Jacques Derrida on Hospitality beyond Invitation: The Visiting Other as an Unplanned Pregnancy

This article examines Jacques Derrida’s views on hospitality in relation to unplanned or unintended pregnancy. Derrida distinguishes between ‘invitation’ and ‘visitation’ and associates ‘pure’, ‘true’, or ‘unconditional’ hospitality with visitation. In terms of intended or expected pregnancies, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kakolyrēs, Gerasimos ca. 20./21. Jh. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Peeters 2021
In: Ethical perspectives
Year: 2021, Volume: 28, Issue: 3, Pages: 239-262
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Derrida, Jacques 1930-2004 / Pregnancy conflict / Hospitality / Invitation
IxTheo Classification:NCH Medical ethics
TK Recent history
VA Philosophy
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Summary:This article examines Jacques Derrida’s views on hospitality in relation to unplanned or unintended pregnancy. Derrida distinguishes between ‘invitation’ and ‘visitation’ and associates ‘pure’, ‘true’, or ‘unconditional’ hospitality with visitation. In terms of intended or expected pregnancies, the unborn other is an invited or welcomed guest. In case of unexpected or unwanted pregnancies, the foetus is as an uninvited guest or even an intruder. Nevertheless, for Derrida, hospitality and responsibility impose an infinite demand on the host regardless of whether the other is invited or uninvited. Thus, considering ‘unconditional hospitality’, a person has no ‘right’ to decide on their pregnancy. However, Derrida refers to the need for ‘negotiation’ between unconditional and conditional hospitality. This translates, as this article emphasises, into the scope for each pregnant person’s individual circumstances to be taken into consideration.
ISSN:1783-1431
Contains:Enthalten in: Ethical perspectives
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2143/EP.28.3.3289821