ABSTRACT
Deconstruction is commonly associated with the philosophy of Derrida. However, it is plain that Derrida himself is concerned, to some extent at least, with a traditional philosophical problem, namely the problem of meaning. Deconstructionism is the undermining of logocentrism. It attacks the supposed difference between ‘speech’ and ‘writing’, the priority of the former over the latter, the concepts of truth and logical validity, and the possibility of an ideal language. A number of arguments appear in Derrida’s work for the rejection of the possibility of fixed and permanent meanings. The best argument stems from Saussure’s approach to linguistics. The deconstruction of theories is carried out through theory and through activity. The theoretical side of theory-destruction consists in showing the supposed implications of Saussure’s doctrines and in drawing attention to the concept of differ atice. Deconstructive theorising is reminiscent of the story of the bumblebee. It is said that according to the science of aerodynamics bumblebees cannot fly.
