The Beast and the Sovereign, Volume II-轻识

"The Beast and the Sovereign, Volume II" is the latest entry in the University of Chicago Press' ambitious series of translations of Jacques Derrida's previously unpublished written lectures. Picking up where the previous volume left off, "Volume II" extends Derrida's exploration of the fascinating connections between animality and human sovereignty. In the second part of this seminar, originally presented in 2002-3, Derrida focuses on what at first appear to be two markedly different texts: Heidegger's "The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics" and Daniel Defoe's classic novel "Robinson Crusoe". Shuttling back and forth between the two works, Derrida investigates a number of key concepts and provides ingenious interpretations of both texts. Sovereignty remains his primary concern as he reflects on the political history of the dominion of humans over animals in Defoe's England and on diverse readings of "Robinson Crusoe" through the centuries and, in particular, from Heidegger's Germany in the 1930s. Solitude provides another connection between the two books as Derrida links the indivisible uniqueness of a king with Crusoe's solitary plight. Both consolidating and broadening Derrida's deconstructive critique of sovereignty, "The Beast and the Sovereign, Volume II" is a rich repast, offering everything from striking insights into Heidegger's use of language to surprising digressions that reveal the contours of a lively intellect deeply engaged with the world.

雅克•德里达（1930—2004），20世纪后半期最重要的法国哲学家之一，曾任教于巴黎高等师范学校、巴黎社会科学高等研究院、加利福尼亚大学人文学院等，并创建国际哲学学院。他开创了解构的思想方法，成为后结构主义的主要代表，其理论动摇了传统人文科学的基础，也是各种后现代思潮最重要的理论起点之一。20世纪90年代前后，德里达越来越关注当代政治和伦理论题，在研讨班和著作中对于决断、责任、自由、好客等概念进行解构性分析，引起广泛探讨和争论。

王小姣，曾就读于剑桥大学和巴黎第七大学，博士毕业于加利福尼亚大学圣地亚哥分校，现为上海纽约大学博士后。译有克里斯蒂娃《诗性语言的革命》（合译）。