Advancing current readings of the deconstructive work of Jacques Derrida, Deconstructing Undecidability critically explores the problematic nature of decision, including the inherent exclusivity that accompanies any decision. In discourses where a pursuit of justice or liberation from systemic oppression is a primary concern, Michael Oliver argues for an appreciation of the inescapability of making limited, difficult decisions for particular forms of justice. Oliver highlights a similarly precarious predicament in the context of philosophical and religious negotiations of divine decision, pointing to the impossibility of safely navigating this issue. While wholeheartedly affirming the problem of exclusivity that inevitably accompanies decision, this book offers a renewed sense of undecidability that highlights a mistaken, illusory position of indecision as a reflection of power and privilege. Ultimately, this book aims to gain a greater appreciation for the complexity of the problem of decision, in order to be more rigorous and transparent in our continued engagement with it.

By Michael Oliver

Introduction: How to Avoid Decision: Denials Part One: Deconstructing Undecidability Chapter One: Religion sans Exclusivity, "Perhaps" Chapter Two: Rereading Undecidability: An Appreciation for the Aporetic Double-Bind Part Two: Justifying Decisions Chapter Three: The Injustice of Exclusivity Chapter Four: The Injustice of Indecision Part Three: Deconstructing Divine Undecidability Chapter Five: Un/Avoidable Divine Decision Chapter Six: Un/Avoidable Human Decisions about Divine Decision Conclusion: The Decision-Maker that Therefore I am