Jacques Derrida
For Derrida, every text undermines the oppositions it relies on, like speech over writing, and meaning is always deferred, never fully present.
Placement
Deconstruction: texts undermine their own hierarchies – différance and the critique of logocentrism.
Key ideas
- Deconstruction
- Différance
- Logocentrism
Teachers: Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault
Students: Paulin Hountondji, Souleymane Bachir Diagne
Influence
Influenced by 7
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
influenced by ✓
Derrida read Hegel as the thinker of the Aufhebung, which différance resembles and resists, in ‘Le puits et la pyramide’ (1968) and the Hegel column of Glas (1974). J. Derrida, “Le puits et la pyramide” (1968), in Marges de la philosophie (1972); Glas (1974); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Evidence: also in Wikidata · Wikidata
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel › 1770–1831
Karl Marx
influenced by ✓
Derrida claimed a certain spirit of Marx’s critique as an inheritance while reading Marx’s own wish to exorcise ghosts against him (Spectres de Marx, 1993). J. Derrida, Spectres de Marx (1993)
Karl Marx › 1818–1883
Friedrich Nietzsche
influenced by ✓
Derrida counted Nietzsche’s play of forces and critique of truth among the sources of différance (‘La différance’, 1968) and read his styles and his ‘woman’ in Éperons (1978). J. Derrida, “La différance” (1968), in Marges de la philosophie (1972); Éperons. Les styles de Nietzsche (1978); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Friedrich Nietzsche › 1844–1900
Sigmund Freud
influenced by ✓
In ‘Freud et la scène de l’écriture’ (1966) Derrida read Freud’s mystic writing-pad (1925) as a model of the psyche as writing and trace. J. Derrida, “Freud et la scène de l’écriture” (1966), in L’écriture et la différence (1967); La carte postale (1980); S. Freud, “Notiz über den Wunderblock” (1925); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Sigmund Freud › 1856–1939
Martin Heidegger
influenced by ✓
Derrida developed deconstruction from Heidegger’s Destruktion of the history of ontology and related différance to the ontological difference (‘La différance’, 1968; ‘Lettre à un ami japonais’, 1985). J. Derrida, “La différance” (1968), in Marges de la philosophie (1972); “Lettre à un ami japonais” (1985), in Psyché (1987); De l’esprit (1987); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Martin Heidegger › 1889–1976
Jan Patočka
influenced by
In The Gift of Death (1992) Derrida read Patočka’s Heretical Essays (1975) as a history of responsibility, from Platonic care for the soul to the Christian mysterium tremendum. J. Derrida, “Donner la mort”, in J.-M. Rabaté and M. Wetzel (eds.), L’éthique du don (1992); Donner la mort (1999); J. Patočka, Kacířské eseje o filosofii dějin (1975)
Evidence: AI draft
Jan Patočka › 1907–1977
Louis Althusser studied with
studied with ✓
Derrida entered the École normale supérieure in 1952 and prepared the agrégation under Althusser as philosophy tutor (caïman); he passed in 1956 at the second attempt and from 1964 taught at the École alongside Althusser. B. Peeters, Derrida (2010)
Evidence: also in Wikidata · Wikidata
Louis Althusser › 1918–1990
Influenced 5
Mohammed Arkoun
influenced
Arkoun adopted Derrida’s deconstruction to expose the logocentric closure of classical Islamic reason and its official closed canon (Pour une critique de la raison islamique, 1984). M. Arkoun, Pour une critique de la raison islamique (1984); Rethinking Islam, tr. R. D. Lee (1994)
Evidence: AI draft
Mohammed Arkoun › 1928–2010
Paulin Hountondji taught
taught
At the École normale supérieure, which Hountondji entered in 1963, he followed Derrida’s seminars on Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant and Husserl; Derrida suggested the topic of his master’s dissertation, the notion of hylē in Husserl (Sorbonne, 1965). P. J. Hountondji, “My Experience with Paul Ricœur”, Études Ricœuriennes / Ricœur Studies 12:1 (2021), 50–59
Evidence: AI draft
Paulin Hountondji › 1942–2024
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
influenced
Spivak translated Derrida’s Of Grammatology (1976) with a long preface and used deconstruction to ask who speaks for the subaltern (‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’, 1988). J. Derrida, Of Grammatology, trans. and preface G. C. Spivak (1976); G. C. Spivak, “Can the Subaltern Speak?”, in C. Nelson and L. Grossberg (eds.), Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture (1988); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Evidence: also in InPhO · InPhO
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak › b. 1942
Souleymane Bachir Diagne taught
taught ✓
At the École normale supérieure Derrida prepared Diagne and his fellow students for the agrégation (1978), above all for the lecture exercise; Diagne says he still uses the deconstructive skills of that training in his own teaching. S. B. Diagne, interview with C. Fowler, In the Foreground (podcast, Clark Art Institute, 2021)
Evidence: also in Wikidata · Wikidata
Souleymane Bachir Diagne › b. 1955
Judith Butler
influenced
Butler took Derrida’s iterability and citationality (‘Signature événement contexte’, 1971) to explain how gender norms gain force through repetitions that can also go astray (Bodies That Matter, 1993). J. Butler, Bodies That Matter (1993); J. Derrida, “Signature événement contexte” (1971), in Marges de la philosophie (1972); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Evidence: also in InPhO · InPhO
Judith Butler › b. 1956
Criticism
Mutual critique 1
Michel Foucault ⇄ mutual studied with
studied with ✓
Derrida attended Foucault’s classes at the École normale supérieure in the early 1950s, when Foucault taught psychology there; he opened ‘Cogito and the History of Madness’ (1963) by recalling that he had had ‘the good fortune to study under’ Foucault. J. Derrida, “Cogito et histoire de la folie” (lecture 1963), in L’écriture et la différence (1967); B. Peeters, Derrida (2010)
Evidence: also in Wikidata · Wikidata
criticised
In ‘Cogito and the History of Madness’ (1963) Derrida questioned whether madness can be given a history in the language of reason, and disputed Foucault’s reading of Descartes. J. Derrida, “Cogito et histoire de la folie” (lecture 1963), in L’écriture et la différence (1967); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Evidence: AI draft
criticised by
Answering Derrida’s critique of his Descartes reading, Foucault called Derrida’s method ‘a little pedagogy’ that reduces discursive practices to textual traces (‘Mon corps, ce papier, ce feu’, 1972). M. Foucault, “Mon corps, ce papier, ce feu”, appendix to Histoire de la folie (2nd ed., 1972); SEP “Michel Foucault”
Evidence: AI draft
Michel Foucault › 1926–1984
Criticized by 3
Jürgen Habermas
criticised by
Habermas objected that Derrida levels the genre distinction between philosophy and literature, giving up the problem-solving power of argument for rhetoric (Philosophical Discourse of Modernity, 1985, excursus). J. Habermas, Der philosophische Diskurs der Moderne (1985), Lecture VII and excursus on levelling the genre distinction between philosophy and literature
Evidence: AI draft
Jürgen Habermas › 1929–2026
John Searle
criticised by
Searle replied that Derrida’s ‘Signature Event Context’ misreads Austin: iterability does not undermine intention, and setting aside parasitic speech is a research strategy (‘Reiterating the Differences’, 1977). J. R. Searle, “Reiterating the Differences: A Reply to Derrida”, Glyph 1 (1977), 198–208; J. Derrida, “Limited Inc a b c …”, Glyph 2 (1977)
Evidence: AI draft
John Searle › 1932–2025
Walter Mignolo
criticised by
In his afterword to Writing Without Words (1994) and in The Darker Side of the Renaissance (1995) Mignolo argued that Derrida’s grammatology, a critique within the Western philosophy of writing, should be “circumvented” for Mesoamerican writing systems, which were never conceived as a representation of speech. W. D. Mignolo, afterword to E. H. Boone and W. D. Mignolo (eds.), Writing Without Words (1994); The Darker Side of the Renaissance (1995)
Evidence: AI draft
Walter Mignolo › b. 1941
Criticizes 10
Plato
criticised
In ‘Plato’s Pharmacy’ (1968) Derrida read the Phaedrus’ condemnation of writing as a pharmakon, remedy and poison, arguing that the privilege of speech depends on what it excludes. J. Derrida, “La pharmacie de Platon”, Tel Quel 32–33 (1968), repr. in La dissémination (1972); Plato, Phaedrus 274b–278b
Evidence: AI draft
Plato › 428–348 BCE
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
criticised
In Of Grammatology (1967) Derrida argued that Rousseau condemns writing as a dangerous supplement to speech and nature, while his texts depend on the supplement throughout. J. Derrida, De la grammatologie (1967), part II, chs. 2–4; J.-J. Rousseau, Essai sur l’origine des langues; Confessions III
Evidence: AI draft
Jean-Jacques Rousseau › 1712–1778
Edmund Husserl influenced by
influenced by ✓
Derrida began with Husserl: a thesis on genesis in his philosophy (1953–54; publ. 1990) and a translation with long introduction of The Origin of Geometry (1962). J. Derrida, Le problème de la genèse dans la philosophie de Husserl (written 1953–54; publ. 1990); E. Husserl, L’origine de la géométrie, trans. and intro. J. Derrida (1962); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
criticised
In Voice and Phenomenon (1967) Derrida argued that Husserl’s theory of meaning rests on a metaphysics of presence, privileging the voice and the living present over the sign. J. Derrida, La voix et le phénomène (1967); Introduction to E. Husserl, L’origine de la géométrie (1962); SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Evidence: AI draft
Edmund Husserl › 1859–1938
Jacques Lacan
criticised
In ‘Le facteur de la vérité’ (1975) Derrida read Lacan’s seminar on Poe’s ‘Purloined Letter’ as phallogocentric and contested that a letter always reaches its destination. J. Derrida, “Le facteur de la vérité”, Poétique 21 (1975), repr. in La carte postale (1980); J. Lacan, “Le séminaire sur ‘La lettre volée’”, in Écrits (1966)
Evidence: AI draft
Jacques Lacan › 1901–1981
Emmanuel Levinas influenced by
influenced by ✓
Derrida took up Levinas’s ethics of welcome for his thinking of hospitality (Adieu à Emmanuel Levinas, 1997) and read his writing closely (‘En ce moment même’, 1980). J. Derrida, “En ce moment même dans cet ouvrage me voici” (1980), in Psyché (1987); Adieu à Emmanuel Levinas (1997); SEP “Emmanuel Levinas”
criticised
In ‘Violence and Metaphysics’ (1964) Derrida argued that Levinas’s ethics must still speak the Greek language of Being it seeks to leave behind, and so cannot escape ontology. J. Derrida, “Violence et métaphysique”, Revue de métaphysique et de morale 69 (1964), repr. in L’écriture et la différence (1967); SEP “Emmanuel Levinas”
Evidence: AI draft
Emmanuel Levinas › 1906–1995
Claude Lévi-Strauss
criticised
In Of Grammatology (1967) Derrida read Lévi-Strauss’s ‘Writing Lesson’ as Rousseauist nostalgia for an innocent community of speech, untouched by the violence of writing. J. Derrida, De la grammatologie (1967), part II, ch. 1 “La violence de la lettre: de Lévi-Strauss à Rousseau”; “La structure, le signe et le jeu” (1966)
Evidence: AI draft
Claude Lévi-Strauss › 1908–2009
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Ferdinand de Saussure
criticised
Derrida argued in Of Grammatology (1967) that Saussure banishes writing as a mere image of speech, although his principle of difference without positive terms implies a general writing. J. Derrida, De la grammatologie (1967), part I, ch. 2 “Linguistique et grammatologie”; F. de Saussure, Cours de linguistique générale (1916), introduction, ch. VI
Evidence: AI draft
Ferdinand de Saussure › 1857–1913
Marcel Mauss
criticised
In Given Time (1991) Derrida argued that Mauss’s Essay on the Gift speaks of everything but the gift, since a gift caught in exchange and return annuls itself. J. Derrida, Donner le temps I. La fausse monnaie (1991), ch. 2
Evidence: AI draft
Marcel Mauss › 1872–1950
Hans-Georg Gadamer
criticised
At their Paris encounter in 1981 Derrida questioned Gadamer’s appeal to the ‘good will’ to understand, asking whether it does not belong to the metaphysics of the will. J. Derrida, “Bonnes volontés de puissance (Une réponse à Hans-Georg Gadamer)” (1981); D. Michelfelder & R. Palmer (eds.), Dialogue and Deconstruction: The Gadamer–Derrida Encounter (1989)
Evidence: AI draft
Hans-Georg Gadamer › 1900–2002
J. L. Austin
criticised
In ‘Signature Event Context’ (1971) Derrida objected that Austin excludes ‘non-serious’, cited utterances as parasitic, although iterability belongs to every performative. J. Derrida, “Signature événement contexte” (1971), in Marges de la philosophie (1972); J. L. Austin, How to Do Things with Words (1962), Lecture II; SEP “Jacques Derrida”
Evidence: AI draft
J. L. Austin › 1911–1960
Works
Derrida's critique of Foucault – whose lectures he had attended at the École normale – and of his reading of Descartes.
- 1967Of Grammatology
Against the primacy of the voice: Saussure, Rousseau, Lévi-Strauss deconstructed.
Husserl's theory of signs and the metaphysics of presence.
- 1968Plato's Pharmacy
Writing as pharmakon – poison and remedy at once.
Iterability: every utterance can be quoted – against Austin's exclusion of the “non-serious”.
Derrida's sprawling reply to Searle.
Position
Derrida showed that Western philosophy since Plato has been organised by hierarchical oppositions – speech over writing, presence over absence, the literal over the metaphorical – and has always privileged the immediate presence of meaning (“logocentrism”). Deconstruction is not destruction but a patient reading that shows how texts undermine these very hierarchies, because what is excluded turns out to be indispensable. His neologism différance combines “differing” and “deferring”: meaning never arrives fully present, but always refers onward to other signs. Derrida applied this to Husserl, Saussure, Rousseau and Austin, and in later years to questions of justice, hospitality, friendship and forgiveness. Deconstruction was taken up in literary theory, legal studies and architecture as well as in philosophy.
Life & context
Derrida was born in 1930 into a Jewish family in El Biar near Algiers; under the Vichy regime he was expelled from school as a child. He studied at the École normale supérieure in Paris, where he later taught, before moving to the École des hautes études en sciences sociales. In 1967 he published three books at once; he also taught regularly in the United States. He died in Paris in 2004.
Further main works
- Writing and Difference (1967)
- Specters of Marx (1993)
Appears in
- Journey ‘The Linguistic Turn’ · Stop 8 of 10
- Debate ‘Derrida and Searle on Speech Acts’
- Debate ‘The Sokal Affair’
As of November 2026 · Sources · Improve this page · How Agora is made