Jacques Derrida

Great Thinkers

by Christopher Watkin, Merold Westphal (Foreword)

Jacques Derrida (1930–2004)

One of the most important thinkers of our time, Jacques Derrida continues to have a profound influence on postmodern thought and society.

Christopher Watkin explains Derrida’s complex philosophy with clarity and precision, showing not only what Derrida says about metaphysics, ethics, politics, and theology but also what assumptions and commitments underlie his positions. He then brings Derrida into conversation with Reformed theology through the lens of John 1:1–18, examining both similarities and differences between Derrida and the Bible.

Learn why Derrida says what he says and how Christians can receive and respond to his writing in a balanced, biblical way that is truly beneficial to cultural engagement.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Nonfiction

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2017

Reviews

[Jeremiah von Kühn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was helpful, though Derrida is a bit too heady for me. I imagine that the more you're already familiar with the concepts / language that Derrida employs, the more you'll get from this book. The section on Calvin and accommodation was excellent. The 3 stars may reflect more the reader than the writer! : )

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you heard of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida? He was a postmodern thinker who among other contribution is someone whom Critical Race Theorists also have admit as someone who have influenced their movement (Richard Delgado’s Critical Race Theory talks about the influence from previous moments for Critical Race Theory “draws from certain European philosophers and theorists, such as Antonio Gramsci, Michel Foucault, and Jacques Derrida.”). I bring this up the impact of Derrida upon Critical Race Theory to show one way Derrida is relevant but I must add Derrida is an important philosopher in his own right; and we also must be careful of lumping Derrida with certain other French postmodernists as there are some specific nuances with Derrida. So if Christians are going to respond to Derrida we need to handle Derrida carefully while also being biblical ourselves when we critique Derrida. Enter Christopher Watkin with this book which is a Reformed Christian critique of Derrida. Watkin is a professor of French Studies in Australia and a researcher of modern French philosophy who is also a solid Reformed Christian. This book is part of the Great Thinkers series published by P&R Publishing and so far I have five volumes in this series and I would say this particular title truly reflect the editors’ aim of presenting readers Great Thinkers with care and accuracy while also providing an analysis and critique from the standpoint of a biblical Worldview and also Van Til’s apologetics as a tool of analysis.
The book consists of five chapters that can be grouped under two parts. Part 1 is an explanation of Derrida’s thoughts. This first half of the book consists of three chapters. Chapter one is titled “What is Deconstruction?” followed by chapter two on ethics and politics. Chapter three examines Derrida’s look at theology. Part of the book begins with chapter four that talks about not only the fact that there’s still a lot that can be written in the future of Derrida and Van Til but the chapter also corrects Christians misunderstanding of Derrida and specifically the chapter looks at Theologian and John Frame’s misreading of Derrida. I appreciate the author writing a way that is charitable and fair towards Derrida, Frame and others. Chapter five then examines Derrida’s thought from Van Til’s apologetics’ and theological insights but also Derrida bases his examination of Derrida on John 1:1-18.
I got to say it was refreshing to see the last chapter provides a biblical examination of a philosopher with a specific passage in mind. That’s important to structure one’s critique as biblically as possible. I also thought it was neat to see that the author examines Derrida’s thoughts in a nuanced way of “diagnolizing” Derrida’s various ideological duality. That is the author present a biblical worldview of a certain issue that isn’t solved by Derrida’s thoughts and contrast the two and show how the Biblical worldview is far better. Yet when the author does that he also notes where Derrida’s observation and distinctive does have a grain of truth and/or when it overlaps with a Christian worldview.

[Jae H Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I don’t agree with all of its theological moves, this is a well-executed, albeit brief, explanation of and engagement with Derrida, with crystal clear writing all the way through. Watkin shows areas of resonance between Derrida’s thought and Christianity as articulated in the Van Tilian tradition, and how the Bible “diagonalizes” a number of dichotomies found in Derrida’s work.

[Malika Saara Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Derrida is most celebrated as the principal exponent of deconstruction, a term he coined for the critical examination of the fundamental conceptual distinctions, or “oppositions,” inherent in Western philosophy since the time of the ancient Greeks. These oppositions are characteristically “binary” and “hierarchical,” involving a pair of terms in which one member of the pair is assumed to be primary or fundamental, the other secondary or derivative. Examples include nature and culture, speech and writing, mind and body, presence and absence, inside and outside, literal and metaphorical, intelligible and sensible, and form and meaning, among many others. To “deconstruct” an opposition is to explore the tensions and contradictions between the hierarchical ordering assumed or asserted in the text and other aspects of the text’s meaning, especially those that are indirect or implicit. Such an analysis shows that the opposition is not natural or necessary but a product, or “construction,” of the text itself.

[Ian Clary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book. Watkin is an expert in French philosophy and also writes in very clear prose thus making key elements of Derrida's thought intelligible. He not only does a great job summarising Derrida on subjects like differance, deconstruction, messianicity, etc., but Watkin juxtaposes these ideas with biblical Christianity, particularly in relation to John 1 and Colossians 1. Interestly, Watking also puts Derrida into conversation with the Reformed tradition in its modern, Van Tillian variant. This latter part I was less enamoured with, but still found it quite interesting. I recommend this book as a great introduction to Derrida.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggle with heady philosophy, but had already read the Karl Marx study in the Great Thinkers series, and decided to give this a try. Derrida is a name I have heard a lot, but never studied his ideas.. Christopher Watkin does a great job explaining Derrida’s teachings and assumptions in fairly simple terms. He then shows how Reformed theology interacts with and challenges some of Derrida’s positions. Not necessarily an easy book, but a short one that does a fine job as an introduction to Derrida, his philosophy and Scripture’s answers.

[Erik Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really. Watkin does an admirable job trying to make clear Derrida’s thought, which is both difficult and verges on intentionally obscure. His charitable critique was not as clear as other works in this series, but that is more due to Derrida than him. Trying to further distill this great little book and without irony: Derrida encouraged philosophical humility; but a superior humility comes from the Biblical account of God’s self-revelation.

[Ben Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t remember the last book I read that was this intellectually stimulating! The final chapter - a fictitious dialogue between Derrida and Van Til - is marvelous, and worth the whole price of the book.

[John Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very complex topic, but handled in an admirable way. Wish the author had spent a little more time on what metaphysics are for the uninformed. Even an appendix would have sufficed.

[Saul W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Failed to convince me of French “people”, but won me over on everything else.