Derrida on the Secret, Sacrifice, and the Singularity of Death
Feb 2, 2021
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This episode of the podcast explores Jacques Derrida's interpretation of the biblical story of Abraham's sacrifice, focusing on themes of responsibility, the ethical, and the secret. They discuss the connection between trembling and anticipation, the nature of the night of faith, and the pursuit of the absolute. The hosts also provide updates on upcoming events and changes to the podcast.
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Quick takeaways
Ethical decision-making involves suspending traditional notions of morality in pursuit of the absolute, leading to irreconcilable paradoxes.
The concept of the secret and trembling in ethical choices evokes anticipation, terror, and an inability to be fully known or disclosed.
The pursuit of the absolute requires sacrificing existing ethical obligations, emphasizing the uniqueness and singularity of responsibility to specific individuals.
Deep dives
The paradox of ethical responsibility towards the absolute
The podcast explores the paradox of ethical responsibility towards the absolute. It discusses the story of Abraham from the Bible and how it is taken up by Kierkegaard as a model for ethics. The speaker emphasizes the concept of sacrifice, where one must hate what they love and grant death in order to fulfill an absolute duty. This paradox of suspending the ethical in pursuit of a relation with the absolute is seen as an irreconcilable reality of ethical decision-making. The podcast raises questions about the nature of responsibility, the limits of discourse, and the role of guilt and hatred in ethical choices.
The concept of the secret and trembling
The podcast examines the concept of the secret and trembling as fundamental aspects of the ethical approach. It explores how the secret evokes anticipation, terror, and an inability to be known or disclosed. The podcast highlights that the instantaneity of ethical decision-making, where the decision cannot be made simultaneously with the decision itself, leads to a paradoxical experience. It delves into the tension between necessary sacrifice and the pursuit of the absolute, challenging traditional notions of ethics and the balancing of responsibilities towards others.
The radical transcendence of the night of faith
The podcast focuses on the night of faith and their radical transcendence beyond the ethical. It discusses how the night of faith represents the individual who can suspend the ethical in pursuit of an absolute relationship with God. The podcast highlights the tension between the night of faith's duty to God and their responsibility towards others, examining the concept of absolute duty and the limitations of disclosure. It explores how this pursuit involves the suspension of morality as commonly understood, leading to an enigmatic relation that cannot be bridged between man and God.
The primacy of singularity and responsibility
The podcast emphasizes the primacy of singularity and responsibility in ethical decision-making. It explores the idea that each ethical decision involves sacrificing the obligation to respond to all others in the same way, highlighting the unique nature of responsibility to specific individuals. The podcast delves into the tension between the generality of ethics, which involves discourse and exchange, and the irreplaceable singular other to whom one is responsible. It discusses the paradoxes of decision-making, the concept of a secret as a central element of ethics, and the challenge of accountability in relation to absolute duty.
Critique and potential extension of ethical frameworks
The podcast critically examines traditional ethical frameworks and raises questions about their applicability in light of the paradoxical nature of ethical responsibility towards the absolute. It suggests that the pursuit of the absolute requires sacrificing existing ethical obligations and challenges notions of guilt, hatred, and love in relation to ethical decision-making. The podcast highlights the inability to fully resolve the tension between ethics and the pursuit of the absolute, leaving room for questioning and further exploration of the complexities inherent in ethical choices.
What does it mean to tremble before something? In this episode, we cover “Whom to Give to” from Jacques Derrida’s The Gift of Death. Why do we commit to one other instead of all others? Our discussion centers around the notions of the ethical, the universal, and the choices we make. This is a unique work of Derrida’s – one informed by a very focused reading of Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling. This conversation cuts through Derrida’s reading of the non-communicative, secret-withholding 'knight of faith'. Derrida’s interpretation of the paradox’s presented by Kierkegaard reveals a very unique position on the nature of commitment to another.
