Deconstruction Demystified

Derrida's deconstruction is often mischaracterized as "destroying meaning" or "proving nothing is true." In practice, it is a careful reading technique that reveals how texts undermine their own arguments through internal contradictions.

Every text privileges certain terms over others: speech over writing, presence over absence, nature over culture. Deconstruction shows that the privileged term depends on the subordinate one for its meaning. You cannot define speech without reference to writing, or nature without reference to culture. The hierarchy collapses under examination.