Geoffrey Bennington Bücher

This book deconstructs the lineage of political philosophy, illustrating how democracy often undermines the sovereignist tradition through various texts, from the Iliad to contemporary thought. Politics presents a persistent challenge for philosophy, akin to the difficulties posed by poetry, making it a compelling subject for deconstructive analysis. The work often engages with Jacques Derrida's ideas, focusing on the interplay between sovereignty and democracy. It begins with a line from Homer's Iliad, where Odysseus claims that "the rule of many is no good thing, let there be one ruler, one king." This assertion is traced through history, as it is quoted and reinterpreted by figures like Aristotle, Philo Judaeus, and the early Church Fathers, culminating in discussions by Carl Schmitt and even a Nuremberg trial defendant. The latter part of the book revisits Plato and Aristotle, exploring how democracy consistently challenges the sovereignist tradition. Through in-depth analyses of Hobbes and Rousseau, the author introduces the concept of "proto-democracy," suggesting it as a foundational element that perpetually drives the political sphere, preventing politics from achieving a conclusive resolution.