Interesting, I didn't even think, that he could be make it up, because why would he do so? His great hero, Heidegger, was a beliefer of god, and so was Kant, they are both well reputed philosophers, much more reputed them he himself, so why would he have to disguise his religiousness under the cover of an alledged atheism?
It certainly points to a sort of compartmentalization. But then why not? No, I think he is honest. He sometimes seems to be a bit strange, did you see the vid where he said until age so and so, he never allowed his photo or video to be published? But this was more with a sort of communist attitude, an anti idolization. I actually quite like him, but when I posted one video on my FB, it got no likes, so I guess I must be some kind of freak for liking him. ;-) ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <turquoiseb@...> wrote : Still trying not to get involved with abstract speculations for which there is no answer, but I question Derrida's claim that he can do this. I don't believe that one can believe in something strongly enough to get down on one's knees and pray to it and yet later that day treat it as merely a philosophic reflection. I honestly believe -- based on the people I've met who claim that they can do this -- that they've come up with the latter claim (mere philosophical reflection) to hide how strongly they believe the former (all-powerful God, someone one prays to like a father figure). They're *uncomfortable* with revealing the extent to which faith runs their lives, so they choose to cloak it in claims of mere philosophy. This is all Just My Opinion, of course. I'm not claiming to know the truth of *anything*. And yes, I occasionally allow that to enable me to feel superior to those who claim they know things. Mea culpa. :-)
