Auto-Affective and Self-Referential Structure of Life in Derrida

In this essay, we will focus on the structure of life in Derrida by reading the seminar, Life Death. Francesco Vitale introduces this seminar in his book, Biodeconstruction. There will be some overlaps between his book and my argument. But in this paper, I present my hypothesis about the concept of life or life death found in the Life Death seminar, especially that of Derrida's reading of François Jacob to respond to Vitale's Biodeconstruction.

First, we deal with the problem of sexuality and death in Jacob's The Logic of Life and in Derrida's Life Death. Second, we analyze the poem that Derrida quotes in the seminar to explain the structure of reproduction by reading "Psyke" in Psyke so that we comprehend how Derrida elaborate his thought about reproduction. Third and finally, we conclude by organizing Derrida's conception of life as auto-affective and self-referential structure and as open system.

The Possibility of Death and Sexuality that Precede Life

In his seminar, Life death, held in 1975–1976 at École Normale Supérieure, Derrida examines life and survival. He reads Nietzsche, Heidegger, Canguilhem, Freud, and François Jacob, Nobel Laureate in physiology and medicine. Derrida analyzes Jacob's book, The Logic of Life, published in 1970, from several perspectives, including: the relationship between the model and the modeled in describing life, the machine and society; the origins of life; and the problem of sexual reproduction and death.

Jacob described organisms as a network of neural information like a machine and criticized vitalism. The vitalism criticized by Jacob is the discourse arguing that life had a metaphysical instance like Psykē, which is not found in nonlife. Therefore, Jacob privileges the analysis of physico-chemical processes in base biology, a natural science, and eliminates metaphysical ambiguity. However, Derrida points out that The Logic of Life frequently refers to an element that separates life and nonlife. It is reproduction. And such an argument can already be seen from the preface entitled "Program" of The Logic of Life. It is said that reproduction is inherent in any living system and that everything in a living organism is oriented toward reproduction (cf. Jacob 1973, 17). Furthermore, it is even said that the biological system is destined to "reproduce or disappear" (Jacob 1973, 5). Derrida paraphrases Jacob's description about reproduction as follows: reproduction is not a metaphysical and hidden essence like a soul, but a "logic of integration (logique d'intégration)." But as long as it is inherent property, the philosopher asks whether it is the essence of Life (cf. Derrida 2019, 120–121). Here, Derrida draws on three concepts: "Ousia," "Aitia," and "Energeia" related to "essence" in the history of philosophy and supposes that reproduction is provided in living organisms in each sense. Ousia is a form of existence, how it exists. In addition, Aitia is causal. Derrida insists that reproduction is the "essence" in both senses (cf. Derrida 2019, 121). But even more important is the third "Energeia." Here are the Derrida's words about Energeia.

He [Jacob] rejoins this topic to a very classical discourse about essence, a discourse which matches dynamis to energeia. … And above all, the economic dimension of this energetics will match this topic to that of Nietzsche as far as he associates reproduction to selection.

(Derrida 2019, 122)

Energeia means here that the organism is potentially reproductive, and by reproduction, its essence and purpose are realized. This is not the important point. Rather, it should be noted that Derrida points out that the issue of "energy," which shares the etymological origin with the concept of "Energeia," is related to reproduction in Logic of Life. We will refer to Nietzsche's thought shortly, but first let's quote Jacob's passage on reproduction and selection:

The very concept of selection is inherent in the nature of living organisms, in the fact that they exist only to the extent they reproduce. Each new individual which by mutation, recombination and addition becomes the carrier of a new...