Jacques Derrida's "The Animal That Therefore I Am (Following)"
Summary
TLDRJacques Derrida's 'The Animal That Therefore I Am' is explored in this script, challenging the human-animal divide. Derrida, a French philosopher, critiques Western anthropocentrism through the concept of 'animal seance,' highlighting our shared animality. The script uses the controversial Orangina commercial to illustrate discomfort with animals behaving like humans, reflecting on our perceptions of propriety and the need to reassess our relationships with animals. Derrida suggests we reconsider our binary thinking and embrace a more complex understanding of animals, advocating for a shift in thought rather than just action.
Takeaways
- 📚 Jacques Derrida's 'The Animal That Therefore I Am' is a philosophical exploration of the distinctions humans make between themselves and animals.
- 🎥 The script uses an Orangina commercial as a starting point to discuss the discomfort it causes, relating it to themes of anthropomorphism and societal norms.
- 🐾 Derrida challenges the concept of 'the animal' as a monolithic entity, advocating for recognition of the diversity and individuality of animals.
- 🤔 The script raises questions about why humans feel shame or discomfort when confronted with animals that display human-like behaviors or are portrayed in sexualized ways.
- 🧐 Derrida's work emphasizes the importance of questioning preconceived notions and binaries that separate humans from animals.
- 📖 Derrida is known for deconstructionism, a theory that posits language as unstable and open to multiple interpretations, which is reflected in his playful engagement with texts.
- 🐱 Derrida uses personal anecdotes, such as his interactions with his cat, to illustrate the complexities of human-animal relationships and the absurdity of human shame in the face of animal gaze.
- 🌟 The script highlights the idea that animals do not experience 'nudity' as humans do, as they lack the self-consciousness and shame associated with being naked.
- 🔍 Derrida critiques the way disciplines like biology and zoology objectify animals, reinforcing the divide between humans and animals without considering the animals' perspectives.
- 💭 The concept of 'animal seance' is introduced as a term to describe the discomfort and impropriety felt when humans are confronted with their own animality.
- 🔄 Derrida suggests that a change in our thinking about animals is necessary, moving away from anthropocentric views and towards a more nuanced understanding of our relationship with animals.
Q & A
What is the main theme of Jacques Derrida's 'The Animal That Therefore I Am'?
-The main theme of Derrida's 'The Animal That Therefore I Am' is to examine and question the way humans establish differences between themselves and what they call 'the animal,' challenging the concept of the animal as 'other' and exploring the philosophical and historical underpinnings of this distinction.
What is the purpose of showing the Orangina commercial in the context of discussing Derrida's work?
-The Orangina commercial is used to illustrate the discomfort and disturbance that can arise when animals are anthropomorphized and sexualized, which relates to Derrida's exploration of the complex relationship between humans and animals and the discomfort that arises when traditional boundaries are blurred.
How does Derrida approach the concept of language in relation to the animal-human divide?
-Derrida, known for his theory of deconstructionism, approaches the concept of language as unstable and uses playful wordplay to challenge the binary thinking between humans and animals. He suggests that the way we use language to conceptualize animals is part of a long-standing history that fuels our misconceptions.
What is 'furry denial' as mentioned in the script?
-'Furry denial' occurs when an animal is unaware that it is an animal or of a particular species, as illustrated in the commercial when the Panda is shocked and embarrassed because her clothes are ripped off, forgetting that as an animal, nakedness is not something to be embarrassed about.
What is 'furry reminder' as described in the script?
-'Furry reminder' happens when we are reminded of an animal's animal-ness, such as when the camera pans from beneath the deer in a sexual angle and then the deer twitches her furry tail, reminding us that it is indeed an animal.
How does Derrida use the example of his cat to explore the concept of nakedness?
-Derrida uses the example of his cat to explore the concept of nakedness by describing his own embarrassment when standing naked in front of his cat. This experience leads him to question why he feels shame and the anthropocentric notion that only humans can feel shame or be conscious of their nudity.
What does Derrida mean when he refers to 'animal seance'?
-'Animal seance' is a term coined by Derrida to combine the French words for 'impropriety' (mal seance) and 'animal,' suggesting that being an animal and being improper are one and the same in the Western mind, and challenging the idea that animals are separate from or inferior to humans.
How does Derrida challenge the traditional binary relationship between humans and animals?
-Derrida challenges the traditional binary relationship by arguing against the idea that humans are superior or in a master-slave relationship with animals. Instead, he suggests that human identity rests upon following the animal or animal nature, and that we should reconsider our preconceptions and the history that fuels them.
What is the significance of Derrida's neologism 'sanema'?
-The neologism 'sanema' is a combination of the French words for 'animal' (animal) and 'words' (mots), which serves as a reminder that animals are many and varied and that our language should reflect this multiplicity. It also suggests a connection between the animal and human language, urging a reconsideration of our relationship with animals.
How does Derrida suggest we should change our thinking about animals?
-Derrida suggests that we should change our thinking about animals by moving away from anthropocentric views and binary thinking. He proposes recognizing the multiplicity of our relationships with animals, avoiding the generalization of 'the animal,' and considering the ways in which our language and thought have misrepresented animals and ourselves.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Derrida's 'The Animal That Therefore I Am'
This paragraph introduces the central theme of Jacques Derrida's work 'The Animal That Therefore I Am', which critiques the human-animal binary. It sets the stage for a deeper exploration into how society anthropomorphizes animals and the implications of such actions. The paragraph begins with a reference to a thought-provoking commercial, using it as a springboard to discuss the concept of 'furry denial' and 'furry reminders', which are instances where animals are either unaware of their animal nature or are reminded of it in a human context. The commercial is used to illustrate the discomfort that arises when animals are sexualized or anthropomorphized, leading to a broader discussion on Derrida's philosophical approach to deconstruction and the instability of language.
🕵️♂️ Derrida's Deconstruction of Human-Animal Dichotomy
In this paragraph, Derrida's philosophical inquiry into the nature of animals and humans is explored. Derrida challenges the traditional Western perspective that views animals as 'other' and questions the anthropocentric history that has led to such misconceptions. He uses the concept of 'nakedness' as a metaphor to discuss the raw, unfiltered truth about the relationship between humans and animals. Derrida suggests that human identity is not separate from but rather follows from our animal nature. His discourse includes a playful yet profound examination of his own encounters with his cat, which leads to a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding the notions of 'nakedness', 'nudity', and the human-animal relationship.
🎭 The Complexity of Animal Representation and Human Discomfort
This paragraph delves into the complexities of how animals are represented in media and the human discomfort that arises from such portrayals. It discusses the concept of 'animal seance', a term coined by Derrida to describe the impropriety associated with animals. The paragraph contrasts the traditional idealizations of animals with the reality presented in the controversial Orangina commercial, which blurs the lines between human and animal behavior. The discomfort viewers feel when watching the commercial is tied to the violation of expected propriety and the challenging of boundaries that separate humans from nonhumans.
👗 The Social Construction of Nudity and Its Impact on Human-Animal Relations
The focus of this paragraph is on the social construction of nudity and how it impacts our understanding of human-animal relations. Derrida explores the concept of nudity as it applies to both humans and animals, arguing that animals are nude without the self-consciousness that humans possess. He suggests that humans are the only creatures who feel shame about their nakedness, which is a result of cultural constructs rather than a natural state. This leads to a discussion on the implications of clothing and the act of covering oneself, which is presented as a distinctly human characteristic that separates us from animals.
🤔 The Gaze of the Animal and the Challenge to Anthropocentrism
This paragraph examines the unsettling nature of the animal's gaze and its challenge to anthropocentric views. Derrida discusses the power dynamics involved when an animal, such as his cat, gazes at a human, reversing the traditional roles of observer and observed. The paragraph also critiques disciplines that claim to speak for or protect animals without considering the animals' perspectives. Derrida emphasizes the need to rethink our approach to animals, moving away from the idea of mastery and towards a more nuanced understanding of our relationship with them.
🔍 Rethinking Our Relationship with Animals: Derrida's Proposals
In this final paragraph, Derrida offers a series of proposals for rethinking our relationship with animals. He criticizes the anthropocentric assumption that animals need to communicate in human terms and suggests that we should stop referring to animals collectively as 'the animal'. Instead, he introduces the neologism 'animots' to highlight the diversity and individuality of animals. Derrida calls for a suspension of our preconceptions and a more immersive understanding of animals, encouraging a shift in our way of thinking that acknowledges the complex, intertwined relationship between humans and animals.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Jacques Derrida
💡Autobiographical Animal
💡Anthropomorphism
💡Furry Fandom
💡Furry Denial and Reminder
💡Nakedness
💡Animal Seance
💡Deconstructionism
💡Binary Relationship
💡Idealization
💡Sanema
Highlights
Jacques Derrida's 'The Animal That Therefore I Am' challenges the traditional human-animal binary.
Derrida uses the concept of 'furry fandom' and a controversial commercial to explore anthropomorphism and societal discomfort with animal sexuality.
The commercial's shock value is linked to the unexpected sexualization of animals, confronting viewers with a blend of the familiar and the improper.
Derrida's philosophical approach questions the stability of language and the deconstruction of texts, as seen through his playful engagement with Lewis Carroll.
The notion of 'nakedness' is presented as a metaphor for the raw truth of language and thought without artifice.
Genesis is referenced to discuss the historical conceptualization of animals as 'other', rooted in anthropocentric Western history.
The title 'The Animal That Therefore I Am' plays with the French language to suggest the interconnectedness of human and animal identities.
Derrida's personal encounter with his cat illustrates the complex emotions of shame and self-consciousness when faced with an animal's gaze.
The concept of 'animal seance' is introduced to convey the idea of impropriety associated with being an animal in the Western mindset.
The commercial's impact is analyzed through the lens of Derrida's philosophy, revealing the discomfort with animals acting outside of human-defined norms.
Derrida criticizes the idealization of animals in media and society, which creates a false dichotomy between human and animal behaviors.
The blending of traditional animal roles in the commercial challenges viewers' preconceived notions and expectations of propriety.
Derrida's examination of the animal gaze as an act of dominance and aggression disrupts the perceived power dynamic between humans and animals.
The critique of disciplines that claim to speak for or protect animals without considering the animal's perspective or autonomy.
The historical misrepresentation of animals through acts of naming and defining, which reinforces the notion of human sovereignty.
Derrida's call for a change in thought regarding animals, suggesting that we must move beyond anthropocentric biases.
The introduction of the neologism 'animots' as a way to acknowledge the multiplicity and individuality of animals.
Derrida's final thoughts on the interconnectedness of human and animal identities, urging a reconsideration of our relationship with animals.
Transcripts
today we will be discussing Jacques
Derrida's the animal that therefore I am
following which was originally as speech
Derrida gave to a conference in 1997 the
topic of the conference was the
autobiographical animal and so derrida's
focuses to examine the way we establish
differences between ourselves humans and
that which we call the animal the very
concept of which Derrida calls into
question to start with let's watch a
short commercial as you watch this
commercial you should be thinking about
what is this commercial about what is
its message and how does it convey that
message
do not you [ __ ] party now a giant
monkey purse clearly this is a
commercial about orange juice the
message that it is not real mom poopers
means that it is naturally pulpy but
also naturally fleshy a play on the
carnal images were shown some other
background information here the
commercial reminds us that there is a
subculture called furry fandom where for
some furs or fans and amorphous animals
make them furry that is anthropomorphize
animals is a fetish the commercial also
displays examples of furry denial and
furry reminders furry denial occurs when
an animal is unaware that it is an
animal or that it is an animal of a
particular species when the Panda is
shocked and embarrassed because her
clothes are ripped off she is in furry
denial she forgets that as an animal
nakedness is not something to be
embarrassed about
a furry reminder occurs when we are
reminded of an animal's animal Ness when
the camera pans from beneath the deer
and a sexual angle that focuses on the
deers bottom and then the deer twitches
her furry tail we are reminded that yes
indeed this is an animal in some ways
this commercial may be trying to simply
make a statement about or take advantage
of the sexually overt commercials from
other brands and countries but here
because the sexual objects are animal
many viewers have found the commercial
disturbing so let's ask why exactly is
this commercial disturbing let's include
the fact that probably several of you
laughed at the commercial as well the
point is the commercial was likely
shocking the first time you saw it or
would likely be shocking to your friends
and family if you watched it all
together at the theater or in the living
room that is we don't expect to have our
senses assaulted by sexually
anthropomorphised
animals but once again why not this is a
question Derrida helps us to answer
so Derrida who is he Derrida is a
prominent figure in philosophy he is a
French philosopher of the late 20th
century best known for fathering the
critical theory of deconstructionism
deconstructionism approaches texts with
the belief that language is unstable and
though Derrida insists on page 402 that
he will not dwell in this argument on
deconstructive points as we might expect
him to we still see him play with words
in what can only be described as true to
the characteristics of a
deconstructionist at one point when
discussing his cat for instance he
digresses and shifts focus to lewis
carroll's through the looking-glass
where a cat is also mentioned and
seemingly out of nowhere he says quote
although time prevents it I would of
course have liked to inscribe my whole
talk within a reading of Lewis Carroll
in fact you can't be certain but I'm not
doing that for better or for worse
silently unconsciously or without your
knowing you can't be certain that I
didn't already do it one day when ten
years ago I let speak or let pass a
little Hedgehog a suckling Hedgehog
perhaps before the question what is
poetry for thinking concerning the
animal if there is such a thing derives
from poetry there you have a hypothesis
it is what philosophy has essentially
had to deprive itself of etc and he goes
on from there of course although he is
playful and makes us doubt his true
meaning he has a point in the end in
this case he ends the passage by
focusing on the Hedgehog's that form the
croquette balls and the hedgehog turns
around to face alice Derrida's point at
this cheeky moment is how can an animal
look you in the face it's playful
question to be sure but it has some
serious answers let's start then by
asking what is he being playful about
and for this let's go back to the
beginning in the beginning of the
address Derrida says that he will focus
on nakedness he says quote to begin with
I would like to entrust myself to words
that were possible would be naked naked
in the first place but this is in order
to announce already that I plan to speak
endlessly of nudity and of the nude in
philosophy starting from Genesis I would
like to choose words that are to begin
with naked quite simply words from the
heart here he means to present nakedness
as a
of metaphor for naked words naked truth
that is language and thought without
artifice he seeks to reveal the
nakedness of animals and humans he
references Genesis as well as he
frequently will and he does us to inform
us that he means to call into question
the prehistory or a priori knowledge
that humans use to conceptualize the
animal as other that is in part he
argues that it is a long-standing
history that fuels our misconceptions of
the animal and that this history goes
back to what he philosophically calls
the beginning of time the moment of
humankind's fall from the Garden of Eden
the point being it is simply a part of
our anthropocentric Western history to
see animals as other but obviously
Derrida doesn't believe animals are
truly or wholly
other and that is why his address this
article is titled the way it is quote
the animal that therefore I am following
the title gives us further insight into
derrida's focus and the original French
the title phrase I am and the
parenthetical title phrase I am
following sound the same in French when
properly conjugated to the present tense
both say Zeus we and in this punny way
Derrida alerts us to the idea that
though we often think of the animal as
other human identity actually rests upon
following the animal or animal nature
that is whereas our Western
preconceptions see the animal as
following us and humans taking the lead
and evolution progress propriety and so
forth Derrida suggests that humans may
in fact be also behind subordinate
subject to and so forth to the animal it
is important to note here that Derrida's
goal is not to create a binary
relationship between humans and animals
he does not want to say we or the
animals are masters or slaves to each
other
what he's trying to do is call into
question this idea of binaries at all
hence in the title he doesn't just say I
am as in I am the master but I am
following simultaneously and
contradictorily it is at this point in
the presentation that Derrida introduces
his cat which is a passage that might
help lend some further clarity to the
points in his introduction about
nakedness and preconceptions on page 372
Derrida writes quote I often ask my
just to see who I am and who I am
following at the moment when caught
naked and silenced by the gaze of an
animal for example the eyes of a cat I
have trouble yes a bad time overcoming
my embarrassment wince this malaise I've
troubled repressing a reflex dictated by
a modesty trouble keeping silent within
me a protest against the indecency
against the impropriety that comes of
finding oneself naked once sex exposed
stark naked before a cat that looks at
you without moving just to see the
impropriety Mouse seance of a certain
animal nude before the other animal from
that point on one might call it a kind
of animal seance the single incomparable
an original experience of the
impropriety that would come from
appearing in truth naked in front of the
insistent gaze of the animal a
benevolent or pitiless gaze surprised or
cognizant the gaze of a seer visionary
or extra lucid blind person it is as if
I were ashamed
therefore naked in front of this cat but
also ashamed for being ashamed a
reflected shame the mirror of a shame
ashamed of itself a shame that is at the
same time specular unjustifiable and
unable to be admitted to at the optical
center of this reflection would appear
this thing and in my eyes the focus of
this incomparable experience that is
called nudity and about which it is
believed that it is proper to man
that is to say foreign to animals naked
as they are or so it is thought without
the slightest inkling of being so
ashamed of what a naked before whom in
this passage in short Derrida stands
naked in front of his cat and feels
embarrassed more than this he is
astonished that an animal has
successfully made him feel shame not for
being naked per se but for being ashamed
Derrida is as he says ashamed of being
ashamed and he is ashamed of being
ashamed because he recognizes that he
should not be ashamed in the first place
that is in the first place he's ashamed
of being an animal that is naked and he
is ashamed of being ashamed because
humans are animals and should not be
ashamed for being so that is his
nakedness stands in for a truth revealed
about the human body that
humans at least Western humans usually
tried to hide that we are animals the
animal then once again like an quote
extra lucid blind person and as he says
he's not our nakedness but who we really
are
again animals and finally the cat
reminds Derrida that it is improper to
be naked and that it is ridiculous to
feel that one is improper win naked
Derrida connects this feeling of
embarrassment about his impropriety with
the concept of animal sounds
he coins this term animal seance by
mixing the French word for impropriety
mal seance and the French word for
animal thus Derrida calls this nakedness
animal seance as if to say being animal
and being improper are one in the same
again at least to the Western mind let's
bring this back to the commercial where
the scenarios are comparable instead of
an animal staring at a naked human as it
is with dirt all we viewers are with the
Orangina commercials humans staring at
naked animals and yet still feeling
disturbed by it as mentioned earlier the
commercial is shocking many of the
original viewers felt embarrassed when
watching the commercial and it caused
much controversy upon its debut but if
we associate impropriety with animals
why are we so shocked by the commercial
the animals in the commercial are after
all just being animals improper and wild
what makes that so disturbing now
normally when animals are represented in
commercials they are idealized and
remember that idealization doesn't
always mean that the idealized subject
is a better version of its real form
instead think of idealization as simply
going beyond reality which could be in a
positive or negative sense a common
example of idealization is the
idealization of women where the ideal
woman may not just be the virginal
chaste motherly or domestic figure but
the [ __ ] or the [ __ ] idealization
takes real subjects and then abstracts
them into ideas that cannot exist in
reality because reality is usually more
complex and messy the idealized animal
typically appears in a few ways for one
the ideal animal is often conceived as
not being like humans in any way for
instance we might not expect animals to
have sex for pleasure this
to be a particularly human activity to
us a luxury afforded to humans while
animals must have sex in order to
survive we often also think of animals
as either innocent and cuddly like pets
or brutal and violent in a naturalist
sort of way in this commercial we see
each of these aforementioned
idealizations and not only do we see
each of them but we see them blurred
together their boundaries dissolve we'll
say with the rush of liquid orange juice
to create an amalgamation something new
and something in between these
traditional ideals for instance the
anthropomorphic animals take pleasure in
sexualized activities in this way they
are neither quite human nor quite animal
in the same manner the animals are
presented as both innocent and brutal
the deer and the bear come together in a
furry denial of their differences no
longer prey and predator innocent and
experienced the deer and bear are both
hunter and hunted teaser and teased the
ideals mentioned above non-human
innocent and brutal are present
throughout but they are mixed in this
commercial and it is in part this
incongruity that many find disturbing it
is the blending of the improper animal
with the proper animal that causes many
viewers to be embarrassed and it
questions the very concept of an animal
being improper that is of animal seance
which is precisely what Derrida
wishes to do at the end of the passage
about Gyarados cat Derrida asks ashamed
of what and naked before whom let's take
this one question at a time why am i
ashamed that's one question we've
already identified with the commercial
that we are ashamed because the animals
begin to act like humans they cross the
boundaries that we imagine help separate
humans from nonhumans and they violate
our expectations of propriety or proper
behavior Derrida asked to this that in
one sense his violent reaction to hide
his nakedness to bite his tongue as if
holding back something that is forbidden
is an animal reaction biting his tongue
in a brute and physical response and an
unthinking idiotic asinine reaction to a
problem that should be faced with
intelligence and rationality we are made
in some sense animal by our
embarrassment
reflex to hide that embarrassment but it
is only the human who is embarrassed by
its nakedness Derrida Riots quote from
that point on naked without knowing it
animals would not in truth be naked they
wouldn't be naked because they are naked
in principle from the exception of man
no animal has ever thought to dress
itself clothing would be proper to man
one of the properties of man dressing
oneself would be inseparable from all
the other forms of what is proper to man
even if one talks about it less than
speech or reason the logos history
laughing morning burial the gift and so
on the animal therefore is not naked
because it is naked
it doesn't feel its own nudity there is
no nudity in nature there is only the
sentiment the effect the conscious or
unconscious experience of existing in
nakedness because it is naked without
existing in nakedness the animal neither
feels nor sees itself naked and it
therefore is not naked at least that is
what is thought for man it would be the
opposite and clothing derives from
technics we would therefore have to
think Shane and Tecna City together as
the same subject and evil in history and
work and so many other things that go
along with it man would be the only one
to have invented a garment to cover his
sex he would only be a man to the extent
that he was able to be naked that is to
say to be ashamed to know himself to be
ashamed because he is no longer naked
and knowing himself would mean knowing
himself to be ashamed on the other hand
because the animal is naked without
consciousness of being naked modesty
would remain as foreign to it as would
in modesty as with the knowledge of self
that is involved in that so in other
words animals are nude without being
nude because nudity
doesn't exist in nature thus this idea
of nudity takes on the essence of not
just truth and shame but shamelessness
which is in the context of our Genesis
myth a form of ignorance in human terms
nakedness is truth and shamelessness as
well as shame and ignorance for the
animal nakedness is shameless and so it
exists in a state of non nudity
meanwhile humans that are nude are never
nude because they are ashamed in the SKA
hiding or clothing at least in their
minds who or what they truly are thus
never truly being naked they exist in a
state of nudity that is the
consciousness of nudity all this brings
us to an odd junction with the Orangina
commercial if animals are nude without
being nude and humans that are nude are
never nude are we as the embarrassed
viewers of the commercial like animals
that no longer have a sense of nudity
that exists in a state of non nudity or
like humans who retain this sense of
nudity exist in a state of nudity more
simply put in our embarrassment when we
are mentally unclothed and our animal
'no seveal are we non nude or nude this
is a question Derrida poses us and
certainly there is no clear answer but
what Derrida does give us is a history
of the ways we have mistreated this
question and the subject of this
question that is we have now come back
to the second query from our passage on
the cat ashamed of what
and naked before whom we have addressed
the first question what are we ashamed
of which is in some circular and
nebulous sense are animality the second
question we have yet to answer that is
naked before whom or as Derrida suggests
in his title Who am I following the who
is the animal but the question is who is
the animal in one sense the animal is as
we've been saying a messy concept it is
who we are and are not simultaneously
and in contradiction of each other but
history has painted the animal as other
and that's what Derrida wishes to expose
referring back to his example about the
cat he points out that part of the
reason why we are disturbed by the cat's
gaze is because the gaze is aggressive
we've come upon this term as well with
Virginia Woolf so flush the gaze of an
animal is active you cannot escape it
you cannot stop it it simply happens and
you are helpless to prevent it this is
the same intrusive gaze that unsettles
us when a stranger stares at us from
across the street in the bar or in class
the gaze is a dominant gesture and it
makes us the inferior to some other
superior subject it makes us the object
of that subjects focus so derrida's
cat's gaze is disturbing because it
reverses the use
relationship we think of as existing
between human and animal master and
slave to use those terms of other egg in
the Orangina commercial it is the same
the animals ruthlessly gaze upon each
other and such sexualized aggressive
gazing is unsettling to the typical
human viewer Derrida also takes to task
the many disciplines that purport to
speak for or protect the animal without
ever really taking the moment to be seen
or seen seen as Derrida says it by an
animal that is a biologist zoologist
environmentalist and so forth they all
address animals look at them study them
but Derrida explains they never consider
themselves as being looked at themselves
they have seen without being seen
reinforcing this concept that the animal
is yet and still other naming is another
way we have other the animal for this
Derrida returns to his narrative of
Genesis the story of man naming the
animals even though he himself was not
created until after the animals were
created following a stayer das title
says after the animal once a thing is
given a name though it deprives the
thing of the chance to give itself a
name when we name a thing we ignore its
ability to name itself the result of
this process of naming is that man
creates in himself
a sense of sovereignty and loneliness
power and division once again the point
is much of our history has
misrepresented the animal and we have
misrepresented ourselves there are a few
more examples of this that are important
to note in defining the animal there
have been several historical landmarks
one is jeremy bentham's defense of
animal rights by asking not whether the
animal is useful but whether the animal
can suffer in response Derrida scoffs
and replies that of course animals can
suffer and asking that question only
opens the door to doubt about whether or
not they can suffer the repercussions of
which we are still seeing today a
scientist seek to measure how different
animals experience pain the second
historical definition Derrida addresses
is the one that distinguishes animals by
the fact that they cannot communicate
and by communicate these proponents mean
that animals cannot lie they may react
or respond but they cannot cover their
tracks or hide behind words the way
humans do this is where the argument
stood and
and so Derrida then responds asking what
are we to do then should we speak for
the animal but he's already established
his views on that the biologist
zoologist and environmentalists see
without being seen he says the danger of
pitting an animal and assuming that we
must protect it means we are still other
inferior and us as benevolent protectors
or stewards so should we do nothing
saying nothing but again Derrida has
already pointed out how biting one's
tongue is an act of stupidity rather
than rationality should we simply
proceed as we always have and continue
to allow the exploitation of the animal
by ignoring these misrepresentations
perhaps even participate in the naming
of animals that results in their other
as farm animal beasts of burden pet
experiment and so forth the answer to
this seems obvious that is obviously not
so then what are we left with how can we
connect with the animal without uttering
it derrida's responses that change must
happen not in actions though eventually
change should occur there but in thought
we act in the ways we do because we
think a certain way about the animal for
instance the idea that the animal needs
to speak to name itself to defend itself
to respond to us is entirely
anthropocentric the cat for instance
doesn't need to speak not in our words
it is we who require it to speak to
respond to us and answer our questions
we must change our way of thinking to
begin with Derrida offers one change
that we stop referring to animals as the
animal the very idea that we've grouped
so many different kinds of animals into
one chimerical heading the animal
invites misunderstanding instead we must
recognize the multiplicities of our
relationships with animal nests and
animals to do this Derrida offers a
neologism on emo this word is
combination of the French word for
animal Anja MA and the French word for
words ma when put together animal this
becomes a homophone for the French
plural form of animal which is once
again funny more Derrida claims that
this new word can remind us that animals
are many and varied moreover it doesn't
try to escape the fact that we can't
escape ourselves in the
so John the Katdare da points out that
the cat is a mirror reflection of
ourselves we deplore our
anthropocentrism to some extent but we
cannot escape the fact that our
knowledge and perspectives are based in
the human experience which is largely
dependent upon language so while it is
true that language and naming has
created grievous misunderstandings in
the past language must also be a part of
the steps we take in understanding
animal the sanema connects the animal
with human language and words finally
the idea of animal is fanciful it does
not claim to give animal speech because
as we mentioned earlier animals don't
need the power of speech instead it
combines a human and non-human in a way
that isn't typically combined and with
this Derrida asks for a kind of
suspension of disbelief to break us away
from our preconceptions to not see the
human and non-human as a binary divide
but as something Messier and more
immersive and to reconsider the ideas of
and ways of thinking about animals thus
in the end to answer today's question
about who we are following he answers we
are following ourselves
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