The Derrida-Habermas Reader [Paperback]

Lasse Thomassen (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0226796841 | ISBN-13: 978-0226796840 | Edition: 1

Jacques Derrida and Jürgen Habermas have long represented opposite camps in contemporary thought. Derrida, who pioneered the intellectual style of inquiry known as deconstruction, ushered in the postmodern age with his dramatic critique of reason; Habermas, on the other hand, has consistently argued in defense of reason, modernity, and the legacy of the Enlightenment. Their many differences led to a long-standing, if scattered, dialogue, evidence of which has been available in only bits and pieces. But now, for the first time, The Derrida-Habermas Reader brings these pieces together, along with a collection of essays documenting the intellectual relationship between two of the twentieth century’s preeminent thinkers. 

Taken together, Derrida and Habermas’s writings—combined here with contributions by other prominent philosophers and social theorists—tell the story of the two thinkers’ provocative engagement with each other’s ideas. Beyond exploring the conflict between Derrida’s deconstruction and Habermas’s communicative rationality, they show how the Derrida-Habermas encounter changed over the years, becoming more theoretically productive without ever collapsing into mutual rejection or simple compromise.

Lasse Thomassen has divided the essays—including works on philosophy and literature, ethics, politics, and international law—into four parts that cover the full range of thought in which Derrida and Habermas engaged. The last of these sections fittingly includes the thinkers’ jointly signed work on European solidarity and the Iraq War, highlighting the hopes they held in common despite their differences. The wide breadth of this book, along with Thomassen’s lucid introductions to each section, makes The Derrida-Habermas Reader an ideal starting point for anyone interested in one of the most dynamic intellectual debates of our time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a most welcome volume. It provides the reader not only with an wonderful overview of the deep philosophical differences that divide Derrida and Habermas, but also with some sense of their common hopes as Europeans and cosmopolitan citizens. The excellent selection of primary texts is supported by a small number of well-chosen commentaries on the two thinkers. -- Stephen K. White, James Hart Professor of Politics, University of Virginia The belated rapprochement between Derrida and Habermas after decades of cross-purpose exchange is one of the most important and heartening events in recent intellectual history. This exceptionally well-edited volume brings together a range of representative texts which show how their earlier disagreements took hold but also how they came to acknowledge a sense of shared aims and interests. Above all it demonstrates the extent to which their thinking was challenged and subject to careful re-assessment on both sides in response to world-political developments following 9/11, the resurgence of religious fundamentalism in various forms, and the Bush administration's 'war on terrorism'. Along with these texts by the main protagonists goes a fine selection of commentaries on various aspects of the Derrida/Habermas relationship, drawing out their points of convergence and divergence on some of the most pressing political and ethical issues of our age. Altogether they make a fitting tribute to two figures who have done much to reinvigorate the tradition of philosophy as socially engaged while remaining true to its distinctive vocation of autonomous critical thought. That their dialogue should have been cut short by Derrida's untimely death is a cruel irony but all the more reason to value this immensely significant and thought-provoking volume -- Professor Christopher Norris, Cardiff University Under the editorship of Lasse Thomassen, the volume collects some of the most interesting and wide-ranging contributions to the Derrida-Habermas discussion... all of the essays assembled in The Derrida-Habermas Reader are significant contributions to a rich and vibrant dialogue inaugurated by two of the most prominent philosophers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Scholars and students of Derrida and Habermas are well counseled to grant them careful consideration. -- Richard Ganis, University of Salford Radical Philosophy Thomassen has given us an excellent introductory work. -- Kevin W. Gray PhaenEx This is a most welcome volume. It provides the reader not only with an wonderful overview of the deep philosophical differences that divide Derrida and Habermas, but also with some sense of their common hopes as Europeans and cosmopolitan citizens. The excellent selection of primary texts is supported by a small number of well-chosen commentaries on the two thinkers. The belated rapprochement between Derrida and Habermas after decades of cross-purpose exchange is one of the most important and heartening events in recent intellectual history. This exceptionally well-edited volume brings together a range of representative texts which show how their earlier disagreements took hold but also how they came to acknowledge a sense of shared aims and interests. Above all it demonstrates the extent to which their thinking was challenged and subject to careful re-assessment on both sides in response to world-political developments following 9/11, the resurgence of religious fundamentalism in various forms, and the Bush administration's 'war on terrorism'. Along with these texts by the main protagonists goes a fine selection of commentaries on various aspects of the Derrida/Habermas relationship, drawing out their points of convergence and divergence on some of the most pressing political and ethical issues of our age. Altogether they make a fitting tribute to two figures who have done much to reinvigorate the tradition of philosophy as socially engaged while remaining true to its distinctive vocation of autonomous critical thought. That their dialogue should have been cut short by Derrida's untimely death is a cruel irony but all the more reason to value this immensely significant and thought-provoking volume Under the editorship of Lasse Thomassen, the volume collects some of the most interesting and wide-ranging contributions to the Derrida-Habermas discussion... all of the essays assembled in The Derrida-Habermas Reader are significant contributions to a rich and vibrant dialogue inaugurated by two of the most prominent philosophers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Scholars and students of Derrida and Habermas are well counseled to grant them careful consideration. Thomassen has given us an excellent introductory work. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Lasse Thomassen teaches political theory at the University of Limerick.

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226796841
• ISBN-13: 978-0226796840
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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