50th anniversary celebrations in May. The extract posted below is where Derrida speaking on Europe, the Enlightenment and the present/future. What he says speaks to Australia as well.

Derrida:


"Caught between US hegemony and the rising power of China and Arab/Muslim theocracy, Europe has a unique responsibility. .... I do believe, without the slightest sense of European nationalism or much confidence in the European Union as we currently know it, that we must fight for what the word Europe means today. This includes our Enlightenment heritage, and also an awareness and regretful acceptance of the totalitarian, genocidal and colonialist crimes of the past. Europe’s heritage is irreplaceable and vital for the future of the world. We must fight to hold on to it. We should not allow Europe to be reduced to the status of a common market, or a common currency, or a neo-nationalist conglomerate, or a military power."

If the Enlightenment heritage is to mean anything in Australia, then Australia too must have a reponsibility. This responsibility would involve not only fighting to save the Enlightenment heritage; but also using it to oppose those attempts to reduce Australia to an appendage of a Republican America.

Instead of saying no we can yes. What can we say yes to? Derrida makes a suggestion:


"I would like to single out one yes for special emphasis: the yes to a less market-dominated Europe. To me, that means a Europe that is neither content merely to compete with other superpowers, nor prepared to let them do as they please. A Europe whose constitution and political stance would make it the cradle of counter-globalisation, its driving force, the way alternative ideas reach the world stage, for example in Iraq or Israel-Palestine."

We too can say yes to a less market dominated Australia:a cradle of a counter-opposition to corporate neo-liberal kind of globalization.

How can this be achieved?

Derrida says that would it show the world what it means to base politics on something more sophisticated than simplistic binary oppositions. He continues:


"In this Europe it would be possible to criticise Israeli policy, especially that pursued by Ariel Sharon and backed by George Bush, without being accused of anti-semitism. In this Europe, supporting the Palestinians in their legitimate struggle for rights, land and a state would not mean supporting suicide bombing or agreeing with the anti-semitic propaganda that is rehabilitating (with sad success) the outrageous lie that is the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. In this Europe it would be usual to worry both about rising anti-semitism and rising Islamophobia. Sharon and his policies are not directly responsible for the rise of anti-semitism in Europe. But we must defend our right to believe that he does have something to do with it, and that he has used it as an excuse to call European Jews to Israel.

In this Europe it would be possible to criticise the policies of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz without being accused of sympathy for Saddam Hussein and his regime. In this Europe no one would be called anti-American, anti-Israeli, anti-Palestinian or Islamophobic for allying himself with those Americans, Israelis or Palestinians who bravely speak out against their own leaders,often far more vehemently than we do in Europe."


It may be a dream. But it is possible to do this in Australia, don't you think?

| Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at 11:10 AM | | Comments (1)
Comments

Comments

The sickness behind this binary approach is mainly the 'double standart' disease spread in mediocre mass and now in so called 'intellectuals'.For most of them ,white is sometimes black and black is sometimes white. (Double standart disease in binary colour system)
Recovery could be possible with 'anti obsession'
diffusing medicines.But the body and the mind would react strongly.