La universidad sin condición

by Jacques Derrida

Un singolare volume sul destino delle nostre università in un momento in cui l'idea di università appare snaturata. Il nucleo insopprimibile di questa idea è per Derrida l'"incondizionatezza", la libertà intrinseca alla professione dell'insegnare. Rovatti è d'accordo ma a condizione di guardare con attenzione a quel che accade in casa nostra, dove il fantasma dell'azienda sembra restringere gli spazi e togliere slancio all'università stessa.

Genres: Philosophy

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher best known for developing deconstruction, a method of critical analysis that questioned the stability of meaning in language, texts, and Western metaphysical thought. Born in Algeria, he studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he was influenced by philosophers such as Heidegger, Husserl, and Levinas. His groundbreaking works, including Of Grammatology (1967), Writing and Difference (1967), and Speech and Phenomena (1967), positioned him at the center of intellectual debates on language, meaning, and interpretation.
Derrida argued that Western philosophy was structured around binary oppositions—such as speech over writing, presence over absence, or reason over emotion—that falsely privileged one term over the other. He introduced the concept of différance, which suggests that meaning is constantly deferred and never fully present, destabilizing the idea of fixed truth. His work engaged with a wide range of disciplines, including literature, psychoanalysis, political theory, and law, challenging conventional ways of thinking and interpretation.
Throughout his career, Derrida continued to explore ethical and political questions, particularly in works such as Specters of Marx (1993) and The Politics of Friendship (1994), which addressed democracy, justice, and responsibility. He held academic positions at institutions such as the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales and the University of California, Irvine, and remained an influential figure in both European and American intellectual circles. Despite criticism for his complex writing style and abstract concepts, Derrida’s ideas have left a lasting impact on contemporary philosophy, literary theory, and cultural criticism, reshaping the way meaning and language are understood in the modern world.

Reviews

[Julia]

"Nie wiem, czy to, co tutaj mówię, jest zrozumiałe, czy ma to jakikolwiek sens."

[Lucía Vázquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un ensayo breve pero significativo que, pese a no incidir demasiado en el análisis del epicentro del problema existente en el sistema universitario, esboza la posibilidad de una alentadora solución.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bellos y sencillos poemas. Alguno me hicieron sonreir otros me conmovieron; todos me gustaron. Cosa rara porque yo no soy amante de la poesía.
Unos versos de uno de mis poemas favoritos:
La distancia se hace corta
cuando corre el corazón
Vete al frente misionero,
voy contigo, somos dos.
Tu misión es Misionera:
anunciar la Salvación.
Si el Amor te llama a gritos
el Amor será tu voz.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the things Derrida says here have been stated before by many others.