<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167498.On_Cosmopolitanism_and_Forgiveness" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness" src="https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1348638384m/167498.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167498.On_Cosmopolitanism_and_Forgiveness">On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4132.Jacques_Derrida">Jacques Derrida</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1757153334">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
The problem of reading this book for school is I took 4 days to try to absorb it. I don't know what deconstructionism is, I don't know any other aspect of Derrida's philosophy, and I usually don't care about world affairs. It's mostly because I don't think anyone really listens to philosophers in their political games.<br><br>On Cosmopolitanism would be a great read again for those in Europe currently facing the challenge of accommodating millions of Syrian refugees. The whole issue with Syria is so challenging. If we become hospitable to refugees, do we follow Mencius, let Syria fall to pieces, while the culture of the people remain intact in other countries? How does one maintain their own culture in a country with its own culture? Europe is not like North America where we have had a few hundred years to adjust to being new to the continent (yet we still have a need to reconcile with taking up indigenous lands to do so...).<br><br>On Forgiveness - what is pure forgiveness in Derrida's mind? It is to forgive the unforgivable. I don't really get this because how can you negate something that is impossible to negate? The very idea of forgiveness means that we don't ever really forgive. Can we move on? Is that enough? I don't know if he says that we can have reconciliation, punishment, repentance, etc. He says those aren't forgiveness but the process of forgiveness. We have to forgive in the moment. Does that mean that if I'm being hurt, that I should be able to forgive my attacker as it's happening?<br><br>I suppose I have met people like that. They do not see the pain being inflicted on them as an attack that requires retribution, vengeance, or justice. They see only the good intentions coming out of whatever is happening and forgive in the moment. I do not get along with those people. I don't understand what's inside them that makes it so easy to forgive, so easy to push anger, hurt, fear, out of the way. Maybe only Buddha can do this.
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