Radical Atheism: Derrida and the Time of Life

Radical Atheism presents a profound new reading of the influential French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Against the prevalent notion that there was an ethical or religious "turn" in Derrida's thinking, Hägglund argues that a radical atheism informs Derrida's work from beginning to end. Proceeding from Derrida's insight into the constitution of time, Hägglund demonstrates how Derrida rethinks the condition of identity, ethics, religion, and political emancipation in accordance with the logic of radical atheism. Hägglund challenges other major interpreters of Derrida's work and offers a compelling account of Derrida's thinking on life and death, good and evil, self and other. Furthermore, Hägglund does not only explicate Derrida's position but also develops his arguments, fortifies his logic, and pursues its implications. The result is a groundbreaking deconstruction of the perennial philosophical themes of time and desire as well as pressing contemporary issues of sovereignty and democracy.

ISBN-13: 9780804700788

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Publication Date: 09-03-2008

Pages: 272

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Series: Meridian: Crossing Aesthetics

Martin Hägglund is a Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellow in Comparative Literature at Cornell University. He is the author of Chronophobia: Essays on Time and Finitude, which was published in Swedish in 2002. In Spring 2009, CR: The New Centennial Review will publish a special issue devoted to his work. Visit Martin Hagglund's website: www.martinhagglund.se

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1
1 Autoimmunity of Time: Derrida and Kant 13
2 Arche-Writing: Derrida and Husserl 50
3 Arche-Violence: Derrida and Levinas 76
4 Autoimmunity of Life: Derrida's Radical Atheism 107
5 Autoimmunity of Democracy: Derrida and Laclau 164 Notes 207 Works Cited 237 Index 249