The Master That Therefore I Am (More to follow): A derridean look over Caeiro’s invention
In his work “The Animal That Therefore I Am (More to Follow)” (2002), Jacques Derrida reflects on the position of humans in relation to animals. Starting from the gaze of a cat observing the naked body of a human, the philosopher speculates on the conditions created by humans to consider themselves...
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Country: | Brasil |
| Institution: | Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) |
| Repository: | Letras (Santa Maria. Online) |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/87993 |
| Online Access: | https://periodicos.ufsm.br/letras/article/view/87993 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Fernando Pessoa Jacques Derrida Animal Heteronymy Post-humanism Heteronimia Pós-humanismo |
| Summary: | In his work “The Animal That Therefore I Am (More to Follow)” (2002), Jacques Derrida reflects on the position of humans in relation to animals. Starting from the gaze of a cat observing the naked body of a human, the philosopher speculates on the conditions created by humans to consider themselves superior to animals and questions the concept of language as a decisive factor in this process. Although preceding the conceptualization of post-humanism, Fernando Pessoa’s heteronymy touches on some of these ideas, especially through the creation of Alberto Caeiro, master of the heteronyms. In this article, we explore the possible connections between the figure of the animal presented by Derrida as absolute alterity to humans and the figure of Alberto Caeiro, who illuminates the heteronyms and introduces a complete novelty to Western thought. |
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