Gough, Tim (2008) Derrida and drugs. In: Addiction and obsession conference; 09 - 11 Ju 2008, Kingston upon Thames, U.K.. (Unpublished)
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Abstract
Derrida, in the interview Rhetoric of Drugs (1993), following on from the explication of the notion of pharmakon (both poison and beneficial drug, at the same time), outlines a possible �theory� of drugs and addiction. It has several key features: � there are no drugs in nature: the definition of �drug� is an institutionalised one � the concept of drugs is non-scientific, non-positive � drugs are a parasitism �at once accidental and essential�; and are thus a topic to which deconstruction, as a parasitical discourse (both in topic and in its nature), pays attention This paper will discuss how this �theory� of drugs can cast light on the nature of addiction and obsession. In pointing to the paradoxical and so-far self-defeating attempts to control drug use, supply, and the obsessions which feed of this, we will call into question whether a politics of representation can ever adequately address the problems raised by drug prohibition or whether indeed such problems need to be framed in a non-representational manner.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Lecture) |
|---|---|
| Event Title: | Addiction and obsession conference |
| Research Area: | Pharmacy Philosophy Sociology |
| Faculty, School or Research Centre: | Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture > School of Architecture and Landscape |
| Depositing User: | Tim Gough |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Sep 2009 09:59 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2012 21:48 |
| URI: | http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/id/eprint/6252 |
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