THE PROBLEM OF THE GIFT IN MODERN WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: J. DERRIDA AND J.-L. MARION

Abstract

The article deals with the phenomenon of hospitality. The relevance of addressing the problem of the gift is dictated by the ambiguous interpretation of the term in modern Western philosophy. The problem of the gift is presented most controversially by the French philosophers M. Enaff, J. Derrida, M. Moss, J.-L. Marion. The article notes that the existence of human society is communicative by nature. The desire to accept the other, to tolerate the other, to crave the other, to seek a meeting with him/her persists in time and is constantly updated. The reason for this desire is neither psychological nor social. This desire has an ontological structure, it is inherent in the entire human race, and therefore determines the structure of its existence. This desire arose at the dawn of human relations and is characteristic for any culture. Desire is an attitude towards the other just like a gift and a demand for reciprocity. We are not talking about gratitude as a favor, but about the gesture of the offer, which is intended to glorify the meeting and the need to respond to this gesture with an appropriate gesture. The exchange of gestures, when both sides show interest in the exchange, is communication. Accordingly, the gift is communication.