Thinking Activity: Derrida and Deconstruction

 This blog is part of Thinking Activity: 

Derrida and Deconstruction.

1. Defining Deconstruction

       Deconstruction cannot be once & for all finally define. For all rigorously limits can you something.we use in philosophy or Literary criticism for that matter. 

    Deconstruction cannot be once & Derrida becomes very Difficult philosopher to red . So that is one reason why Because derrida say that it's not destructive activity, it's not something breaking down. Derrida is doing easy is inquiring into the condition.

        In to the condition or philosophical system to stand up on its & fall down inquiring into a foundation and is also condition why so cannot defined system finally closed. Deconstruction is not a destructive activity but inquiry into the foundation ' couse of intellectual system .

1. Reason: it's not a negative operation. Transform to way people think . Entier structure of thought western structure derrida wants to emphasize. From Hei dagger project of decoration translate into french from German. Explaining in famous latter to a Japanese.

        " Letter to a Japanese friend"

              10 July 1983

           To, professor Itztsu

      Professor wanted to translate french text of Derrida into japaness. It's not a distraction but an inquiry in to the limits of a philosophical system it's coherence. Derrida argued which produce the very condition Derrida argued is based on distinction or binary opposition. Undoing the impositions. Condition is different as we "difference" different we speak in french. 

      It is not spelled it's differently spelled in french but in English you have show the difficult.

2. Heideggar and Derrida

       

The theme of language is central to both Heidegger and Derrida’s philosophy. Haider pointed out that Western metaphysics focused more on the beings of being rather than the question of being itself, which he explores in his book Being and Time (Sein und Zeit, 1927). 

Derrida extendsHeidegger’s critique by deconstructing the foundation of Western philosophy, especially its logocentricism the privileging of speech over writing. This tendency, rooted in metaphysics, privileges presence over absence. Derrida names this bias phonocentrism.

He argues that language is composed of “several threads which cannot be united or purely present,” challenging the idea of a central, stable meaning. Derrida’s deconstruction shows how Western thinking constantly seeks to center truth, presence, and speech, while neglecting the instability and plurality of meaning in writing

This shift in focus from unity to difference and deferral is what Derrida calls différance. The seeds of deconstruction sprouted from Heidegger’s critique, but Derrida radicalized it into a method of reading and critiquing philosophical texts.

3.Saussurean and Derrida

The video explains how meaning in language is not fixed.

Saussure says that words do not have meaning by themselves — we give them meaning. A word means something only because it is different from other words. Derrida builds on this idea and says that meaning is never stable — it keeps changing because each word depends on other words to make sense. From Heidegger, Derrida takes the idea that Western philosophy favors what is directly present, but Derrida argues this is wrong because meaning also comes from what is absent or hidden. He shows how language is built on opposites (like speech/writing, presence/absence) and says these opposites are not equal — one is always treated as more important.

Discuss :

1. Saussure’s Concept of Language :

Saussure said a word has no natural meaning. Its meaning depends on how it is different from other words. Language does not just express reality — it helps create and shape how we understand reality.

2. Derrida on Arbitrariness :

Derrida says meaning is not only arbitrary but also unstable. A word meaning always changes because it refers to other words, not to fixed objects.

 3. Metaphysics of Presence :

Western thought always prefers what is direct and present. Derrida argues meaning actually depends on what is not present — on differences and absences.

Video 4 (DifferAnce)

 :

"DifferAnce" means that meaning is never final. When you look up a word, you find another word — this chain never ends. Meaning is always delayed and always depends on differences. Derrida chooses a spelling change ("a" instead of "e") to show that writing is important, not just speech. This challenges the old belief that speech is more pure or original.

Discuss :

1. Concept of différance :

Meaning is produced through difference and is always delayed — it never arrives fully or finally.

2. Infinite Play of Meaning :

There is no final meaning in a text. Meaning keeps shifting and changing as we interpret.

3. DifferAnce = to differ + to defer :

Yes — meaning comes from differences and is always postponed.

Video 5 (Structure, Sign, and Play)

Derrida shows that structures always try to have a center — something stable — but this center is never truly fixed. Meaning is created from the movement and play of signs. Also, language contains contradictions inside itself, so it always allows room for questioning and critique.

Derrida’s “Structure, Sign, and Play” explains that meaning in language is not fixed or stable because signs constantly shift in their relationships with one another. There is no permanent center that guarantees meaning; instead, meaning is produced through the ongoing play of differences between signs. Since language contains its own gaps and contradictions, it naturally allows space for questioning and reinterpretation. In this way, language continually critiques itself and opens up multiple possibilities of meaning.

Video 6 (Yale School of Deconstruction)

The Yale School brought Derrida’s ideas into literature studies. Critics like Paul de Man and J. Hillis Miller argued that language is full of ambiguity and cannot express one final truth. They focused on close reading to show how texts undermine their own meanings.

The Yale School applied deconstruction to literary analysis, arguing that meaning in any text is never fixed or stable. Their approach focused on uncovering ambiguity, contradictions, and irony within language. They believed that every text contains multiple interpretations and therefore no single, definite or final meaning is possible.

Video 7 (Influence on Other Theories)

Derrida’s ideas influenced many fields: feminism, postcolonialism, Marxism, new historicism, and cultural materialism. These fields used deconstruction to challenge dominant power systems — such as patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism, and historical control of narratives.

Other critical theories, such as New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, Feminism, Marxism, and Postcolonial Studies, use deconstruction to reveal how power shapes meaning and truths in society. They examine how language, culture, and history are influenced by those in control, showing that ideas about identity, gender, and class are not natural or fixed, but constructed and open to reinterpretation.

Conclusion :

Through these videos and concepts, I understood that meaning in language is never fixed or stable. Saussure showed that meaning is created through differences between words, while Derrida demonstrated that meaning is always shifting, deferred, and shaped by hidden structures. Deconstruction teaches us to question language, texts, and the power relations behind them. The Yale School applied these ideas to literature, showing that every text contains contradictions and multiple interpretations. Later, theories like feminism, Marxism, postcolonialism, and cultural studies used deconstruction to challenge dominant voices and reveal how power controls meaning in society. Overall, this learning helped me see language, literature, and knowledge as dynamic, layered, and open to continuous questioning.