STUDENTS' RESPONSES TO DERRIDA, "PLATO'S PHARMACY," PART THREE (120-71)
Once again, Derrida must complicate the simple and comforting system of binary oppositions. We don't just have black and white, we have every shade of gray imaginable. Everything seems to be part of a giant, sticky spider web with connections to everything else. Pharmakon connects to science, poison, magic, and half a dozen other things, which all connect to half a dozen more things, and so forth. (Julie Wroblewski)
What seemed strange and yet fascinating was the connections drawn to magic, spells, and exorcisms. The concept of magic defies scientific, rational explanation. It's interesting that when so many of our other readings deified science and the scientific method, Derrida starts referring to hobgoblins and such. (Julie Wroblewski)
What next?