Ep 18 - John D. Caputo ”Derrida / Deconstruction / Weak Theology”
Jul 6, 2016
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Renowned philosopher Jack Caputo discusses deconstruction, religionless Christianity, and weak theology. The concept of justice, the weakness of God, and the current political climate are explored. The speakers criticize using scriptures to enforce conformity and discuss the power of forgiveness. The chapter also touches on 'dropping the mic' as a conversation-ending technique and the hosts' appreciation for music and diverse guests.
Deconstruction exposes constructions to their future possibilities and keeps the future open.
Religion is a construct with an undeconstructable element, pointing towards a hopeful future.
Deconstruction is an act of love, embracing doubt and uncertainty to explore and recontextualize ideas.
Deep dives
Deconstruction and the Undeconstructable
Derrida's concept of deconstruction explores the idea that the meanings and beliefs we have constructed in society are contingent and revizable. These constructions are relatively stable but also relatively unstable, making them deconstructable. However, Derrida introduces the notion of the undeconstructable, which represents something that these constructions fail to meet or fulfill. The undeconstructable shines a light on the present and calls for a future that is yet to be realized. Deconstruction is not about destroying or tearing down, but rather exposing constructions to their future possibilities and keeping the future open.
Reconstructing Religion
Derrida's deconstruction also extends to religion, viewing it as another construct. While existing religions are constructions, there is an undeconstructable element within religion that no specific religion can fully grasp. This approach to religion considers it as a matter of ultimate concern and desire beyond desire. It acknowledges the limitations of constructions while recognizing a mysterious and hopeful future that religious concepts like justice, forgiveness, and hospitality point towards. This notion aligns with the idea of religion without religion, where the focus is on the spiritual authority of the undeconstructable rather than fixed doctrines.
The Affirmative Nature of Deconstruction
Deconstruction is often misunderstood as purely negative or destructive, but Jack Caputo emphasizes the affirmative aspect of deconstruction. Deconstruction is seen as an act of love, rooted in the love of the undeconstructable and the hope for something more. Rather than a nihilistic anything-goes mindset, deconstruction recognizes the power and significance of relatively stable constructions while remaining aware of their contingent nature. By embracing doubt, uncertainty, and the desire for something beyond, deconstruction becomes a way to keep exploring and recontextualizing ideas and beliefs.
Justice versus the Law
The distinction between justice and the law is explored in this podcast episode. While laws can be deconstructed, revised, and repealed, justice is seen as something that cannot be deconstructed. Justice is described as a complex and situational concept that settles into the singularity of each situation. While laws are rigid and universal, justice is flexible and requires judgment and respect for difference. The podcast emphasizes that justice should never be repealed, but laws can be appealed to in order to achieve justice.
Deconstruction and Stripping Away
The podcast episode also delves into the process of deconstruction and the fear of stripping away too much. The discussion challenges the notion that deconstructing aspects of faith or tradition is a sign of weakness or a threat to the integrity of religion. Instead, it argues that the problem lies in clinging to constructs and refusing to adapt or question them. It highlights the danger of idolizing and rigidifying constructions, such as the Bible or institutional traditions, and advocates for an openness to the future and a constant revision of beliefs rather than freezing them in a fixed state.
If you are digging what we're doing here, maybe you'd like to make a small donation? Think of it as a tip or an "atta boy guys! Keep at it!" Doing this isn't at all cheap but we'll keep at it as long as we have a few pennies left in our accounts. Click the link below. We'll probably buy books, beer or techincal crap. Love you. squareup.com/store/thedeconstructionists This week we spent some time nerding out with Jack Caputo. Highly influential to the ideas talked about on this podcast, Jack has ben an enormous influence on our friend Peter Rollins, as well as Brian McLaren, Karen Armstrong and many others. This episode is pure gold to those willing to listen and do the hard work of imagining. John D. Caputo, the Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion Emeritus (Syracuse University) and the David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy Emeritus (Villanova University) is a hybrid philosopher/theologian who works in the area of radical theology. His most recent book, "The Insistence of God: A Theology of Perhaps," is a sequel to The Weakness of God, which develops his concept of radical theology and engages in dialogue with Malabou, Zizek and Latour. He has also just published "Truth," a part of the Penguin “Philosophy in Transit” series, aimed a general audience. His interest is centered on a poetics of the "event" harbored in the name of God. His past books have attempted to persuade us that hermeneutics goes all the way down ("Radical Hermeneutics"), that Derrida is a thinker to be reckoned with by theology ("The Prayers and Tears of Jacques Derrida"), and that theology is best served by getting over its love affair with power and authority and embracing what Caputo calls, following St. Paul, "The Weakness of God." His notion of the weakness of God, an expression that needs to be interpreted carefully by following what he means by "event," is reducible neither to an orthodox notion of kenosis nor to a death of God theology (Altizer, Zizek), although it bears comparison to both. He has also addressed wider-than-academic audiences in "On Religion," "Philosophy and Theology," and "What Would Jesus Deconstruct?" and has an interest in interacting with working church groups like Ikon and the Emergent Church. While at Syracuse, Professor Caputo specialized in continental philosophy of religion, which means both working on radical approaches to religion and theology in the light of contemporary phenomenology, hermeneutics and deconstruction, and tracking down the traces of radical religious and theological motifs in contemporary continental philosophy. Find out more at: https://www.facebook.com/John.D.Caputo/ Music on this episode is by The Well Pennies You can find them on iTunes or below: www.thewellpennies.com www.facebook.com/thewellpennies
