
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I. Speeding up on the Political Highway I. Speeding up on the Political Highway
-
The withdrawal charge The withdrawal charge
-
The totalising critique charge The totalising critique charge
-
-
II. Laclau: A Directionless Deconstruction? II. Laclau: A Directionless Deconstruction?
-
III. Reactivating the Concept of Experience III. Reactivating the Concept of Experience
-
Experience as arche-writing Experience as arche-writing
-
Experience as interruption Experience as interruption
-
-
IV. Understanding Undecidability IV. Understanding Undecidability
-
Undecidability as a formal moment of any decision Undecidability as a formal moment of any decision
-
The ordeal of undecidability: ‘I am not here to reassure anyone’ The ordeal of undecidability: ‘I am not here to reassure anyone’
-
Justice as the experience of interruption Justice as the experience of interruption
-
-
Notes Notes
-
-
-
-
-
4 The Possibility of Political Thought and the Experience of Undecidability
Get access-
Published:August 2020
Cite
Abstract
This chapter responds to two arguments concerning the possibility of a deconstructive politics. The first, offered by critical theorists such as Dews, Fraser and McCarthy, I call the withdrawal argument. The key claim is that deconstruction, as a matter of principle, rejects the empirical realm and withdraws into a politically disabling transcendental reflection. The second, offered by poststructuralist thinkers such as Ernesto Laclau, I call the mere openness argument. While Laclau insists on the political usefulness of deconstruction, he argues that, as a matter of principle, no ethico-political injunction guides the quasi-transcendental reflections of deconstruction. This chapter shows why both arguments are mistaken. The final section sets out a novel reading of Derrida’s concept of ‘experience’ and ‘ordeal’ to show that the ‘experience of undecidability’ – central to Derridean deconstruction - is normatively structured.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
August 2024 | 3 |
December 2024 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.