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Unconditional hospitality? Christian realism in the face of postmodern philosophy
Ryszard Hajduk
Abstract
In view of the mass influx of refugees and immigrants from African and Middle Eastern countries, political elites of Western Europe have adopted an attitude of openness to all comers. In this situation, there appears the question of whether such a practice of hospitality was born under the influence of Christian doctrine or was inspired by contemporary postmodern philosophy, one representative of which is Jacques Derrida (1930-2004), who practiced a ‘philosophy of hospitality’. In his view, hospitality should be ‘absolute’ and ‘unconditional,’ which provides everything to newcomers and doesn’t require anything from them in return.
Meanwhile, Christian hospitality should be characterized by a genuine concern for their welfare - both temporal and eternal. Then the offering of hospitality to infidels or unbelievers demands respect for certain rules protecting human dignity. The host is not also forced to renounce his religion, culture or land, as is suggested by the postmodern concept of ‘absolute hospitality’. It seems, however, that the immigration politics of Western countries is closer to unconditional hospitality, which assumes that every man is a citizen of the world, and the law cannot restrict hospitality or make its practice dependent on the fulfillment of certain conditions by the visitor.
Keywords:
Christianity, hospitality, immigration, post-modernism, politicsDetails
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