Derrida Vis--vis Lacan: Interweaving Deconstruction and Psychoanalysis

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments This study grew out of an exchange of ideas with Bert Olivier, who was wrestling with Lacanian psychoanalytic theory while I was similarly engaged with Derrida’s quasi-transcendental thinking. It was he who first suggested to me that there were moments in Lacan’s writing that readily agreed with the logic of Derrida’s thinking and that a deeper study of an accord between them held promise. There were, of course, many moments when I cursed him for ever having tempted me along this tortuous path, and perhaps many more when he cursed himself for having exchanged the patient ear of his understanding interlocutor, lover, and hiking partner for the unsympathetic, self-involved, and distant creature facing the computer screen. Nevertheless, through the inevitable ups and downs, he has been, as always, the relentlessly persistent, if restless—being of romantic temperament—wind in my sails. It is with my deepest thanks that I have dedicated this text to Bert, without whom there would be for me the paralyzing bliss of a calm life. There are more people than it is possible to mention who deserve my thanks and appreciation, but first and foremost I am greatly honored to have had John Caputo, Joan Copjec, and Thomas Busch as constant companions , although they may not always have been consciously aware of their extensive spectral travels to distant African shores. I am particularly grateful for the gift from both Jack Caputo and Joan Copjec of a fair, balanced, and open-minded hearing. As lovers of Derrida and Lacan respectively they represent the antagonistic discourses that I have tried to xi bring into conversation, yet both have reaffirmed in their practice the quintessential philosophical attitude inscribed in Aristotle’s insistence that his love for philosophy supersedes his love for Plato. I would like to express my gratitude to the intellectual community at Villanova University, and particularly the philosophy department, for extending the gift of learning across international borders. Here I would specially like to thank Farhang Erfani, not only for some illuminating discussions concerning politics but also for his hospitality and continuing friendship. Finally, a special word of acknowledgment and thanks to my family and friends who have had to put up with egregious neglect for far too long. xii Acknowledgments Derrida Vis-à-vis Lacan ...