Derrida's "differance" defies definition in the traditional sense. Neither an idea nor an object, "differance" instead gives us a word to describe an action that is constantly in action, and that we cannot see in action, much like the Freudian idea of the unconscious mind. Differance, to use the linguistic example Derrida chooses, consists of the action of the "system of differences," according to Derrida, that "dictates all relations between usage and the formal schema," and "forbids the essential dissociation between speech and writing" (941). To Derrida, no solid center exists; unlike Saussure or Levi-Strauss, who believe in a central, unifying truth value made apparent by the interactions of a binary (Saussure's "sign" out of signifier and signified, to provide the linguistic example), Derrida simply sees interplay between forces which is not a force or truth value in and of itself. "What results" from the interplay he observes, is instead "a cipher without truth, or at least a system of ciphers that is not dominated by truth value, which only then becomes a function that is understood, inscribed, and circumscribed" (943). However, when proceeding by such aporia, Derrida loses many of his reader's to a common misconception: that, because no truth value unifies the interplay, no resolution can come about. In reality, differance seems to work more like the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle; if one traces the motion of the freeplay, then he can approximate what a structuralist critic might loosely call a center. Rather than revealing a universal, objective truth, though, differance's "center" dictates a subjective, contextual meaning. The disjunct, then, which causes many readers to abandon Derridean thought as a slippery slope, occurs when the reader links truth and meaning together, when really no indication of that link appears. Contextual meaning is, defined concisely, a subjective truth: the trace of truth. To trace differance is not to "track down some thing," but to "track down tracks" (948).

Oh, yeah, the paper's also on Derrida. Should probably tell you that, since Dickinson doesn't appear at all here...

I was expecting a short story about Bruce Dickinson.

Well, I would say something...but I just found I got 69% on my LA exam, so...I'm far too ashamed.

Derrida????????????? :confused:

Originally Posted by: BluegrasslimeyDerrida????????????? :confused:

Jacques Derrida, the philosopher.

I'm pretty sure that diffèrance is also not a word in the traditional sense. You seem to say that it is a word.

Originally Posted by: da_ardvarkI'm pretty sure that diffèrance is also not a word in the traditional sense. You seem to say that it is a word.

You are very correct!

What I mean by "word," and thanks to you I'll be putting that in, is that "differance" is a word in the sense that it's an arrangement of letters. It's a tagline rather than an oppositional element in the schema of language. Differance is the name we have to go on, even though it's not technically a name or a representation or anything like that.

I'm impressed you know so much about Derrida, ardvark!

Philosophy is kind of a hobby of mine. I'm a very big fan of Ayn Rand, and her theories of objectivism. Two good fictional reads which go into detail about this would be The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged.

Originally Posted by: da_ardvarkPhilosophy is kind of a hobby of mine. I'm a very big fan of Ayn Rand, and her theories of objectivism. Two good fictional reads which go into detail about this would be The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged.

Noooooo, not Ayn Rand!

Don't ruin the good impression you just gave me with the Derrida!

What can I say, I'm a scientist, and her ideas fit well with the way my brain works. :D

Originally Posted by: da_ardvarkWhat can I say, I'm a scientist, and her ideas fit well with the way my brain works. :D

Solipsistically ratchet-jawed?

Ok, that was a mean pot-shot at a dead woman.

Originally Posted by: acapellaWell, I would say something...but I just found I got 69% on my LA exam, so...I'm far too ashamed.

SNAP! 85%, beeyotch!