Jacques Derrida

The first time I met Derrida I asked him, "What is the Nature of Reality."  All I knew about him at the time was that he was a French philosopher who looked the part: overcoat, old man hat, smoking a cigar outside of Albany public library.  I was one of twelve lucky students who were priveledged enough to ask the Father of Deconstruction any and all questions that came to mind.  Too bad we didn't have a better idea of who he was; we were just an art class from the local high school with a teacher culturally aware enough to take advantage of the philosopher's presence in the Capital District.  The local media was there, crammed into a tiny room on the second floor of the Albany Public Library.  I don't remember much of what was said;  I don't even remember Derrida's response to my question, only that he seemed to avoid answerring by going on a five-minute tangent about nothing I could link to my question.  But that day marked my encounter with deconstruction, a philosophy that has had an ongoing impact on the way I think about and perceive the nature of reality.

Derrida Apparell!

Compliments of Harrith, you can now purchase witty, Derridean t-shirts: - Will you signify my signifier? - Signify This

Recommended Reading about Deconstruction

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- Annotated Bibliography