Inventions of Difference: On Jacques Derrida

Inventions of Difference: On Jacques Derrida by Gasché, Rodolphe. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780674464438.

Rodolphe Gasché, one of the worlds foremost―and most provocative―authorities on Jacques Derrida, has news for deconstructions devotees, whose traffic in the terms of “difference” signals privileged access to the most radically chic of intellectual circles: they do not know their Derrida. A deconstruction of the criticism that goes by deconstructions name, this book reveals the true philosophical nature of Derridas thought, its debt to the tradition it engages, and its misuse by some of its most fervent admirers. Gaschés Inventions of Difference explodes the current myth of Derridas singularity and sets in its place a finely informed sense of the philosophers genuine accomplishment. Derridas recent turn from philosophical concerns to matters literary, historical, and political has misled many of his self-styled followers, Gasché contends. Though less overtly philosophical, Derridas later writings can be properly understood only in relation to a certain philosophical tradition, which Inventions of Difference cogently traces. Gasché shows that terms like “difference” and “other” are devoid of meaning outside the context of identity, a context that draws not only on Husserls phenomenology and Heideggers writings but also on the work of Hegel. By setting forth this affinity with Hegel, Gasché clarifies the philosophical weight and direction of Derridas recent work and the philosophical engagement of his larger project. His book puts a stop to the loose talk of deconstruction and points to the real rigors and pleasures of knowing Derrida.