Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 11:13:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Shawn P. Wilbur" <swilbur-AT-wcnet.org>
Subject: Re: Lyotard & Derrida


Hugh says:

> My half-serious impression of the quote is that Derrida is being paid
> (by the word) to describe something ordinary (literate and illiterate)
> folk call "soul".

Hell. there are plenty of folks who tremble on the edge of sense at 
tremendous length, right here on various Spoon Collective lists - and we 
have no reason to believe they're getting paid for it at all. ;)

Read some Derrida - without too many expectations of "plain style." And 
be ready to read it again and again, if you're going to catch the spirit 
of the game.

As to "soul," it's pretty clear that Derrida is not talking about 
ultimate essences or metaphysical truths of any sort. He's working in the 
mode of invocation, or the performative. (So if "soul" is an issue, then 
"let there be soul," rather than "there is soul" might be a more 
characteristic derridean utterance...)

-shawn