Jacques Derrida Criticism
Jacques Derrida, an influential philosopher, critic, and educator, has left an indelible mark on contemporary philosophy and critical theory. Since the publication of his pioneering works—Speech and Phenomena, Of Grammatology, and Writing and Difference—in 1967, Derrida has introduced the method of "deconstruction," which fundamentally challenges traditional Western philosophy. By examining the "metaphysics of presence," he critiques the privileging of speech over writing, a theme explored in Of Grammatology. This critique has reshaped literary theory and philosophy, questioning the stability of meaning and the ostensibly rational arguments that underlie these fields.
Derrida's own experience of anti-Semitism in Algeria and his academic journey in France, where existentialism and metaphysics influenced his thought, have shaped his philosophical inquiries. Works like Dissemination and Glas illustrate his deconstructive methodology, which blurs the lines between literary and philosophical texts. This approach, detailed in Deconstructive Methodology, reveals the metaphoric underpinnings of philosophical discourse, challenging its claims to objectivity and truth.
While Derrida's influence spans both disciplines, critics like Christopher Norris advocate for the analytical rigor of his work, connecting it to philosophical traditions like those of Nietzsche. However, figures such as Richard Rorty note potential pitfalls of his theories, suggesting they could lead to skepticism and nihilism. Nonetheless, Derrida's critical engagement with Western philosophical foundations remains a significant contribution to modern thought, as his work continues to challenge the boundaries between literature and philosophy.
As a self-proclaimed "deconstructionist," Derrida posited that texts do not convey inherent meanings, encapsulated in his statement "il n'y a pas de hors-texte" ("there is nothing outside the text"). This approach diverges from traditional criticism by focusing on the interplay of words and rejecting the search for definitive truths. Critics such as Michael Wood and Joseph N. Riddel explore how Derrida challenges humanist and representational hierarchies. Additionally, analyses by David Hoy and Richard Rorty emphasize Derrida's questioning of the foundational aspects of literary and philosophical discourse, highlighting the fluidity and ambiguity inherent in interpretation. Geoffrey H. Hartman's analysis of Glas further delves into these themes.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Derrida, Jacques (Vol. 24)
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Life, Death, and Language: Some Thoughts on Wittgenstein and Derrida
(summary)
In the following essay, Marjorie Grene contrasts Derrida and Wittgenstein's philosophical approaches to language, highlighting that while both seek to disrupt traditional linguistic thinking, Wittgenstein reconstructs language's functionality to dispel philosophical myths, whereas Derrida deconstructs language to reveal its inherent instability and the illusory nature of presence.
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Deconstructing Derrida
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In the following essay, Michael Wood critiques Jacques Derrida's method of deconstruction, highlighting its focus on challenging the primacy of speech over writing and noting its philosophical implications, while also addressing Derrida's tendency toward generalization and the perception of his work as somewhat dilettantish and shadow-boxing against an unchanging metaphysical edifice.
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The Problem of Textuality: Two Exemplary Positions
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In the following essay, Edward W. Said examines Jacques Derrida's deconstructive methodology, highlighting Derrida's focus on the inherent instability of texts and his challenge to traditional criticisms that attempt to confine writing within defined structures, arguing for a recognition of writing's complexity and its capacity to exceed fixed meanings.
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Philosophy As a Kind of Writing: An Essay on Derrida
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In the following essay, Richard Rorty argues that Jacques Derrida's philosophical work seeks to deconstruct the metaphysics of presence inherent in Kantian traditions by challenging the notion of philosophy as a representation of truth, advocating instead for a playful and transformative engagement with texts that undermines traditional philosophical structures.
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Re-Doubling the Commentary
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In the following essay, Joseph N. Riddel argues that Jacques Derrida's deconstruction challenges traditional notions of literary criticism by blurring the distinctions between literary and critical texts, emphasizing the inherent instability and self-reflexivity in all forms of writing, and questioning the hierarchical structures of humanism and representation.
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The End(s) of French Style: Structuralism and Post-Structuralism in the American Context
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In the following essay, Maria Ruegg examines Derrida's critique of structuralism, highlighting his revolutionary yet ultimately conservative deconstruction approach, which challenges traditional logic but remains entangled in the same oppositional structures it seeks to dismantle, thus questioning the effectiveness of deconstruction in breaking away from Western metaphysical assumptions.
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The Inflation of Theory
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In the following essay, Donald G. Marshall critiques deconstruction, as represented by Derrida and de Man, for its skeptical approach to language and literature, arguing that it undermines ordinary communication and lacks the argumentative rigor needed to support its sweeping claims about the nature of all writing.
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Graphireading
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In the following essay, Donoghue examines Derrida's deconstructionist philosophy, emphasizing his notions of play, absence, and the critique of metaphysical structures, arguing that Derrida's work subverts traditional concepts such as origin, presence, and signification, in favor of an interpretive approach that acknowledges the inherent instability and irony in language and text.
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Monsieur Texte
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In the following essay, Geoffrey H. Hartman examines Jacques Derrida's work Glas, highlighting its complex structure and playful yet rigorous philosophical style, which challenges traditional boundaries of literary and philosophical discourse, and emphasizes the endless possibilities of interpretation and textual engagement.
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Deciding Derrida—David Hoy on the Work (and Play) of the French Philosopher
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In the following essay, David Hoy explores Jacques Derrida's deconstructive criticism, particularly in 'Plato's Pharmacy,' arguing that Derrida critiques the metaphysical tradition's preference for speech over writing, challenges the dichotomies embedded in language, and introduces the notion of undecidability to articulate the complex interplay between textuality and meaning.
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Life, Death, and Language: Some Thoughts on Wittgenstein and Derrida
(summary)
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Derrida, Jacques (Vol. 87)
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Of Grammatology
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In the following review, he asserts that Of Grammatology, in spite of its "excruciating" difficulties, is a work of great importance for students of philosophy and literature.
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Jacques Derrida: Language against Itself
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Norris offers a detailed summary of Derrida's theories on language, philosophy, and writing, emphasizing that Derrida's texts defy classification and challenge the tradition of modern philosophy.
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Signposts along the Way That Reason Went
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An American philosopher, critic, and educator, Rorty is the most prominent contemporary advocate for the discipline known as pragmatism. In the following review of Margins of Philosophy, he examines the philosophical contexts relevant to Derrida's theories on language. While he argues that Derrida's position vis-à-vis the Western philosophical tendency to privilege reason over rhetoric is not original, he predicts that Derrida will be considered an important philosopher by future generations of scholars.
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Deconstructive Methodology
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In the following essay, Rodolphe Gasché explores Derrida's deconstructive methodology, arguing that it challenges traditional concepts of method by existing outside philosophical totality and advocating for a systematic yet non-methodical approach to critique the structures of metaphysical discourse.
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Truth and Consequences
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In the following essay, he outlines and critiques the main themes of Derrida's philosophy.
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Is Derrida a Transcendental Philosopher?
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In the following essay, Rorty disputes the interpretations of Derrida's work put forth by such critics as Christopher Norris and Rodolphe Gasché, who argue that Derrida is a rigorous logician and a transcendental philosopher in the tradition of Hegel and Kant.
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A review of Glas and Glassary
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In the following review of Glas, Aune remarks that its barriers to comprehension are even greater than in Derrida's earlier books, yet he praises it for its erudition and scholarly rigor.
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Derrida and the Study of Religion
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In the following review of Glas, The Truth in Painting, and The Post Card, Winquist summarizes Derrida's philosophy and considers its relation to theology.
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Derrida and the Study of Religion
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In the following review of The Post Card, The Truth in Painting, and Glas, Caputo discusses Derrida's use of psychoanalytic and theological ideas in his critique of traditional philosophy.
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Beginning with Belonging and Nonbelonging in Derrida's Thought: A Therapeutic Reflection
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In the following essay, Scott links Derrida's notion of différance with Freud's theories of the unconscious, and speculates on the possible therapeutic uses of deconstruction.
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Of Grammatology
(summary)
- Further Reading