Th 4/18 “The Politics of Friendship”; “Force of Law”?; and “Toward an Ethic of Discussion” 115-116, 148-149

Topics: Responsibility and the other, undecidability

Regular Paper Assignment #3 due noon Friday 4/19

1. What does Derrida mean in “The Politics of Friendship” when he states that our freedom and responsibility come from the other through the commitment and promise that are found in friendship?

2. Derrida argues that responsibility exceeds the order of calculation or universal rules but at the same time cannot do without them. What does he mean by this, and how is this claim a version of the theme of difference and repetition?

3. Although Derrida acknowledges the necessity of making a decision, he argues that responsibility is only found in the experience of undecidability, which lives on even after one has made a decision. How does he describe the experience of undecidability?