L’idea della contre-institution. Saint-Simon con Jacques Derrida

Referring to Saint-Simon’s and Jacques Deridda’s works, my aim is to focus the attention on new European institutions, which should take over the previous ones. The term counter-institution (contre-institution), which was probably used for the first time by Saint Simon, and that Jacques Derrida quotes in his articles and interviews, have to be considered immediately as synonym of the new institution, that is Europe, while the old institutions might be put in connection with the sovereign States’ closed institutions. What interests me, however, is the possibility of the differentiation between institution and counter-institution, i.e. what is the meaning of this “counter” referred to an institution? Some concepts and salient points of Derrida’s philosophy arise from the correlation with this “counter”. The “counter” which relates immediately to institution whose aim is to open and to discover; the “counter” though which is implied a new and just future. What does it mean, then, in this context Derrida’s affirmation: “justice is not de-constructible” (la justice est indéconstructible)?

Keywords: Europe; Institution; Counter-Institution; Justice; Deconstruction.