Rogues: Two Essays on Reason (Meridian: Crossing Aesthetics)

Most basically, this book is a study of the notion of democracy. Most basically, Derrida's point is that any enactment of a democratic political regime must in some fundamental ways undermine the very principles of democracy upon which it is founded. Democracy thus only and always exists in and as this tension between its idea and its realization. This tension cannot be "corrected" but instead defines the very terrain of political judgment and responsibility. This is one of Derrida's most accessible writings--an excellent companion to the essay "Force of Law," which is also quite accessible and which also deals with the tension between idea and realization that defines the political realm. _Rogues_ is also a quasi-commentary on Plato's _Republic_, evident in its explicit discussion of the "decline of states" from Book VIII, but also from its ongoing allusions to the themes and text of the _Republic_. Michael Naas's _Derrida From Now On_ and Leonard Lawlor's _This is Not Sufficient_ both offer commentaries on this text which would be helpful to someone studying the text.

This book displays just how clear, articulate, and direct Derrida can be at times while dealing with a topic that readers can easily understand as relevant to contemporary times and the narrow sense of politics readers often bring to criticize Derrida's texts. Still, this still is a very solid piece of philosophical and social thought and one that can lend meaningful insights into the politics of Derrida's earlier works (e.g. Differance, Post Card). That said, there are some off-the-cuff moments in here that are perhaps a bit soft and a critical reader may find perturbing. It's not the most philosophically rigorous or tight work by Derrida, but such tends to be the nature of lectures and interviews. Nonetheless, if one wants to see what Derridean thinking brings when confronting the issues of nation states in a "post-9/11 world" (and that's an odd construction in itself) then this book is a must-read.