Jacques Derrida · Philosophy

Justice, Hospitality, and the Gift

In his later years Derrida turned to ethics and politics, surprising those who thought deconstruction was a nihilist game. He argued that justice itself is <em>undeconstructible</em> - the very thing in whose name we deconstruct unjust laws - and developed a series of &lsquo;impossible&rsquo; ideas: pure hospitality, the gift, forgiveness, and a democracy always still &lsquo;to come.&rsquo;

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that the later Derrida drew a sharp line between law (droit) - which is constructed, calculable, and always deconstructible - and justice , which is undeconstructible: the infinite demand in whose name unjust laws are criticized and reformed. You also met his &lsquo;impossible&rsquo; concepts: pure hospita…

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