Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Jacques Derrida’s The Animal that Therefore I Am published posthumously first in
France (2006) and then translated in English (2008) has potentially become one of the
most powerful philosophical discourses on animal ethics to date. His seminal undertaking
begins with a personal experience the philosopher has with his cat that one day follows
him into the bathroom. What follows is a classic deconstructive reversal when Derrida,
ashamed at his nudity in front of the cat, reverses the perspective and asks what the cat
sees and thinks when faced with a man – a naked one at that, and how he, as a shamed
human, responds to it. Using his well-established deconstructive methods Derrida weaves
through the pillars of traditional philosophy and rigorously unpicks our traditional and
historical thinking about how we regard animals and calls into question both the humananimal
distinction as well as the latent subjectivity on the matter. It is this text primarily
that I utilized in my thesis, as well as some of Derrida’s earlier influential works, to show
that deconstruction is a powerful and persuasive strategy toward providing a new ethic
for (other) animals.
As with Derrida, my point of departure is to put traditional philosophy under the hammer
by showing how deconstruction as a post-modern tool unpicks the inherent flaws within
its structure. I hope to reveal that a deconstruction of the anthropocentric and logocentric
attitude of humans toward other animals is necessary in providing a new ethic for (other)
animals. I begin first by breaking down the traditional hierarchy of humans over (other)
animals – anthropocentrism, logocentrism and ‘carnophallogocentrism’ – as well as, in a
separate chapter, a deconstruction of contemporary animal rights thinkers, and replace
these perceptions and theories with what Matthew Calarco called a ‘proto-ethical
imperative’ (Calarco, 2008: 108), which, I argue, is a foundation stone toward a new
ethic. Then, by multiplying the possibilities of an equitable co-existence between human
and other animals, I chart a path toward a better understanding and approach to our
relationship with non-human animals. In short, this thesis is an attempt to discover,
through deconstruction, a way toward an applied (animal) ethic. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Jacques Derrida se The Animal that Therefore I Am wat postuum die eerste keer
gepubliseer is in Frankryk (2006) en daarna vertaal is in Engels (2008) het potensieel een
van die mees kragtige filosofiese diskoerse oor diere-etiek tot op datum geword. Sy
seminale onderneming begin met 'n persoonlike ervaring wat die filosoof het met sy kat
wat hom een dag in die badkamer volg. Wat daarop gebeur is 'n klassieke
dekonstruktiewe omkeer toe Derrida, skaam oor sy naaktheid voor die kat, die perspektief
omswaai en vra wat die kat sien en dink wanneer gekonfronteer met 'n man – en boonop
nog 'n naakte man, en hoe hy, as 'n beskaamde mens, daarop reageer. Met behulp van sy
goed gevestigde dekonstruktiewe metodes weef Derrida deur die pilare van die
tradisionele filosofie en met sy streng ontledings ontrafel hy ons tradisionele en historiese
denke oor hoe ons diere beskou, en bevraagteken hy sowel die mens-dier onderskeiding
as die latente subjektiwiteit oor die aangeleentheid. Dit is hoofsaaklik hierdie teks wat ek
gebruik in my tesis, sowel as 'n paar van Derrida se vroeëre invloedryke werke, om aan te
toon dat dekonstruksie 'n kragtige en oortuigende strategie is om 'n nuwe etiek ten
aansien van (ander) diere te voorsien.
Soos by Derrida, is my uitgangspunt om tradisionele filosofie onder die hamer te plaas
deur aan te toon hoe dekonstruksie as 'n post-moderne denkstrategie die inherente
gebreke in sy struktuur kan blootlê. Ek hoop om aan te toon dat 'n dekonstruksie van die
antroposentriese en logosentriese ingesteldheid van mense teenoor ander diere
noodsaaklik is vir die formulering van 'n nuwe etiek vir (ander) diere. Ek begin deur die
tradisionele hiërargie van die mens oor (ander) diere – antroposentrisme, logosentrisme
en 'carnophallogosentrisme' af te breek – asook, in 'n ander hoofstuk, met 'n
dekonstruksie van kontemporêre diereregtedenkers, en vervang hierdie sieninge en
teorieë met wat Matthew Calarco 'n sogenaamde 'proto-etiese imperatief' noem (Calarco
2008: 108), wat ek argumenteer 'n hoeksteen is van 'n nuwe etiek. Dan, deur die
moontlikhede van 'n billike mede-bestaan tussen mens en ander diere te vermenigvuldig,
karteer ek 'n weg na 'n beter begrip van, en benadering tot ons verhouding met niemenslike
diere. In kort, hierdie tesis is 'n poging om deur middel van dekonstruksie, 'n
pad na 'n toegepaste (diere-)etiek te ontsluit.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/96874 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Cruise, Adam John |
| Contributors | Hattingh, Johan, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | viii, 199 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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