At the Foot of Babel: Derrida, St. Paul, and a Question of Translation
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2020
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Haverford College. Department of Philosophy
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eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
For as long as language has been of interest to philosophers, so has translation. Over the course of the 20th century, sustained focus on matters of language inevitably brought translation to the fore. As a normative conception of translation emerged, so too did its critics, chief among them Jacques Derrida. This essay proposes to re-examine Derrida's critique of the normative conception of language through an analysis of his essay, "Des Tours de Babel." Two prominent themes emerge in this essay: the proper name and the law. I argue that Derrida ultimately cannot escape a law-based conception of language, and therefore fails to see the extent of the damage done by law, given its dominating tendencies. I will then argue, using resources found in St. Paul's writings, that a full critique of the law as the basis for translation enables us to see a fundamentally new picture of language, one in which the non-violent apprehension of linguistic difference becomes a real possibility, instead of the shadow of a promise.