Deconstructing the rhetoric of philosophy
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that rhetoric rather than logic motivates philosophy, and a brief investigation of Nietzsche's "deconstruction" of language and knowledge is undertaken, together with an assessment of the hermeneutical implications of the deconstructionist approach.
Abstract: Summary In this paper an attempt is made to demonstrate the rhetorical thrust of philosophy. Contrary to the traditional assumption, it is argued that rhetoric rather than logic motivates philosophizing. The “irrationalism” of Gorgias, the Sophist, as well as rhetorical elements in Socratic thought, are considered in this regard. This particular form of irrationalism is construed as a liberation from the fetters of rationalistic illusion. Next, a brief investigation of Nietzsche's “deconstruction” of language and knowledge is undertaken. He is seen to operate in the same (sophistic) tradition. Then there is a section on the contemporary deconstructionist approach of Jacques Derrida and Paul de Man who expose tropic activity within philosophical discourse itself. Finally, the interaction of Derrida and Heidegger is briefly examined, together with an assessment of the hermeneutical implications of the deconstructionist approach.
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01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: The analysis of research in the Human Sciences programme, as it was known, was concluded in 1995 (final report entitled "Social Knowledge for Societal Transformation"). Four main areas of analysis were identified by the steering committee early on in the programme.
Abstract: This publication forms part of a recent programme to assess the state of the social and human sciences in South Africa. The Analysis of Research in the Human Sciences programme, as it was known, commenced in 1993 under the auspices of the Human Sciences Research Council. The programme was concluded in 1995 (final report entitled "Social Knowledge for Societal Transformation"). Four main areas of analysis were identified by the steering committee early on in the programme. These were: issues related to research resources; the implementation and usefulness of human sciences research; quality of research and methodological and epistemological issues. The subcommittee which was appointed to investigate methodological and epistemological issues spelt out its objectives in greater detail. The following specific goals were identified: to present a historical overview of the emergence and development of different methodological approaches within South African social sciences; to record attitudes towards methodological and epistemological developments within particular debates; to address the issue of, and future scope for, interdisciplinary work in the human and social sciences.
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01 Jan 1979
TL;DR: The authors argued that the questions about truth posed by Descartes, Kant, Hegel, and modern epistemologists and philosophers of language simply cannot be answered and were, in any case, irrelevant to serious social and cultural inquiry.
Abstract: "Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature" hit the philosophical world like a bombshell. Richard Rorty, a Princeton professor who had contributed to the analytic tradition in philosophy, was now attempting to shrug off all the central problems with which it had long been preoccupied. After publication, the Press was barely able to keep up with demand, and the book has since gone on to become one of its all-time best-sellers in philosophy. Rorty argued that, beginning in the seventeenth century, philosophers developed an unhealthy obsession with the notion of representation. They compared the mind to a mirror that reflects reality. In their view, knowledge is concerned with the accuracy of these reflections, and the strategy employed to obtain this knowledge - that of inspecting, repairing, and polishing the mirror - belongs to philosophy. Rorty's book was a powerful critique of this imagery and the tradition of thought that it spawned. He argued that the questions about truth posed by Descartes, Kant, Hegel, and modern epistemologists and philosophers of language simply couldn't be answered and were, in any case, irrelevant to serious social and cultural inquiry. This stance provoked a barrage of criticism, but whatever the strengths of Rorty's specific claims, the book had a therapeutic effect on philosophy. It reenergized pragmatism as an intellectual force, steered philosophy back to its roots in the humanities, and helped to make alternatives to analytic philosophy a serious choice for young graduate students. Twenty-five years later, the book remains a must-read for anyone seriously concerned about the nature of philosophical inquiry and what philosophers can and cannot do to help us understand and improve the world.
5,471 citations
621 citations
TL;DR: Deconstruction: Theory and Practice as discussed by the authors is the most readable, concise and authoritative guide to deconstruction, focusing on the works of Jacques Derrida which caused this seismic shift in critical thought, as well as the work of North American critics.
Abstract: Deconstruction: Theory and Practice has been acclaimed as by far the most readable, concise and authoritative guide to this topic. Without oversimplifying or glossing over the challenges, Norris makes deconstruction more accessible to the reader. The volume focuses on the works of Jacques Derrida which caused this seismic shift in critical thought, as well as the work of North American critics Paul de Man, Geoffrey Hartman, J. Hillis Miller and Harold Bloom. In this third, revised edition, Norris builds on his 1991 Afterword with an entirely new Postscript, reflecting upon recent critical debate. The Postscript includes an extensive list of recommended reading, complementing what was already one of the most useful bibliographies available.
501 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1982
TL;DR: For instance, in this paper, the authors look back over the past ten years of critical debate and seek to correct some prevalent misunderstandings of deconstruction, which has been widely criticised as a terrorist weapon or a discourse of last-ditch nihilist unreason.
Abstract: Since first appearing in 1982 this book has been acclaimed as by far the most readable, concise and authoritative text of its kind. While in no way oversimplifying the complexities of the subject, or understating the challenge it presents, Norris's book sets out to make deconstruction more accessible to the open-minded reader. For this revised edition the author has provided a substantial postscript which looks back over the past ten years of critical debate and seeks to correct some prevalent misunderstandings. The volume also contains an updated bibliography - among the most extensive of its kind - giving details of more than two hundred books published during that period. Some critics have dismissed deconstruction as a harmless academic game; others have denounced it as a terrorist weapon or a discourse of last-ditch nihilist unreason. As Norris demonstrates, both responses are equally wide of the mark. Focusing on Derrida's major texts, and offers a detailed commentary on his readings of Plato, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Husserl, Saussure, Levi-Strauss, J.L. Austin and others, this book brings out the extraordinary subtlety and force that have characterized his project from the outset. Norris also examines the work of those North American critics - Paul de Man, Geoffrey Hartman, J. Hillis Miller and Harold Bloom - who in their own prolonged efforts to move beyond the old' New Criticism have variously registered the impact of Derrida's thought.
396 citations