The idea for Philosophy in a Time of Terror was born hours after the attacks on 9/11 and was realized just weeks later when Giovanna Borradori sat down with Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida in New York City, in separate interviews, to evaluate the significance of the most destructive terrorist act ever perpetrated. This book marks an unprecedented encounter between two of the most influential thinkers of our age as here, for the first time, Habermas and Derrida overcome their mutual antagonism and agree to appear side by side. As the two philosophers disassemble and reassemble what we think we know about terrorism, they break from the familiar social and political rhetoric increasingly polarized between good and evil. In this process, we watch two of the greatest intellects of the century at work.
AYE - SPRINGES TO CATCH WOODCOCKS! - Shakespeare, Hamlet.
Yes. Messrs Habermas and Derrida are using traps ("springes") to catch us unwary pheasants, even though they INFER that our Western political masters are the ones doing that. Who's right?
No one knows. So why bother?
This book just happened to be written shortly after 9/11 - weeks after, in Manhattan - Ground Zero. Are you confused yet? Why were these radical left-wingers THERE?
I certainly am confused, and am not afraid to admit it. Guys, I was once locked up because of my fear, and I refuse to fall for that scam a second time: cause fear is ONLY fear, if you are using your little grey cells (as Poirot puts it). Don't put fear in your driver's seat.
So I'm never gonna connect megawatt amps to it again. Get real - My workplace burnout taught me that. Why even bother? Life can be good at times.
If you're one of those who expects life should be easy, you'll disagree. But it isn't, so you shouldn't. Real life is a mess. As for me, I now expect little and get a lot - I have my books, and the ones I love within email distance.
And nowadays you can't expect much more...
So thank Heaven for Small Mercies!
Don’t kick against the goads. Be thankful for what little good you have!
"To mark a date in history" presupposes, in any case, that "something" comes or happens for the first and last time. -- Jacques Derrida
There were measures of apprehension as I approached this book. Thankfully they proved unfounded. This text is comprised of two interviews and three essays by Giovanna Borradori: an introduction followed by an response to each interview with a philosopher.
I was struck by Habermas dwelling on the nature of the Event, as it were, how he pondered the difference between his own experience viewing such (along with the rest of the world) on television and those who viewed such from the streets and rooftops around the crash site.
Derrida disagrees with the nature of it being an Event, singular and epoch evocative. I suppose the latter point is what I truly appreciated here. Richard Rorty devoted a number of essays (which I'm presently reading) attempting to establish that Derrida should be approached primarily as a comic writer. I'll avoid that issue for the present and assert that the tone here is appropriately somber. My god, is it ever stimulating! The concepts of Tolerance and Hospitality are masticated slowly. With further deliberation Derrida delves into Kant and muses paradoxical.
I should read more Habermas. I've known that for years. Much like Sanjit Ray, this will need to wait for a better time.
الكتاب الثاني الذي أقرؤه من مشروع "ترجمان" الذي بدأه المركز العربي للأبحاث ودراسة السياسات في قطر, والذي لا شك أنه سيكون إضافة نوعية لأجيال من المكتبة العربية إن استمرّ على ذات المستوى من الانتقاء والجودة في العناوين و المواضيع والترجمة وحتى الإخراج. الكتاب حواران مستقلّان مع هابرماس و دريدا, بعد أشهر فقط من حادثة 11 أيلول التي صبغت الزمن اللاحق بها, ويظهر الحواران طبيعة الجدل والتمايز ما بين اثنين من أهم فلاسفة القرن العشرين , إضافةً للتحليل والإضافة المهمة من المؤلفة, والمقدمة المهمة للمترجم خلدون النبواني الذي يستحق الإشادة لترجمته الممتازة والمتقنة كما يليق بنص كهذا. حوار هابرماس "المكتوب" يحمل أفكاره عن التواصل ومفهوم الضيافة والبحث عن السلام, وهو إضافة إلى التحليل الذي أتبعته المؤلفة مدخل جيد لنظريات فيلسوف التواصلية الأشهر. وحوار دريدا"الشفوي" مكثّف ومليء بالإحالات والتلميحات كنصّ حيّ متولّد يحتاج أن تتابعه باستمرار بتيقظ حتى لا يفلت منك مكرُ الرجل, ويستحقّ أن تُعاد قراءته ويُكتب عنه الكثير.
ربما أفضل مدخل لأفكار فيلسوف هو قراءة حوار معه... و هذا ما دفعني لقراءة هذا الكتاب، لأني كنت أريد التعرف على هابرماس، رغم أن العنوان يبدو ككليشيه لا يشجع على الفعل... هما حواران أجرتهما الباحثة جيوفانا بورادوري بعد أحداث 11 أيلول/سبتمبر بثلاثة أشهر، مع كلا الفيلسوفين الألماني يورغن هابرماس و الفرنسي جاك دريدا، لمعرفة تصورهما حول قضية الإرهاب... و من خلال هذا الحوار و تعليقات المؤلفة و المترجم كان الكتاب تعريفيا بفلسفة كل منهما... النظرية التواصلية لهابرماس، و التفكيكية لدريدا...0 الغريب بالأمر أني استمتعت متعة كبيرة في القراءة ما توقعتها، فترجمة خلدون النبواني متقنة جدا و أبرزت جمال فعل التفلسف، و خاصة في حوار دريدا و أسلوبه الملتف و محاولته فكفكفة العبارات و تحليلها و الدوران حولها، ثم تمرير الفكرة... و لأني من أولئك الذين يجدون متعتهم الذهنية في التنقيب وراء اشتقاقات الكلمات و أصلها الدلالي عندما يطرق ذهنهم أي موضوع، فلذلك وجدت متعة خالصة في قراءة الحوار مع دريدا...0 أما هابرماس فكان اسلوبه مباشرا و واضحا... و نظريته التواصلية في الفضاء العام المتاح للجميع بحرية و التي ربما تشبه المناظرات أو المقاهي الثقافية، حيث تـُمتحن الأفكار للوصول إلى رأي مشترك بناء على الحجة الأقوى، جعلت ذهني يعلق في واحدة من تلك الأفكار العجيبة يلي ما بتعرف شو بدها... حيث أن أول ما خطر لي أن ما هو مقدار ما امتحن به نظريته في عرضها على الآخرين و تواصل معهم بشأنها؟ و الأنكى هو استنتاجي أنها نظرية لا يمكن إثبات خطأها، سواء اتفق الناس عليها أو اختلفوا... فإنه إن تواصل الناس و اجتمعوا على صحتها فكان بها، و إن اجتمعوا على خطأها، فمجرد اجتماعهم على رأي مشترك و لو كان على خطأها فهذا برهان على صحتها! أما إن لم يجتمعوا على رأي _كما هو المتوقع من الطبيعة البشرية_ فإنها قد حققت جزءا منها في الحوار، و تبقى معلقة إذ احتمال أن يجتمعوا على رأي مشترك _سلبا أو إيجابا_ فتثبت صحتها على كل الأحوال، قائم دائما... و هكذا كلما فتحت الكتاب قفزت هذه الفكرة لتشاكسني، حيث أعيد وضع الاحتمالات كلها، فأخرج بنفس النتيجة... مثل الدوامة! 0 الرجلان لديهما تبصر لما هو حاصل و لما تسببه سياسات دولهم في الشعوب الأقل حظا، و لأثر الضخ الإعلامي في زيادة التوتر في العالم، و لمفهوم الإرهاب المراوغ، و لإبهام الحدود الفاصلة بينه و بين مصطلحات أخرى، فما الفرق بين الإرهاب و النشاط الإجرامي، أو بين الإرهاب الممارس من قبل أفراد أو من قبل الدول، أو بين الإرهاب و الحرب و المقاومة؟ و لوهلة تساءلت عن الجدوى من كل هذا التعقل و الحكمة و النظريات إن كانت الأقوام في نهاية المطاف لا تستمع للرجال الراشدين فيها؟! ما كان حال العالم على هذه الشاكلة البئيسة لو أنهم يفعلون
لست متأكدة إن أضاف لي الكتاب شيئا كثيرا من ناحية موضوعه، أعني التنظير في شأن الإرهاب، فالموضوع قديم قليلا، و مطروق كثيرا، و ليس من مفضلاتي القرائية أصلا... إلا أن ما أضافه لي هو اختبار فعل التفلسف و متعته الخالصة، و تعريفه الجيد بفلسفة كلا الرجلين، مع ثقافة المحاوِرة و اقتدار المترجم... لذلك فقد استحق تقييما عاليا... أربع نجمات من خمس
Particularly drawn to Derrida's argument in the 90s that terrorism is a kind of “autoimmune disorder” a condition when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue --- this biological metaphor focuses on the defense mechanisms of the organism itself, rather than a foreign invasion by Alien microbes. Turning this analogy to global processes, it would seem that counter discourses are intrinsic in the dominant discourse itself, w/ globalisation producing a radical heteronomy of internal fissures. The War on Terror is kind of a pathos related to individual self-harm.
Can you imagine it? The Time of Terror. Oh, if the nice European Kings would find out they would take their armies to terrorize the terrorists. Like the US today.
This book is worth reading because of how incredibly insightful Habermas and Derrida's comments on 9/11 were, especially when interviewed only a few weeks after the events.
Borradori however was not as great. Her questions were leading and her viewpoint eurocentric; it was interesting that after reading the interviews, I found myself disagreeing with her interpretations of the philosopher's responses; I found her work of linking the philosopher's prior theories with these responses unnecessary and repetitive.
..so I'd only get this book to read the interviews - even if the questions are leading, the responders were brilliant to call her out on the language of her questions, and still managed to say something meaningful and important that helps one develop a broader perspective on the issues posed by global terrorism.
Tan cansadita del TFM que hizo falta un paper, explicaciones de Lu y de Adri y otro paper más para entender bien todo. Leo una sola página más en inglés y no sé lo que va a pasar conmigo.
Más allá de eso: Habermas eres la persona más aburrida que he leído nunca y estás muy equivocado.
“Pure and unconditional hospitality, hospitality itself, opens or is in advance open to someone who is neither expected nor invited, to whomever arrives as an absolutely foreign visitor, as a new arrival, nonidentifiable and unforeseeable, in short, wholly other.” (Derrida dejándole las cositas claras a Habermas, supongo)
كتاب عظيم.. حواران مستقلان مع اثنان من أهم فلاسفة القرن العشرين (هابرماس الحداثي - ودريدا المابعد حداثي) وفيه يفككان ظاهرة الإرهاب تعليقا على احداث الحادي عشر من سبتمبر.. اختلفا كثيرا.. لكنهما اتفقا على استبعاد التحليلات السطحية (كصراع الحضارات أو تخلف المسلمين.. او غيرها من الكليشيهات المسيسة) ووضع هذه الظاهرة (الارهاب) في سياقها: القمع السياسي،،، اي ان الاسباب الرئيسة للارهاب ليست جينية ولا دينية ولاثقافية بل هي سياسية بالدرجة الأولى..
What I learned from this book? Auto-immune response, for one. Derrida does a great job of re-framing our understanding of terrorism and the war on terror.
Philosophy in a Time of Terror captures two philosophical giants, Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida, grappling with the meaning and implications of terrorism in a post-9/11 world.
Borradori presents conversations with each philosopher, exploring their distinct approaches to violence, democracy, and global security.
I found Habermas a little too CVE-social-cohesion-abstractly-democratic-speak a little triggering, but I gave him time, because well, he is Habermas.
Habermas sees terrorism as a reaction to globalization's pressures, arguing for responses reinforcing democratic values through rational discourse and international cooperation. He believes democratic societies can counter terrorism by adhering to principles of human rights and law, avoiding the pitfalls of excessive militarization.
He also explores how religious and cultural pluralism requires tolerance but argues that this tolerance should be exercised within the bounds of democratic principles. For him, tolerance is critical to coexistence in modern societies but must reject fundamentalist intolerance that threatens pluralistic harmony
I think the part I found most interesting was Habermas addressing how globalization has intensified the divide between "winners" and "losers," with Western consumerism often seen as morally hollow. This perception fuels resentment and can deepen the divide, exacerbating tensions between fundamentalist and secular ideologies.
In contrast, Derrida uses his concept of "autoimmunity" to describe how societies can become self-destructive in their defence, compromising the values they aim to protect.
Borrowing from immunology, where autoimmunity refers to the body mistakenly attacking its own cells, Derrida applies this idea to social and political structures. In these contexts, autoimmunity describes how states, in trying to defend against perceived threats—such as terrorism—can end up undermining their own principles and values
He also questions Western assumptions and calls for an ethical openness—“hospitality”—toward difference, suggesting that rejecting rigid boundaries might help break cycles of violence. Derrida’s hospitality emphasises an unconditional openness to others, accepting them without imposing conformity. Here, it is in contrast to Habermas, who promotes conditional inclusivity within democratic discourse, requiring participants to adopt secular, rational language for mutual understanding.
In the end, the debate is reflective of their philosophical approaches: Derrida’s ideal challenges fixed norms, while Habermas balances openness with structured principles for practical dialogue.
Two great interviews with two of the smartest people alive. One thing I really liked about this book was how well Giovanna Borradori was able to put Derrida's and Habermas's thoughts from her interviews with them into the context of their larger bodies of work. The interviews were not as heady and difficult as the two philosophers' other writings, and Borradori's accounts of their overall theories are really accessible.
This book helped me think about the events of 9/11 a great deal, though perhaps Zizek's "Welcome to the Desert of the Real" was a more entertaining and ethically-engaging book.
On the most superficial levels, what happened on 911 is clear, so there is reaction, retribution, revenge. On deeper levels many more difficult questions exist: what is it like to live in such a world today? What have I taken as certainties about my existence, that now has changed? The external world, the Real, has touched me, and I am no longer immune from it. These philosophers sit down and start a discussion about all this starting at the beginning. Are we creatures who have lost our the instinctual connection to the Real, to our animality, and now have extra-natural expectations? Well, bombs, falling planes, and crashing buildings have a way of disturbing that unique human perspective. There could not be two better thinkers to observe in conversation over these issues.
Overall, it was an interesting read. Coming from a novice's standpoint, I found the explanatory chapters after the actual dialogues more useful than the dialogues themselves. Of the two, I found Habermas' section the more interesting one, as it suggested ways that the philosophy could be translated into an actual policy framework. Derrida, on the other hand, had a very annoying habit of going off on tangents about things that he acknowledged himself were completely impractical. Which is a shame because his explanatory chapter was rather interesting. Over all, less winding around the topic and more ideas on practice would make this better, but compared to most philosophy books I've read, it's actually probably one of the more useful out there.
I read this book for European Political Thought, and it was the most insightful book I have read all semester (and I have taken some heavy duty classes). I have never read Habermas or Derrida, and the book is an excellent introduction to them and the practical application the two great thinkers have in our present world scene. I have been confused about a lot of things post-9/11, as a Muslim and as an American, and while this book did not clarify everything for me, it has certainly given me a framework with which to approach world and American politics and the news that I don't think I will ever leave behind.
النجمات الثلاث سببها ربما عدم انساكي بالكتاب والنص بكل ما فيه كونه القراءة الأولى لي لهابرماس ودريدا او عنهما ، وربما بعد اعادة قرائته لاحقا يختلف التقييم
بشكل عام الحوار ونقاشهما لموضوع الارهاب و11 سبتمر ومن خلاله الشأن الاجتماعي والسياسي يعد مدخلا للتعرف على فلسفتيهما ، وبخاصة هابرماس الذي يعد المجال الاجتماعي مجاله الاساس ومن خلاله تناول موضوع الارهاب وتعاطى معه من خلال نظريته في التواصل والمجال العام ، ومفهوم التسامح والمواطنة العالمية ...... ، بينما دريدا فتناول الموصوع بشمل مفاهيمي أكثر منطلقا من اهتمامه باللغة المؤسسة وأيضا بلا شك باستخدام تفكيك الحادثة ومفاهيمها كتفكيك الا رهاب والعفو والعنف والحدث ... الخ
"As long as we use language unreflectively, we remain completely unaware of them [the historical and political connections/implications each word has]; the problem with this blessed ignorance is that, just by relying on them, we iterate a number of normative assumptions of which we are not even aware."
اكتفيت بقراءة النصف الثاني من الكتاب وهو حوار مع الفيلسوف الفرنسي جاك ديريدا حول مايسمي الارهاب زاوية جديدة لم اعتد عليها و قراءة مغايرة لما هو متاح حول هذا المصطلح وهذه الظاهرة دريدا دائما صعب و مثير للاهتمام من النقاط المهمة التي اثارت انتباهي : - كلامه حول مفهوم الهوية و الوطنية باعتبارها قيمة مضافة قائمة بذاتها - كلامه حول ما اسماه هو المناعة الذاتية
- Good introdcutions to Hbaermas and Derrida, yet I have seen better. - I don't think the interviews say a lot that had not been said by other intellectuals. - Habermsa is illuminating, Derrida as usual pushes it too far at times which amounts to obscurantism. - Could be a text book.