ABSTRACT
Contemporary continental philosophy might almost be conceived of as a machine for the creation of difference, and its major practitioners do seem to be wedded to the idea that difference makes a critical difference. The concern with difference is not surprising, given its importance in the semiotic scheme of things. Difference is a critical element in Saussure's theory of language, where the meaning of terms effectively is defined by how they differ from each other. Derrida very rapidly establishes a commitment to difference, which eventually is transformed into the concept of différance, one of his most original, as well as controversial, contributions to philosophical thought. Sexual essentialism is for Foucault part of a larger pattern of cultural repression in the West, which seeks to eradicate, or at the very least to hide away from public view as much as possible, the fact of difference.
