Derrida and The Mind

Rick: I'm not prepared to discuss it with you, Vyvyan. You will be hearing from my solicitors in the morning. I'm going to write to my MP.

[takes out paper and pencil]

Neil: You haven't got an MP, Rick. You're an anarchist.
Rick: Oh. Well, then I shall write to the lead singer of Echo and the Bunnymen!

For me, this passage had clear connotations towards Derrida’s essay ‘Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences’ (1967). From my reading I came to the conclusion that Derrida is pointing out that ‘freeplay’ is the liberation from structure. Here this is elucidated with Rick, whom is rejecting the parliamentary structure of being represented by an MP by proclaiming that he is an anarchist, whilst for comic effect he is reliant on another structure. Rick is, oxymoronically, attempting to adhere to the structure of an anarchist. What I have gleamed from Derrida’s essay, to be an anarchist requires one not to think in terms of any structure and avoid orthodoxy of any kind; since limits and instructions are part of the structure. My interpretation of Derrida’s essay is that ‘freeplay’ results in the structure changing only to emerge as a new structure. This is the comedy of Rick’s exclusion from society only to re-join a society.

Derrida’s essay concludes by developing Structuralism into a Post-Structuralism, a duel sided coin; a critique of Structuralism to accompany the philosophical movement. It observes the structure whilst no longer looking for universal structures. ‘Freeplay’ is essentially the development of the structure and the natural progression of becoming.

A question that I cannot answer is if Derrida is merely pointing out that as rational beings we are constantly putting things into symbolic form, and then Post-Structualism is a tool to critique the human mind. The question arises; ‘Is our mind is constantly trying to fix a puzzle it created by itself’.


Season 2 episode 11: Sick - 12 June 1984. It was written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer, and directed by Geoff Posner

Jacques Derrida’s Essay, ‘Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences’ (1967), from ‘Writing and Difference’, Trans. Alan Bass. (London: Routledge 1990: 278-294).

Michelangelo Corleto. N0224619

Bergson and Senghor

We have so far acknowledged Bergson in our sessions as a primary influence on French philosophers such as Levinas and Merleau-Ponty, also popularised and revitalized later by Deleuze and influential to Heidegger’s magnum opus Being and Time. His influence also spreads however to other French speaking intellectuals, informing much of the philosophical content of the Negritude movement, which sought to resist the cultural prejudices and domination of France itself towards its former colonies, addressing classical questions in Descartes also selected for the basis of Bergson’s Matter and Memory.

One central concept within the Negritude movement is Bergson’s concept of Élan vital, understood by Senghor in a kind of animistic sense, where the vital force of an individual can be devalued or reinforced, entering into a hierarchy based on its strength. In Matter and Memory, Bergson conceptualises consciousness to a similar effect, where consciousness grounded in pure memory, rather than non-reflective, mechanical or habitual recitation prevented the consciousness of the individual from becoming automatic. The grounding of consciousness in the past has clear importance for post-colonial writers like Césaire:

“Négritude, in my eyes, is not a philosophy. Négritude is not a metaphysics. Négritude is not a pretentious conception of the universe. It is a way of living history within history: the history of a community whose experience appears to be… unique, with its deportation of populations, its transfer of people from one continent to another, its distant memories of old beliefs, its fragments of murdered cultures. How can we not believe that all this, which has its own coherence, constitutes a heritage?” (Césaire 2004).

For me, this quote is the perfect example of Bergsonian thought at work: “living history”, unique experiences, fragmentation and coherence, and memory all sub-headings in the search for a culture and history belonging to the particular lived experience in spite of black diasphora and colonial racism. Clearly Bergson’s thought has played a part here, leading to a movement overcoming philosophy and metaphysics, which describes itself more as an ontology, in the same way that Heidegger in the wake of Bergson ‘overcame’ metaphysics and description. While many of the heroes of western liberalism and humanism ironically justified colonialism (Mill, Renan, Locke), Bergson proves perhaps the ultimate humanism and defense against mechanistic, dehumanizing thought such as colonialism.

Precis

Some of you have been asking what to do with the precis. Think of the precis as a synopsis. Write a summary of a chapter of your choosing in 1000 words. The important thing is that you understand the import of the chapter and what the respective philosopher is trying to say within the context of the text. All of the chapters come under 'reccommended reading'in your module handbook. Most of these texts should be available in the library at the moment. If you have trouble finding them get in contact with me and I will see what I can do.

Remember the most important point is to demonstrate that you understand what the philosophers are saying. You do not have the time to engage in a critical account of this in your precis. All you have to do is recount what the philosopher is doing.

This assignment is due on the 25th of March. This will go through tracking.

Fear not, all will be well,
Patrick

The Blog Assessment

Hi everybody. This is just to notify you about the blog assessment. You will have to provide a blog entry of 200 words on any topic in the course. The closing date for completion will be Wednesday the the 9th of March. You can write on any topic which you find interesting, a discussion that you found interesting in class, a philosophical idea. So for example you could talk about the idea of time as qualitative in Bergson, give a brief and succint account of this and briefly suggest how you think that operates. This will allow you to get feedback from me and from your classmates. Think of it as a dry run for your precis.

When submitting your piece ensure that your name and id is on it, and that it conforms to standard academic practices.

Any questions drop me a line.

Patrick

Blanchot and meaninglessness

I've been wondering about Blanchot and all of those types of philosophers who are interested in language and who, from what I understand, state in some form or another that because of the indefinability of things that those things are then meaningless. Is this saying any more than our language isn't infinite?

I'm not sure whether it's really that profound or whether it's just an observation on the finitude of language.

Any thoughts?