It is characteristic of Deconstructive theory to dismantle traditionally held beliefs and present alternative perspectives. With his critique of Logocentrism, Derrida examines what he considers to be a fundamentally repressive philosophical tradition, one based primarily on that notion of a “centre” which Deconstruction continually sets out to discredit. Essentially, logocentrism is the desire for a centre or original guarantee of all meanings, which, according to Derrida, has characterized Western philosophy since Plato. Taken from the Greek, the word
logoscan simply be translated as “word”, but in philosophy, it often signifies an ultimate principle of truth or reason. This idea of the stabilising, foundational presence of the Logos can also be sourced from the first lines of…
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Citation: Fogarty, Sorcha. "Logocentrism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 September 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=671, accessed 22 November 2024.]
