They don’t put his picture on the mantel
Or light incense and candles before it
But they adore him, venerating him above all
They are devoted to his ideas
His philosophy is the final word
His words are beyond question
Derrida has opened their eyes
Showing them the way
Questioning him is madness
It is the height of arrogance
It is heresy and blasphemy
How could Derrida be wrong?
They would contend.
But he was a fellow human being
Limited and prone to error
Surely, even a sage has some deficiencies
And so must this high priest of postmodernism
I worry and ask myself:
Veneration, devotion, and idol worship
What do they have to do with philosophy?
A philosophy class is not a church or a mosque
Why turn students into true believers and devotees?
Is this the way to nourish hungry young souls?
Why discourage criticism and discussion?
Is this the beginning of a new dark age?
Or am I being too negative?
-Rotterdam, Netherlands
