Table Of ContentTHE POLITICS OF FRIENDSHIP
Til•:l )PL<I TICOSF FRIENDSHIP
Jaqcues Derrida
TranslabtyGe edo rgCeo llins
VERSO
Lond•o Nne wY ork
Thibso oki ss upportbeytd h eF rencMhi nistfroyrF oreiAgfnf aiarsps a rotf t he
BurgePsrso grammhee,a defdo rth e FrencEhm bassiny L ondobny t heI nstitut
Fran�adiuR so yaumUen i
I1nst 1tut ��
Originpaulbllyi sahseP do litdie!q aumeibsfly i
Editions GPaaWrei1es9, 9 4
© EditionGsa Wee1 994
Translafirstti opnu blisbhyeV de rs1o9 97
© GeorgCeo lli1n9s97
Thiesd itipounb lishbeydV ers2o0 05
Allr ighrtess erved
Them orarli ghotfst hea uthoarn dt ranslhaatvober e ena sserted
3579108642
Verso
UK:6 M earSdt reeLto,n doWn1 F OEG
lIAS1: R OV ariSctkr eeNte,w YorkN Y 10014-4606
www.v erosbooks.ocm
V<·irsts hoei mprionftN ew LefBto oks
ISB1N- 84467-054-6
lthl1h l.llmuy ClltiondP ougbuliincga tDiaotna
�� · tfl'lltlowluliou•akv ra i labtleh flroomt heB ritiLsihb rary
......, Cfltltn Cl•t••elnl!Plng -in-PubliDcaattai on
.........r1..1th riiMi uIo••�v •ilf•romho tl hreJ jbraorfyC ongress
filllll.. ..111 M In th1\.•U IlI(holllolllvlll ul'loluklm arque
Contents
Foreword vii
1 OligarchNiaminegs,: E numeratiCnogun,tin g 1
2 LoviinnFg ri endshiPpe:r ha-ptsh Neo unan d thAed verb 26
3 ThiMsa d' TruthT'h:eJ ustN ame ofF riendship 49
.. TheP hantoFmri enRde turning( int hNeam e of' Democracy7'5)
5 OnA bsolHuotsetili tTyh:eC auseo fPhilosaonpdth hye
Specotfrt ehP eo litical 121
6 OathC,o njuratiForna,t ernizatioortn h 'eArm ed'Q uestion1 83
7 HeW hoA ccompaniMees 171
8 Recoils 194
9 'Ihnu malnan guafrgaet,e rni.ty.. ' 227
10 'Fotrh Fei rsTti mien t hHei stoofryH umanity' 271
Quocirceata bsenatdessu .n.t. e tq,u oddlf ficilidusi cetsutm ,o rtui
vivu.n.t. .
(CicLaeerliodu,esA micitia)
Foreword
Thiess sraeys emabl leensg ptrheyfa cIetw. o ulradt hebret hfeo rewtoor d
�booIkw ouldo ned awyi stho write.
Ini tpsr esfeonrmt,o penebdya vocati(v'em0 y mendsi'ts)f ,o rmi s
thutsh aotfan addr-ehssaz ardouswi,th outt hlee aasssutr ancaet,t htiem e
ofw hawta so nltyh fei rssets soifoa ns emincaorn ducwtiethdt hitsi de,
'PoliotfFi rcise ndsinh 1i89p8'8-,9. T hetr ajecotfoa ryn in troductioofn
thisso rti sh erqeu iltoen cge,r tabiunlity ti, ss trictrleys petchtreodu ghout
itasr gumentastitoanbg,yes taignei, ts sc ansiionin t,ls o gicsaclh easma w ell
asi nm osotf i trse fereHnecnecsthe.e e xplanaitifno ontt, h jeus tification,
oft hien chofaotrmoe f t hper ojpercetl:i mirnaatryhth eanr p roblematic.
Ic ounotn p reparfinofugrt urpeu blicaa stieorineo sfs eminars tudies
withwinhi cht hiosn ea ctualfilnyd ist psl acwee,l ble yontdh issi ngle
openisnegs siwohni,ct hh usp resuppiotssp erse missaensdi tsh orizon.
Thosteh aitmm ediatperleyc eidtet,dh einf,i ti san ythibnugtu selteos s
realclt hel ogidceavle lopamtet nhtip so inwte,r cee ntreodn :N atiotyn ali
adn PihlosopNhatiicaoln (a1.lN iatsimoN antio,n ya,lN iattion[a91l8-i38s4)m;
2.Nom o,sLog os,T oops[ 149-885)3;.Th eTh elogoi-lcaPoilical[t 1859-8)64; .
Kna,t thJeew ,t hGeenn an[ 9186-78))an;d Eagt itnhOet rh (Rehetoorifcs
Canniba[l1i79-s88m8.)) S ubsequseenminta rsc oncernQedesu itso n of
Repnssoibitlhirtoyut ghhe e xperienocfte h es ecreatn do fwi tesnsing
1199-839.)
Bei tartifi ce ora bstractifi Ioh ne,rd ee taocnhe o fth esen umerous
sessiaonnsdo, n ltyh efi rstf otrh em omenitt,i sb ecaufsoear,p parently
continrgeeasnotn tsh,is se ssgiaovnbe irt h tos evecroanlf er1e Incne s.
addittihosines,s shiasoa nl rebaedeypn u bliasbhreodia nds ,l igdhitlffye rent,
Keneraablrliydv geersdi ons.2
Int hceo ursoeft haec adeymieca 1r9 88-89,e acshe ssoipoenn weidth
thewsoer dfrso mM ontaignqueo,ti nagr emaartkt ributtoArie sdt ot'l0e:
mym endthse,r ies n om end'. Waefteewrke ek,v oiitcste osn,em so,d es
ands tratweegriete rsi oend, t os eeif itsi nterpretcaotuiltodhn e bne
vii
viii POLITICSO F FRIENDSHIP
sparkeodr, tihfes cenograpchoyu lbde s eitn m otiona rounidt seTlf:h is
work,t aking itsti me,r epalysrep, resents,o nlyt hefi rsts ession. This
repreenstattihounrs e epatlse ssa firsta ctt haan s orotf p reevwi.I ti sn o
doubanty thinbgu ta primals cenalet,h ought hef1g ureo ft he friends,o
regulacrolmyi nbga cokn s tagwei tht hef eatuorfet sh eb ro-twhhero i s
criticalaltsy t akien t hiasn aly-sisse emss pontaneoutsobl eyl ontgo a
familial,an.frda ttheaumnsracen dolticrics otnfi guratioofpn o litics.
Why woultdh efri endb el iakb er otheLre?tu sd reamo fa friendship
whichg oesb eyonthisd proximity oft hec ongeneric double, beyond
parenthotohdem, o stas welasl thel eansatt uraolfp arenthoowdhse,ni t
leavietsss i gnatufrroem, t heo utsoetnt, h en ame as ona d oublmierr oro f
sucahc ouple.us aLsekot u rselvwehsa wt ould thbeent hep oliticss uocfh
a' beyondp rtinhcei polffre a trneity'.
Wouldt histilsl d eservteh en ame 'politics'?
Theq uestiiosnn o doubvtal idf or al'lp olitirceamgiles ',b uti ti s
undoubtedmloyr e cruwciitarhle spetcowt h atis calldeedm ocra-cif,y a t
leasto,n es tillu nderstbaynt dhsit se rmt hen ame ofa regimew hichas, is
welklno wn,w ill always hparvoeeb malbtiece.n
Thec onceopftp olitircarse laynn ounceist sewlfi thosuotm es orto f
adherencthee Sotfa tteot hefa milyw,i thouwth atw e will calals cehmatic
off uiatisotno:c gke,n uosr s peciseesx(, Gecshle,cb lhoto)bdi,r tnha,t ure,
natio-na utochthoornn oatlt, e lluroirann otT.h iiss oncaeg ain thaeb yssal
questoifot nh ep Uhsitsh,eq uestioofnb eintgh,e q uestoifow nh ata ppears
inb irth,i no peninugp ,i nn urturing orgr owingi,n p roducbinybg e ing
producIestd h.a nto tl ifeT?h aitsh owl ifies t hougthort eacrhe cognition.
Ifn od ialeocftit ch eS tateev er brwietha ksw hati ts uperce[dreleives ]
and from whiciht a rise[escd oenltrel elev (et]hl eeif o f the familyc ianvidl
soci,eif ty p)olitincesv erre ducweist hin itseltfh iasd herentcofuniliale
generatifian oyn ,r epublimcoant taol most always fraastseornictwiyia tthe s
equalitanyd freedomas, for democraicyt,i sr areldye termiinnet dh e
absenocfce o nfraternoirbt ryo trhheood.
Litalelryo rt hrouagfi hg urbeu,tw hy tfihguirse ?
Democrahcya ss eldorme persentietds ewlift hotuhte p ossiboilfia tty
leastth awth ich alrweasyebsml e-sif oneis willing ton udgteh ea cceonft
this w-otrhde p ossibilaifr tyta ernzoifa tiThoenfi: a.t riarmcahyyi nclude
cousins sainsdtb eurtsa, s w e will seei,n cludmianyga lscoo met om ean
neutizrianlgI.n cludmianygd ictate forfgoeret xatmipnlge,w, i th' thbee st
ofal li ntentitohnsat'th, e siwisltnlee rv eprr oviadd eo cile exfoarmt phlee
conceopftfr aternitTyh.i s whiyst hec oncempustt b er enderdeodc ainld e,
therwee havet hew holoef p oliteidcuacla tWihoant.h appens wihne n,
takiunpgt hec asoef t hes istetrh,ew oman ism adea s isteArn?d sai stae r
casoeft heb rothTehirs?c oulbde o neo fo urm ost insistent questions, even
ifh, avindgo nes ot ooo ftene lsewhewree wil,l hereav oicdo nvoking
FOREWORD ix
Anlil(ohneer,ae gai n the lonlgin eo fhi storAnyti'gso nesd,o ciolren ott,o
thhlit•o� ry o fb rothtehrsa htas beetno ldu stf oo trh ousaonfdsy ears.
1\1w e knoww,h ats iltll inkdse mocrattiioznpa,e rhamposr et odatyh an
•vrrb eforteo,fr aternizactianonno ta lwaynse cessabriley r educetdo
l'•ltiiunwc hhiyc thh eb rothbeersgi nb yd reamingo fi tdse miseP.a triarchy
nrvsrtro pbsegin ning witthh idsr eam.T hidse misceo ntinueesn dlesstloy
h�unittp sri nciple.
Att hcee nottfr hee prianldwpatlyhOesen,, de o vesi olteion tcsaeen glf,du dasr
fiaJgra/tifhno est th er.
Inp rincitphleen,w, e shoulalds ot hink - event hougwhe didn ot
mrntiiotin n t hec oursoef t hes essieovnesnif, we weren otth inkinig-t
ahoutthp eol iticcriamle .
Wea ren otr eferrinnge cessatriloty h oscer imecsa llepdo liticcriamle s,
thmases assinatiwoinst hp olitmioctiavla tiwohni clhi ttHeirs towryi ths o
manyc orpseRsa.t he-ra s econhdy pothes-iast hinkionftg hcaritm ei n
whicha,l lowifnogr tdhieff ereonfca e r epresstihoepn o,l itbiecianlog f
Jlllltiic, sthec onceopftp olitiicnis t mso stp owerful traditiioscn o nstituted
(th'ree palo ssibiolfti hteey n'e myb einkgli elidnw, h ic-hm uchti mewil l
hed evotteodt hi-sC arSlc hmiitdte ntipfioelsi tiasc ssu cha,n dw hichhe
wouldde sperawitsehl tyod istingfruoims chr imase welals fr om murder).
Unle-ssan d heries a thirhdy pothe-swies m ustt hink thec rimea aginst
thep ossliibtoiyf p olitaigcasi,n man st qupao liticanimalal, thec rimoef
•toppingt oe xaminep olitic[sa "aiIspao onlnie,trr ie dquuceiin)ttg o s ome
thienlgs aen dp reventiintfrg o m beinwgh ati ts houbled.
One may sayh:e rea ret hreceri mesan d threeh ypothetsheasvt e ry
ln�dequautsehleiyrn p rolegomteonfr ai endshAi fpo.r ewowrodu ldt hus
arcumulpartoev isioanlaltl lhyefi gureso fg riefT hisw ordm ay be
understoionFd r encash: damabgleam,e ,p rejudiincjeu,s otrii cnej ury,b ut
11Ima ccusatrieosne,n tmoern cto mplanit,t hec allf orp unishmeonrt
vengecane.I nE nglitshhes amew ordm eans primaprilayion r m ourning,
hutg rievaanlcseoex prestsheess u bjeocftt h ec omplainitn,j usticcoen,f lict,
11 wrontgh amtus tb er ighteadv ,i oletnocb eer epaired.
'0m y friendst,h eriesn o friendt'h:i issp erhaap cso mplainantd, a
K£ievantchee,c omplaoifno tn ew hoc omplaitnoos n,e seolffo ,n eseolrf ,
complaoifnst heo thetro,o thersB.u th erew,i twhh om wiltlh ec omplaint
11boutth eo thebre l odgegidv,e nth atw e area ddressfriienngd st oi nform
themt hatth eraer en oneT?h att heayr neo tp resenthattt, h eayr en ott here,
preseanndt livinbge, i to nlyt or eceitvheec omplaionrtt od eemi t
admissiBbel ieto? n lyt oun derstandi,n a totadliflefyr enwta y,t hev ery
IVammaro ft hisse ntenack ei,no df o rphaned quotatiinio tnos ri ginali diom?
