The depth of reason : Kant, Marx, and Heidegger in the deconstruction of Christianity

Journal article


Cassidy-Deketelaere, Nikolaas. (2022). The depth of reason : Kant, Marx, and Heidegger in the deconstruction of Christianity. International Journal of Philosophy and Theology. 83(1-3), pp. 22-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/21692327.2022.2093776
AuthorsCassidy-Deketelaere, Nikolaas
Abstract

Jean-Luc Nancy’s so-called ‘deconstruction of Christianity’ is usually understood as both a philosophy of culture (in line with various other exercises in ‘post-secular’ thought) and a critique of metaphysics (in line with Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence). This article, however, argues that its primary concern is neither the Christian religion as a cultural formation, nor the exhaustion of the metaphysical enterprise. Instead, by looking at some of the philosophical sources on which Nancy’s project is built – namely, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, and Martin Heidegger –, the article suggests that its true aim is to develop a new understanding of reason, or to renew the experience of reason. Though these authors have largely been neglected by the growing discussion of Nancy’s deconstruction of Christianity, the article shows how it is only by developing his occasional references to them that we can come to appreciate an important but neglected dimension of this project: namely, the fact that it is an exercise in philosophical anthropology, i.e. an inquiry into the exact nature of the reason that supposedly characterises the rational animal.

Year2022
JournalInternational Journal of Philosophy and Theology
Journal citation83 (1-3), pp. 22-42
PublisherRoutledge
ISSN2169-2327
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/21692327.2022.2093776
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85133545963
Page range22-42
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online06 Jul 2022
Publication process dates
Accepted21 Jun 2022
Deposited02 Jun 2023
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