Deconstruction

A philosophical school of thought begun by twentieth-century philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2004). Often contrasted with the Anglo-American analytic tradition, deconstruction involves a specifically critical reading of a text that upends the traditional value hierarchy and is an internal critique of a philosophical position, using its own assumptions to show the position to be incoherent. Derrida argued that this was the only legitimate form of philosophical critique, on the grounds that there is no objective standpoint (or philosophically uncontaminated language) from which we can otherwise proceed.