Philosophy in a Time of Terror : Dialogues with Jurgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida

Rating:
Summary: A most noble endeavour
Review: Although the section dedicated to Habermas is brief and Derrida is allowed to make a more dynamic impact, Borradori knows very well what she is doing, and ensures that the end relult is that they both complement each other. These two thinkers might occupy opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to a whole host of issues, but "Philosophy in a Time of Terror" is not about who is right and who is wrong or about the reader choosing his/her favourite.
Habermas lays much of the groundwork, reminding us of the relevance of the Enlightenment, championing notions of the public sphere and communicative action. Reason, rationality and discourse have been, and always will be, essential components of any society wishing to realise the Enlightenment ideal. Just as philosophy was vital at the time of the Enlightenment, so too is it needed today in helping us come to terms with terrorism and in conceptualising a future which re-addresses the notion of citizenship, bestowing upon it a global and cosmopolitan character.
Derrida gets to work on much of what Habermas proposes, questioning received wisdom and conceptual systems through his own deconstructive methods. Focusing on 9/11 as an "event" and putting his own spin on globalization, we are invited to temporarily suspend belief and look at things from a more unfamiliar angle. Yes, some of Derrida's points are questionable, overblown and occasionally ridiculous, but his concerns have much in common with those of Habermas: how to realise a world society where primacy is given to international law and the religious undercurrents of political rhetoric are abandoned once and for all,dangerous as they all too often are.

This book is a reminder to us all of the role played by philosophy in shaping our present and a call for a return to philosophical reflection in order to forge a sustainable future for everybody. It's a start, and credit is due to Habermas, Derrida and of course Borradori for their collaboration. The world may well be awash with pragmatism (much of it needed admittedly) but there has to be a degree of reflexivity if we are going to avoid a groundhog day scenario. I mean, we're all idealists at heart, aren't we?

Rating:
Summary: But Read Truth and Justification
Review: Amazon has really hyped this one for folks with my categories of interest and as a dialogue with supporting essays I found the relative closeness I felt with Habermas and Derrida interesting. The views of both in a discourse over the tragedy of 9/11 were close enough to the reader to touch. The discussion was in my living room. As one who normally reads Habermas for philosophical wisdom and has grown to avoid reading Derrida whenever possible -- what a difference! -- to avoid a loss of wisdom -- I felt this book was far more interview and less philosophy for some reason. The words were smaller than usual. The sentences shorter. There is the tie in with Europe's past of course. There is also the clear note that most American's are missing the bigger picture -- the European picture especially.

Reading this book was the better part of an evening in many ways.

Rating:
Summary: Borradori's Bridging of Philosophical Traditions
Review: Giovanna Borradori's most recent project is a groundbreaking endeavor to forge a new understanding of terrorism in the post-9/11 age. Her searching questions draw both Habermas and Derrida from their traditionally diametrically opposed philosophical quarters, highlighting their surprisingly similar stances on what they perceive to be the necessary move toward a quasi-Kantian cosmopolitan international law. Moreover, we find in both of these dialogues and Borradori's supplements a reliance upon a few key figures (Kant, Schmitt, and Arendt for example), suggesting that the philosophical traditions with which each figure identifies-Critical Theory for Habermas and Deconstruction for Derrida-are perhaps not as mutually exclusive or sharply demarcated as we might have previously thought.

The structure of the book, dialogue followed by interpretive essay, helps ground the extemporaneous reflections on terrorism in Habermas' and Derrida's broader philosophical work. Habermas here seems much less conservative than in his other works, though his focus in a sense remains on the possibility of communication and understanding in light of the growing threat of terrorist attacks and current US policy. Derrida acts as our guide on a deconstructive journey, marking important moments and movements such as autoimmunity, always hyper-aware of the context (the end of the Cold War) in which 9/11 and the "war on terrorism" have been played out. To be sure, these dialogues also underscore these philosophers' different understandings, particularly in their responses to Borradori's question of 9/11 as an "event," as well as the proper approach to the United States' "war on terror".

Borradori's ability to fuse topics of terror, the United States' "crusade" against an unknown, unseen, and ever-present enemy, with issues of hospitality and tolerance makes possible a broader discussion than one might imagine. Further, her probing intellect and ability to guide conversation without imposing upon her subjects a pre-determined philosophical agenda make these dialogues remarkably readable and successful; undoubtedly this work has opened up a space for evaluating the possible and necessary contributions that philosophy can make in both critically evaluating and politically altering the course of human events.