Derrida: Iterability and Biodegradability

This chapter argues that the work of Franco-Algerian philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) provides us with a framework to identify the specific shortfalls of the conception of responsibility established in Chaps. 2 and 3 . We initially consider the applicability of Derrida’s interrogation into the conditions of possibility for communication in general to the case of intergenerational communication and determine that the view of American policymakers regarding intergenerational communication aligns with what Derrida describes as the typical Western metaphysical view of the role of speech and writing. We are then able to demonstrate the link between this view of communication and the view of responsibility established previously.