Query, Re: Derrida, Habermas, and Theology

kenneth.mackendrick at utoronto.ca kenneth.mackendrick at utoronto.ca
Fri Feb 25 18:19:17 PST 2000


On Fri, 25 Feb 2000 19:01:08 -0500 Chris Doss <itschris13 at hotmail.com> wrote:


> However, I think that it is interesting to note that the MacDaddy of
deconstruction, Heidegger, was steeped in theology and in fact had originally studied Thomism; he was to be the shining star of Catholic Germany. Damn, they must have been disappointed later on when he called for the abolition of the Church. Anyway, I think it's pretty obvious that _Being and Time_ is to a very large extent a secularized form of Protestant theology. In that sense I guess that one could consider deconstruction to have had an origin in Christian thought/polemic, albeit in a very roundabout way (Luther-->Kierkegaard-->Heidegger-->Derrida [with lots of Nietzsche tossed into the mix as well, of course]).

Really, Protestant? I always pegged it as more Catholic... for some reason I associate Heidegger more with the spirit of Aquinas (ontology and all that) than I do with Luther... but I guess I don't know Heidegger all that well, you're probably right.

ken



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