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?

Just to let you know that the Philosophy Society is showing Fight Club on Thursday 2nd of December in GEE 004 LT1. This will be followed by a discussion.

This week's Blog

Since I think we have had some relative success this week with the blog thanks to Paul's post. I think it would be useful to extract some questions and problems from the class room and set them out here where we can trash them out a bit more. I will speak to you about this on Thursday.

Best,
P

Consciousness Mathematics and Unitary structure

(first part aimed at Paul Geddes)

In order to deduce mathematics; one first has to learn numbers, so your relation would fundamentally have to be based on how a person learned numbers? as how are we first taught numbers?..by relating them to something are we not? e.g. in terms of apples or cows and further more basic fractions are taught sometimes using things like pies.

so which ever way anyone learns any mathematics, there is always relation involved, of any kind.

so, because our mathematics is fundamentally based on a relational education structure we cannot say that mathematics does not have to relate to the outside world.

my point is (as i know I am not the most coherent arguer) that we can think of mathematics/equations without a relation, but only after we have initially learned mathematics which is fundamentally relational. so in this instance (mathematics) is not the best example of 'consciousness is not necessarily relational.'

the problem i think is - that as humans we have experience, and as such we learn things from a very young age, and sub consciously we carry this knowledge through life until we understand our knowledge, so one might argue that every part of our consciousness could be relational to something we have experienced previously. The only thing i could think of that does not require relation or previous knowledge is actually sex, as this is one of the most basic human things - to procreate. nowadays we have education to tell us what to do, but what would happen is that education was not there? e.g. early human history, how did early humans find out about sex? i think in this instance, it is one of the few things that our consciousness 'Just knows' because of the fact that consciousness just 'is,' and natural human identities like this do not require relation to know how something is or how it is done. What do you think about this paul?

------------------------------

the problem i am having is that.. 'Consciousness is'...so it has 'being,' consciousness, therefore is the fundamental 'groundstate' of all being and all knowing,
if this is the case how can consciousness ever be objectified? as surely consciousness is always the subject? therefore surely consciousness is actually unitary?

has anyone any thoughts on this?
Terence Nabbs
N0175822

Visiting speaker at NTU Wednesday 1st December

Dear All

A date for your diaries: Wednesday 1st Dec 2-4pm in GEE090 (LT4) when Dr Trevor Curnow (Reader in Philosophy at University of Cumbria) will present on ethics and everyday life, and consider the changing face of philosophy.

All are welcome!

Cheers

Ruth

Questioning Merleau-Ponty

Hey guys have just finished a lecture on Merleau-Ponty (M-P) and have some questions. It has come about that M-P implies that all consciousness is relational to the world as it is fundamentally linked to the body, which is within the world. However, I was thinking that to deduce mathematics in ones mind, does not necessarily have to relate to the outside world, as we can all conceive numbers and equations without subscribing it to an object within the world. Is this not what Descartes did? Surely we can therefore argue that consciousness is not necessarily relational?

Paul Geddes
N0226661

(Not to be marked)

Some New Links

I have just added the SEP entry for Derrida. I have also added the In Our Times BBC dicussion about vitalism. This will be useful in giving you some background to Bergson and Ravaisson.

Library and Course

I have been informed by the library that all of the texts
which are on this course should be available within a week
or two.

Project Gutenburg

I have just put up a link to project Gutenburg. Due to copyright law, I am not allowed to send you, or use the pdf's from Project Gutenburg, but I am allowed to direct you towards it. Project Gutenburg is valuable since they have an available copy of Bergson's Creative Evolution.

John Protevi's Website

John Protevi, an American Philosopher from Louisiana State university has kindly made his lectures available on-line. Many of these lectures touch on the thinkers that we will be dealing with Contemporary French Philosophy. I would also reccomend reading any of Prof. Protevi's work as he published voliminously on 20th Century French Philosophy. The link is on the list of links to the right.

Ruth on Alain Badiou

Pocket Pantheon

Anyone interested in the work of Badiou and/or key philosophers of the C20th might want to take a look at my Culture Machine book review of one of Badiou's recent works, Pocket Pantheon (2009) available at:

http://www.culturemachine.net/index.php/cm/article/view/412/424

Badiou's Pantheon is a small, informative yet provocative volume, well worth a look...

Cheers
Ruth
Posted

RIP Claude Lefort 1924-2010

Perhaps one of the lesser known of French poststructuralists, Claude Lefort utilised both phenomenology and Maussian sociology in the service of political theory. Some of his key influences were Merleau-Ponty, Machiavelli and Tocquievelle. He was particularly known for his analysis of totalitarianism. This was effected by the famous Socialism or Barbarism journal, along with JF Lyotard, which analyzed the relationship between corporatism and state. Lefort was also noted for his critique of Soviet beuareaucratic style socialism, particularly in left-wing French thought. Put in the bluntest terms, Lefort's most basic point is that fascism elides the distinction between the state and the company in an organistic unity. Lefort was one of the progenitors of the agonistic conception of democracy, which would be taken up by Laclau and Mouffe in different contexts. Lefort theorised that democracy worked best when it was founded on argument, dissensus and a multiplicity of opinions. He also, following Ernst Kantorowicz analysis of the kings two bodies, theorised the idea that democracy operates through an 'empty sovereignty' after the transition from monarchism to democracy.

Welcome to Phil 305

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to Phil 305's blog. Here you will post your blog entries as well as contribute comments for the participatory component of the module. I will also post anything of interest to Contemporary French Philosophy such as links, conferences and videos which might be relevant to the course.

Cheers,
Patrick

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