Between Foucault and Derrida

Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault are unquestionably two of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. Both share a similar motivation to challenge our fundamental structures of meaning – in texts, political structures, and epistemic and discursive practices – in order to inspire new ways of thinking. Between Foucault and Derrida explores the notorious Cogito debate, an argument between the two thinkers about the idea of madness in Descartes’ Meditations. The first half of the book reproduces the central articles plus an important piece by Jean-Marie Beyssade and a letter Foucault wrote to Beyssade in response both these pieces available for the first time in English translation. In the second half of the book, four essays by some of the most well-known scholars working in contemporary continental philosophy address the various philosophical intersections and divergences of these two profoundly important thinkers.