JAQUES DERRIDA OF GRAMMATOLOGY

Translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak The Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved Copyright 1974, 197 , 1997 Derrida, Ja !"e# !1997 "19 7#$% Of Grammatology Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press A&kno'ledg(ents ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))) * Translator+s Pre,a&e )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 1. ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))) 14 .. )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))) /1 ... ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))) 00 .1 )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))) * 1 ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))) 79 1. )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))) ** Pre,a&e )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))) *9 .) 2riting be,ore the 3etter )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 945erg6e )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))) 91) The 4nd o, the 7ook and the 7eginning o, 2riting )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 98 The Progra( )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))) 98 The 9igni,ier and Tr6th )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 97

The 2ritten 7eing: The 7eing 2ritten )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 12. Linguistics and Grammatology )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 114 The ;6tside and the .nside< ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 117 The ;6tside !.s (ed kryss$ the .nside )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 181 The Hinge !3a 7ris6re$ )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 10/ 3. ! Grammatology as a Positive "cience )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 1 1 Algebra% Ar&an6( and Transparen&e ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 1 / 9&ien&e and the =a(e o, >an )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 1 * The ?eb6s and the Co(pli&ity o, ;rigins )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 170 ..) =at6re, C6lt6re, 2riting )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 1*1 .ntrod6&tion to the @Age o, ?o6ssea6@ ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 1*/ #. $he %iolence o! the Letter: &rom L'vi("trauss to )ousseau )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 1*0 The 7attle o, Proper =a(es ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 191 2riting and >an+s 45ploitation by >an )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) /-8 /) @)))That Aangero6s 96pple(ent ) ) )@ )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) // Bro(:;, 7lindness to the 96pple(ent ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) //9 The Chain o, 96pple(ents ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) /87 The 45orbitant) C6estion o, >ethod )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) /4/ 3. Genesis and "tructure o! the 4ssay on the ;rigin o, 3ang6ages ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) /49 .) The Pla&e o, the @4ssay@ ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) /49 ..) .(itation ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))) /*...) Arti&6lation ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )) 810 *. &rom+ ! the "upplement to the "ource: $he $heory o! ,riting )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 800 The ;riginary >etaphor ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 80 The History and 9yste( o, 9&ripts ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 8 The Alphabet and Absol6te ?epresentation ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 8*1 The Theore( and the Theater )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 8*9 The 96pple(ent o, "at# the ;rigin ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 899

=otes )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))) 4-/ Translator+s Pre,a&e )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 4-/ Pre,a&e )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))) 41/ 45erg6e )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))) 41/ Part .% Chapter 1 ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 418 Part .% Chapter / ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 410 Part .% Chapter 8 ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 4// Part ..% Chapter 1 )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 48Part --: .hapter 2 ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 480 Part --: .hapter 3 ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 48* Part ..% .hapter * ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 40.nde5 ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))) 407 $a k%Cover @The translation is a noble Dob, and 'e sho6ld be grate,6l to have this disting6ished book in o6r hands ))) !9pivak+s$ sit6ating o, Aerrida a(ong his pre&6rsorsE=ietFs&he, Bre6d, Heidegger, H6sserlEand &onte(porariesE3a&an, Bo6&a6lt, and the el6sive ani(al kno'n as str6&t6ralis(Eis very l6&id and e5tre(ely 6se,6l)@E>i&hael 2ood, /e0 1ork )evie0 o! Books &O'e o( the )a*or +ork# i' the deve,op)e't o( o'te)porary riti i#) a'd phi,o#ophy-& J- .i,,i# Mi,,er, Ya,e U'iver#ity Ja&G6es Aerrida+s revol6tionary theories abo6t de&onstr6&tion, pheno(enology, psy&hoanalysis, and str6&t6ralis(, ,irst voi&ed in the 19 -s, ,orever &hanged the ,a&e o, 46ropean and A(eri&an &riti&is() The ideas in 2e la grammatologie sparked lively debates in intelle&t6al &ir&les that in&l6ded st6dents o, literat6re, philosophy, and the h6(anities, inspiring these st6Hdents to ask G6estions o, their dis&iplines that had previo6sly been &onsidHered i(proper) Thirty years later, the i((ense in,l6en&e o, Aerrida+s 'ork is still igniting &ontroversy, thanks in part to Iayatri 9pivak+s translation, 'hi&h &apt6res the ri&hness and &o(ple5ity o, the original) This &orre&ted edition adds a ne' inde5 o, the &riti&s and philosophers &ited in the te5t and (akes one o, &onte(porary &riti&is(+s (ost indispensable 'orks even (ore a&&essible and 6sable) 3 ! Grammatologg is the toolHkit ,or anyone 'ho 'ants to e(pty the Jpresen&e+ o6t o, any te5t he has taken a dislike to) A handy arsenal o, de&onstr6&tive tools are to be ,o6nd in its pages, and the te&hniG6e, on&e learnt, is as si(ple, and as destr6&tive, as leaving a bo(b in a bro'n paper bag o6tside "or inside# a p6b)@E ?oger Poole, /otes and 4ueries @There is &a6se ,or reDoi&ing in the translation o, 2e la grammatologie . . . J6st as Aerrida dis&loses in ?o6ssea6 a 'riter 'ho distr6sts 'riting and longs ,or the pro5i(ity o, the sel, to its voi&e, so 9pivak approa&hes Aerrida thro6gh the str6&t6re o, his di&tionK no ideas b6t in the 'ords the(selves)@EAenis Aonogh6e, /e0 )epu5lic Ja !"e# Derrida tea&hes at the 4&ole des Ha6tes 4t6des en 9&ien&es 9o&iales in Paris) Iayatri Chakravorty Spivak is Avalon Bo6ndation Pro,essor in the

H6(anities at Col6(bia University) The Joh'# .opki'# U'iver#ity /re## Baltimore and London .over design: ;(ega Clay .over illustration: Thoth, the advo&ate o, ;siris, 'riting on his palette) Bro( the Papyr6s o, H6ne,er) .97= -H*-1*H0*8-H0 $oke' #tarter

""i## ! Grammatology

""ii##

""iii## O( Gra))ato,o0y B1 Ja !"e# Derrida Corre&ted 4dition Translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak $he 6ohns Hopkins University Press Baltimore and London

""iv## Copyright 1974, 197 , 1997 by The Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United 9tates o, A(eri&a on a&idH,ree paper Birst A(eri&an edition, 197 ;riginally p6blished in Bran&e 6nder the title 2e la Grammatologie Copyright 19 7 by 3es 4ditions de >in6it Johns Hopkins Paperba&ks edition, 197 Corre&ted edition, 1997 9 * 7 The Johns Hopkins University Press /710 =orth Charles 9treet 7alti(ore, >aryland /1/1*H48 8 ''')press)Dh6)ed6 Li5rary o! .ongress .ataloging(in(Pu5lication 2ata Aerrida, Ja&G6es) ;, gra((atology)

Translation o, Ae la gra((atologie) .n&l6des bibliographi&al re,eren&es) i) 3ang6agesEPhilosophy) .) Title Pio0)A08i8Hi97 H 41- 7 H17// .97= oH*oi*H1*41H9 "hard&over# .97= oH*o1*H 1*79H "paperba&k# .97= oH*oL*H0*8-H0 "&orre&ted edition# A &atalog re&ord ,or this book is available ,ro( the 7ritish 3ibrary)

""v## Co'te't# A&kno'ledg(ents Translator+s Pre,a&e Pre,a&e Part ,riting 5e!ore the Letter 78ergue i. $he 7nd o! the Book and the Beginning o! ,riting The Progra( The 9igni,ier and Tr6th The 2ritten 7eing:The 7eing 2ritten /)Linguistics and Grammatology The ;6tside and the .nside The ;6tsideM the .nside The Hinge 9La Brisure: 8) ! Grammatology as a Positive "cience Algebra% Ar&an6( and Transparen&e 9&ien&e and the =a(e o, >an The ?eb6s and the Co(pli&ity o, ;rigins Part -/ature; .ulture; ,riting -ntroduction to the 3<ge o! )ousseau3 1)$he %iolence o! the Letter: &rom L'vi("trauss to )ousseau The 7attle o, Proper =a(es 2riting and >an+s 45ploitation by >an /)3. . . $hat 2angerous "upplement ...3 Bro(:;, 7lindness to the 96pple(ent The Chain o, 96pple(ents The 45orbitant) C6estion o, >ethod 3. Genesis and "tructure o! the 4ssay on the ;rigin o, 3ang6ages .) The Pla&e o, the 37ssay3 2riting, Politi&al 4vil, and 3ing6isti& 4vil The Present Aebate% The 4&ono(y o, Pity The .nitial Aebate and the Co(position o, the 7ssay

""vi## ..).(itation 190 The .nterval and the 96pple(ent 190 The 4ngraving and the A(big6ities o, Bor(alis( Foo The T6rn o, 2riting /1 ...)Arti&6lation //9 @That >ove(ent o, the 2and ) ) )@ 112 The .ns&ription o, the ;rigin /4/ The =e6(e /47 That @9i(ple >ove(ent o, the Binger)@ 2riting and the Prohibition o, .n&est /00 *. &rom+ ! the "upplement to the "ource: $he $heory o! ,riting 2=>

The ;riginary >etaphor /7The History and 9yste( o, 9&ripts /*The Alphabet and Absol6te ?epresentation /90 The Theore( and the Theater 8-/ The 96pple(ent o, "at# the ;rigin 818 =otes 817 .nde5 800

""vii## A k'o+,ed0)e't# . thank Angelo 7erto&&i ,or having given (e the idea ,or this translation) . thank Pa6l de >an ,or his patient and penetrating &riti&is( o, the Translator+s Pre,a&e and the te5t, at a ti(e 'hen his o'n s&hed6le 'as so thoro6ghly besieged) . thank J) Hillis >iller ,or his advi&e, his a&tive en&o6rage(ent, and his a&6te &o((ents on the Translator+s Pre,a&e) . o'e hi( parti&6lar thanks ,or having introd6&ed (e to Aerrida hi(sel, a,ter . had been 'orking on this book ,or a year) . a( grate,6l to John 7renk(en, 3eone 9tein, and Pa6l >) 2right ,or their s6pport d6ring the early stages o, the 'ork) .n the preparation o, the translation, . have been parti&6larly helped by ,o6r painstaking and inde,atigable biling6al readers% Jessie 3) Hornsby, Aori NatF, ?i&hard 3aden, Talbot 9pivak) Pierre de 9aintH1i&tor, the late Ale5ander Aspel, Ja&G6es 7o6rgea&G and Aonald Ja&kson 6ntied o&&asional knots) To all o, the(, a &onsiderable debt o, gratit6de is d6e) "The 'hole book is a gi,t ,or Talbot 9pivak)# . thank also the Carver Bo6ndation at the University o, .o'a ,or (aking it possible ,or (e to go to Bran&e in the s6((er o, 1978 to dis&6ss this book 'ith Ja&G6es Aerrida) To ?obert 9&holes . a( grate,6l ,or having (ade it possible ,or (e to tea&h a se(inar on Aerrida at 7ro'n University in the ,all o, 1974H70) At that se(inar, espe&ially thro6gh a&tive e5&hange 'ith 7ella 7rodFky and To( Claire, . staked o6t the gro6nd ,or (y Pre,a&e) . a( grate,6l to Peter 7a&on ,or typing the ,irst hal, o, the (an6s&ript and the Pre,a&e ,ro( so(eti(es inde&ipherable &opy) Pa6line Cri(son not only typed the rest, b6t al'ays delivered (aterial at very short noti&e 'ithHo6t &o(plaint, and &ons&ientio6sly &opyHedited (y pages) . believe she &a(e to ,eel a personal responsibility ,or the (aking o, this book, and ,or that . a( (ost grate,6l) . thank Ti(othy 9hipe ,or his able assistan&e) 2itho6t Ao(ini&k Bran&o, (y resear&h assistant, the (an6s&ript 'o6ld not have gone to press) >i&hael ?yan &riti&iFed ea&h version o, the Translator+s Pre,a&e 'ith a sharp and inspired eye and helped 6ntiringly 'ith library (aterials) . &annot thank hi( eno6gh ,or his in&redibly (eti&6lo6s and in,or(ed reading o, the ,inal proo,s) And Catty, indi,,erent yet devoted &o(panion thro6gh a season o, solitary labor) . a( grate,6l to Grammatology ,or having bro6ght (e the ,riendship o, >arg6erite and Ja&G6es Aerrida) Gayatri .hakravorty "pivak

""viii## ""i5## Tra'#,ator3# /re(a e ., yo6 have been reading Aerrida, yo6 'ill kno' that a pla6sible gest6re 'o6ld be to begin 'ith a &onsideration o, @the G6estion o, the pre,a&e)@ 76t . 'rite in

the hope that ,or at least so(e o, the readers o, this vol6(e Aerrida is ne'K and there,ore take it ,or granted that, ,or the (o(ent, an introd6&tion &an be (ade) Ja&G6es Aerrida is (aLtreHassistant in philosophy at the 4&ole =or(ale 96pOrie6re in Paris) He 'as born ,ortyH,ive years ago o, 9ephardi& Je'ish parents in Algiers)1 At nineteen, he &a(e to Bran&e as a st6dent) He 'as at Harvard on a s&holarship in 190 H07) .n the si5ties he 'as a(ong the yo6ng intelle&t6als 'riting ,or the avantHgarde Do6rnal $el 4uel. 2 He is no' asso&iated 'ith I?4PH "Iro6pe de ?e&her&he de l+4nseigne(ent PhilosophiG6e#Ea st6dent (ove(ent that engages itsel, 'ith the proble(s o, the instit6tional tea&hing o, philosophy) He 'as ,or a ti(e a visitHing pro,essor on a reg6lar basis at the Dohns Hopkins University, and no' o&&6pies a si(ilar position at Pale) He has an a,,e&tion ,or so(e o, the intelle&t6al &enters o, the 4astern seaboardECa(bridge, =e' Pork, 7alti(oreEin his vo&ab6lary, @A(eri&a)@ And it see(s that at ,irst these pla&es and no' (ore and (ore o, the intelle&t6al &enters all over the United 9tates are ret6rning his a,,e&tion) Aerrida+s ,irst book 'as a translation o, 4d(6nd H6sserl+s @;rigin o, Ieo(etry,@ 'ith a long &riti&al introd6&tion) This 'as ,ollo'ed by 3a voi5 et le ph'nom?ne; a &ritiG6e o, H6sserl+s theory o, (eaning) .n bet'een appeared a &olle&tion o, essays entitled L@'criture et la di!!'rence. 2e la grammatologie &a(e ne5t, ,ollo'ed by t'o (ore &olle&tionsE3a diss'mination and Aarges de la philosophie. There 'as a little noti&ed introd6&tion to the 7ssai sur l@origine des connaissances humaines by Condilla&, enHtitled @3+ar&hOologie d6 ,rivole,@ and Positions; a &olle&tion o, intervie's) This year his (on6(ental Glas has appeared) 8 Ja&G6es Aerrida is also this &olle&tion o, te5ts) .n an essay on the @Pre,a&e@ to Hegel+s Phenomenology o! the Aind; Jean Hyppolite 'rites% 44566 2hen Hegel had ,inished the Phenomenology . . . he re,le&ted retrospe&tively on his philosophi& enterprise and 'rote the @Pre,a&e)@ ))) .t is a strange de(onstration, ,or he says above all, @Aon+t take (e serio6sly in a pre,a&e) The real philosophi&al 'ork is 'hat . have D6st 'ritten, the Phenomenology o! the Aind. And i, . speak to yo6 o6tside o, 'hat . have 'ritten, these (arginal &o((ents &annot have the val6e o, the 'ork itsel,) ) ) ) Aon+t take a pre,a&e serio6sly) The pre,a&e anno6n&es a proDe&t and a proDe&t is nothing 6ntil it is realiFed)@4 .t is &lear that, as it is &o((only 6nderstood, the pre,a&e harbors a lie) @PraeH ,atio@ is @a saying be,oreHhand@ ";5,ord 4nglish Ai&tionaryE;4A#) Pet it is a&&epted as nat6ral by Hyppolite, as indeed by all o, 6s, that @Hegel re,le&ted retrospectively on his philosophi& enterprise and 'rote his JPre,a&e+)@ 2e (ay see this as no (ore than the ta&it a&&eptan&e o, a ,i&tion) 2e think o, the Pre,a&e, ho'ever, not as a literary, b6t as an e5pository e5er&ise) .t @involves a nor( o, tr6th,@ altho6gh it (ight 'ell be the insertion o, an obvio6s ,i&tion into an ostensibly @tr6e@ dis&o6rse) ";, &o6rse, 'hen the pre,a&e is being 'ritten by so(eone other than the a6thor, the sit6ation is yet ,6rther &o(pli&ated) A pretense at 'riting 5e!ore a te5t that one (6st have read 5e!ore the pre,a&e &an be 'ritten) 2riting a post,a&e 'o6ld not really be di,,erentEb6t that arg6(ent &an only be grasped at the end o, this pre,a&e)# Hegel+s o'n obDe&tion to the Pre,a&e see(s grave) The &ontrast bet'een abstra&t generality and the sel,H(oving activity o, &ognition appears to be str6&t6red like the &ontrast bet'een pre,a&e and te5t) The (ethod o, philosophy is the str6&t6re o, kno'ing, an a&tivity o, &ons&io6sness that (oves o, itsel,K this a&tivity, the (ethod o, philosophi&al dis&o6rse, str6&Ht6res the philosophi&al te5t) The reader o, the philosophi&al te5t 'ill re&ogniFe this sel,H(ove(ent in his

&ons&io6sness as he s6rrenders hi(sel, to and (asters the te5t) Any pre,atory gest6re, abstra&ting soH&alled the(es, robs philosophy o, its sel,H(oving str6&t6re) @.n (odern ti(es,@ Hegel 'rites, @an individ6al ,inds the abstra&t ,or( ready (ade)@0 B6rther, let !(odern (an$ read revie's o, philosophi&al 'orks, and even go to the length o, reading the pre,a&es and ,irst paragraphs o, the 'orks the(selvesK ,or the latter give the general prin&iples on 'hi&h everything t6rns, 'hile the revie's along 'ith the histori&al noti&e provide over and above the &riti&al D6dg(ent and appre&iation, 'hi&h, being a D6dg(ent passed on the 'ork, goes ,arther than the 'ork that is D6dged) This &o((on 'ay a (an &an take in his dressingHgo'n) 76t spirit6al elation in the eternal, the sa&red, the in,inite, (oves along the high 'ay o, tr6th in the robes o, the high priest -7 Pet, as Hyppolite points o6t, Hegel da(ns the pre,a&e in general even as he 'rites his o'n @Pre,a&e)@ And Aerrida s6ggests that a very signi,i&ant part o, Hegel+s 'ork 'as b6t a play o, pre,a&es "Ais 10,#) 2hereas Hegel+s

445i66 i(patien&e 'ith pre,a&es is based on philosophi&al gro6nds, his e5&6se ,or &ontin6ing to 'rite the( see(s &o((onsensi&al% @Having in (ind that the general idea o, 'hat is to be done, i, it pre&edes the atte(pt to &arry it o6t, ,a&ilitates the &o(prehension o, this pro&ess, it is 'orth 'hile to indi&ate here so(e ro6gh idea o, it, 'ith the intention o, eli(inating at the sa(e ti(e &ertain ,or(s 'hose habit6al presen&e is a hindran&e to philosophi&al kno'ledge 9in der <5sicht Bugleich; 5ei dieser Gelegenheit einige &ormen Bu ent!ernen; deren Ge0ohnheit ein Hindernis !Cr das philosophische 7rkennen ist:.3 D Hegel+s obDe&tion to pre,a&es re,le&ts the ,ollo'ing str6&t6re% pre,a&e:te5t E abstra&t generality:sel,H(oving a&tivity) His a&&eptan&e o, pre,a&es re,le&ts another str6&t6re% pre,a&e:te5t Q signi,ier:signi,ied) And the na(e o, the @E@ in this ,or(6la is the Hegelian <u!he5ung. <u ! he5ung is a relationship bet'een t'o ter(s 'here the se&ond at on&e ann6ls the ,irst and li,ts it 6p into a higher sphere o, e5isten&eK it is a hierar&hial &on&ept generally translated @s6blation@ and no' so(eti(es translated @s6bli(ation)@ A s6&&ess,6l pre,a&e is au!geho5en into the te5t it pre&edes, D6st as a 'ord is au!geho5en into its (eaning) .t is as i,, to 6se one o, Aerrida+s str6&t6ral (etaphors, the son or seed "pre,a&e or 'ord#, &a6sed or engendered by the ,ather "te5t or (eaning# is re&overed by the ,ather and th6s D6sti,ied) 76t, 'ithin this str6&t6ral (etaphor, Aerrida+s &ry is @disse(ination,@ the seed that neither inse(inates nor is re&overed by the ,ather, b6t is s&attered abroad) * And he (akes roo( ,or the pre,atory gest6re in G6ite another 'ay% The pre,a&e is a ne&essary gest6re o, ho(age and parri&ide, ,or the book "the ,ather# (akes a &lai( o, a6thority or origin 'hi&h is both tr6e and ,alse) "As regards parri&ide, . speak theoreti&ally) The pre,a&e need (ake no overt &lai(E as this one does notEo, destroying its preHte5t) As a pre,a&e, it is already s6rrendered to that gest6re) ) ) )# H6(ankind+s &o((on desire is ,or a stable &enter, and ,or the ass6ran&e o, (asteryEthro6gh kno'ing or possessing) And a book, 'ith its ponderable shape and its beginning, (iddle, and end, stands to satis,y that desire) 76t 'hat sovereign s6bDe&t is the origin o, the bookR @. 'as not one (an only,@ says Pro6st+s narrator, @b6t the steady advan&e ho6r a,ter ho6r o, an ar(y in &lose ,or(ation, in 'hi&h there appeared, a&&ording to the (o(ent, i(passioned (en, indi,,erent (en, Dealo6s (en) ) ) ) .n a &o(posite (ass, these ele(ents (ay, one by one, 0ithout our noticing it; be repla&ed by others, 'hi&h others again eli(inate or rein,or&e, 6ntil in the end a &hange has been bro6ght abo6t 'hi&h it 'o6ld be i(possible to &on&eive i, 'e 'ere a single person)@ 9 2hat, then, is the book+s identityR Berdinand de 9a6ss6re had

re(arked that the @sa(e@ phone(e prono6n&ed t'i&e or by t'o di,,erent people is

445ii66 not identi&al 'ith itsel,) .ts only identity is in its di,,eren&e ,ro( all other phone(es "77H7*, 81%89<#) 9o do the t'o readings o, the @sa(e@ book sho' an identity that &an only be de,ined as a di,,eren&e) The book is not repeatable in its @identity@% ea&h reading o, the book prod6&es a si(6la&r6( o, an @original@ that is itsel, the (ark o, the shi,ting and 6nstable s6bDe&t that Pro6st des&ribes, 6sing and being 6sed by a lang6age that is also shi,ting and 6nstable) Any pre,a&e &o((e(orates that di,,eren&e in identity by inserting itsel, bet'een t'o readingsEin o6r &ase, (y reading "given o, &o6rse that (y lang6age and . are shi,ting and 6nstable#, (y rereading, (y rearranging o, the te5tEand yo6r reading) As Hegel "and other de,enders o, the a6thority o, the te5t# 'rote pre,a&e on pre,a&e to (at&h reHeditions and revised versions, they 6n'ittingly be&a(e a party to this identity in di,,eren&e% Bro( the (o(ent that the &ir&le t6rns, that the book is 'o6nd ba&k 6pon itsel,, that the book repeats itsel,, its sel,Hidentity re&eives an i(per&eptible di,,eren&e 'hi&h allo's 6s to step e,,e&tively, rigoro6sly, and th6s dis&reetly, o6t o, the &los6re) ?edo6bling the &los6re, one splits it) Then one es&apes it ,6rtively, bet'een t'o passages thro6gh the sa(e book, thro6gh the sa(e line, ,ollo'ing the sa(e bend) ) ) ) This depart6re o6tside o, the identi&al 'ithin the sa(e re(ains very slight, it 'eighs nothing, it thinks and 'eighs the book as such. The ret6rn to the book is also the abandoning o, the book) E72 *3FG The pre,a&e, by daring to repeat the book and re&onstit6te it in another register, (erely ena&ts 'hat is already the &ase% the book+s repetitions are al'ays other than the book) There is, in ,a&t, no @book@ other than these everHdi,,erent repetitions% the @book@ in other 'ords, is al'ays already a @te5t,@ &onstit6ted by the play o, identity and di,,eren&e) A 'ritten pre,a&e provisionally lo&aliFes the pla&e 'here, bet'een reading and reading, book and book, the interHins&ribing o, @reader"s#,@ @'riter"s#,@ and lang6age is ,orever at 'ork) Hegel had &losed the &ir&le bet'een ,ather and son, te5t and pre,a&e) He had in ,a&t s6ggested, as Aerrida (akes &lear, that the ,6l,illed &on&eptEthe end o, the sel,Ha&ting (ethod o, the philosophi&al te5tE'as the preHdi&ateEpreHsayingEpreH,a&e, to the pre,a&e) .n Aerrida+s re'orking, the str6&t6re pre,a&eHte5t be&o(es open at both ends) The te5t has no stable identity, no stable origin, no stable end) 4a&h a&t o, reading the @te5t@ is a pre,a&e to the ne5t) The reading o, a sel,Hpro,essed pre,a&e is no e5&eption to this r6le) .t is ina&&6rate yet ne&essary to say that so(ething &alled 2e la grammatologie is "'as# the provisional origin o, (y pre,a&e) And, even as . 'rite, . proDe&t the (o(ent, 'hen yo6, reading, 'ill ,ind in (y pre,a&e the provisional origin o, yo6r reading o, ! Grammatology. There &an be an inde,inite n6(ber o, variations on that the(e) 555 ,otnote starter 555 < Herea,ter all page n6(bers in boldH,a&e type re,er to pages in this vol6(e) 555 ,otnote sl6tt 555

""5iii## 2hy (6st 'e 'orry over so si(ple a thing as pre,a&eH(akingR There is, o, &o6rse, no real ans'er to G6estions o, this sort) The (ost that &an be said, and Aerrida has re(inded 6s to say it ane', is that a &ertain vie' o, the 'orld, o,

&ons&io6sness, and o, lang6age has been a&&epted as the &orre&t one, and, i, the (in6te parti&6lars o, that vie' are e5a(ined, a rather di,,erent pi&t6re "that is also a noHpi&t6re, as 'e shall see# e(erges) That e5a(ination involves an enG6iry into the @operation@ o, o6r (ost ,a(iliar gest6res) To G6ote Hegel again% 2hat is @,a(iliarly kno'n@ is not properly kno'n, D6st ,or the reason that it is @,a(iliar)@ 2hen engaged in the pro&ess o, kno'ing, it is the &o((onest ,or( o, sel,Hde&eption, and a de&eption o, other people as 'ell, to ass6(e so(ething to be ,a(iliar, and to let it pass 9ge!allen Bu lassen: on that very a&&o6nt) Nno'ledge o, that sort, 'ith all its talking aro6nd it 9Hin( and Herreden: never gets ,ro( the spot, b6t has no idea that this is the &ase) ) ) ) To display 9auseinander(legen: an idea in its original 9ursprCnglich: ele(ents (eans ret6rning 6pon its (o(ents, ) ) 12hen Aerrida 'rites that, sin&e Nant, philosophy has be&o(e a'are o, taking the responsibility ,or its dis&o6rse, it is this ree5a(ination o, the ,a(iliar that he is hinting at) And this is one o, the reasons 'hy he is so dra'n to >allar(O, @that e5e(plary poet,@ 'ho invested every gest6re o, reading and 'ritingEeven the slitting o, an 6n&6t do6ble page 'ith a kni,e E'ith te5t6al i(port) 11 And i, the ass6(ption o, responsibility ,or one+s dis&o6rse leads to the &on&l6sion that all &on&l6sions are gen6inely provisional and there,ore inH&on&l6sive, that all origins are si(ilarly 6noriginal, that responsibility itsel, (6st &ohabit 'ith ,rivolity, this need not be &a6se ,or gloo() Aerrida &ontrasts ?o6ssea6+s (elan&holy 'ith =ietFs&he+s a,,ir(ative Doy pre&isely ,ro( this angle% @T6rned to'ard the presen&e, lost or i(possible, o, the absent origin, !the$ str6&t6ralist the(ati& o, broken i((ediateness is th6s the sad, negative; nostalgi&, g6ilty, ?o6ssea6ist aspe&t o, the tho6ght o, play o, 'hi&h the =ietFs&hean a!!irmationH the Doyo6s a,,ir(ation o, the play o, the 'orld and o, the inno&en&e o, be&o(ing, the a,,ir(ation o, a 'orld o, signs 'itho6t ,a6lt, 'itho6t tr6th, 'itho6t origin, o,,ered to an a&tive interpretationE'o6ld be the other side)@ "4A 4/7, 9C / 4# There is, then, al'ays already a pre,a&e bet'een t'o hands holding open a book) And the @pre,a&er,@ o, the sa(e or another proper na(e as the @a6thor,@ need not apologiFe ,or @repeating@ the te5t) I @.t is ina&&6rate yet ne&essary to say,@ . have 'ritten above, @that so(eHthing &alled 2e la grammatologie is "'as# the provisional origin o, (y

""5iv## pre,a&e)@ .na&&6rate yet ne&essary) >y predi&a(ent is an analog6e ,or a &ertain philosophi&al e5igen&y that drives Aerrida to 'riting @so6s rat6re,@ 'hi&h . translate as @6nder eras6re)@ This is to 'rite a 'ord, &ross it o6t, and then print both 'ord and deletion) "9in&e the 'ord is ina&&6rate, it is &rossed o6t) 9in&e it is ne&essary, it re(ains legible)# To take an e5a(ple ,ro( Aerrida that . shall &ite again% @) ) ) the sign !is (ed kryss$ that illHna(ed !thing (ed kryss$ ))) 'hi&h es&apes the instit6ting G6estion o, philosophy ) ) )@ "81, 19# ) .n e5a(ining ,a(iliar things 'e &o(e to s6&h 6n,a(iliar &on&l6sions that o6r very lang6age is t'isted and bent even as it g6ides 6s) 2riting @6nder eras6re@ is the (ark o, this &ontortion) Aerrida dire&ts 6s to >artin Heidegger+s Iur "eins ! rage as the @a6thority@ ,or this strategi&ally i(portant pra&ti&e, 1/ 'hi&h 'e &annot 6nderHstand 'itho6t a look at Heidegger+s ,or(6lation o, it) Iur "eins!rage is ostensibly a letter to 4rnst JSnger 'hi&h seeks to establish a spe&6lative de,inition o, nihilis() J6st as Hegel, 'riting a pre,a&e, philosophi&ally &on,ronted the proble( o, pre,a&es, so Heidegger, establishHing a de,inition, philosophi&ally &on,ronts the proble( o, de,initions% in order ,or the nat6re o, anything in parti&6lar to be de,ined as an entity, the G6estion o, 7eing is general

(6st al'ays already be broa&hed and ans'ered in the a,,ir(ative) That so(ething is, pres6pposes that anything &an be) 2hat is this G6estion o, 7eing that is ne&essarily pre&o(prehended in order that thinking itsel, o&&6rR 9in&e it is al'ays anterior to thinking, it &an never be ,or(6lated as an ans'er to the G6estion @'hat is ) ) )%@ @The Jgoodness+ o, the right,6lly de(anded Jgood de,inition+ ,inds its &on,ir(ation in o6r giving 6p the 'ish to de,ine in so ,ar as this (6st be established on assertions in 'hi&h thinking dies o6t) ) ) ) =o in,or(ation &an be given abo6t nothingness and 7eing and nihilis(, abo6t their essen&e and abo6t the "verbal# essen&e !it is$ o, the "no(inal# essen&e 9it is$ 'hi&h &an be presented tangibly in the ,or( o, assertions !it is ) ) )$)@ E4B *oT*1# This possibility o, 7eing (6st be granted "or rather is already o, itsel, granted# ,or the h6(an being to say @. a(,@ not to (ention @von are,@ @she is)@ 4ven s6&h negative &on&epts as @nothingness@ or @nihilis(@ are held 'ithin this pre&o(prehended G6estion o, 7eing 'hi&h is asked and ans'ered nonHverbally, nonno(inally, and 'itho6t agen&y) This G6estion, there,ore, &annot be &onstr6&ted to (at&h an assertive ans'er) And the h6(an being is the pla&e or Fone 'here this parti&6lar proble( has its playK not the h6(an being as an individ6al, b6t the h6(an being as AaseinEsi(ply beingH thereEas the prin&iple that asks and posits% J>an does not only stand in the &riti&al Fone) ) ) ) He hi(sel,, b6t not he ,or hi(sel, and parti&6larly not thro6gh hi(sel, alone, is this Fone) ) ) )@ E4B J2KJ3G 76t, Heidegger &a6tions 6s, this is not (ysti&is() .t is the ba,,ling res6lt o, an e5a(ination o, the obvio6s, the li,ting o, the (ost nat6ral ,orget,6lness) @2hat i, even the !propositional$ lang6age o, (etaphysi&s and (etaH

""5v## physi&s itsel,, 'hether it be that o, the living or o, the dead Iod, as (etaphysi&s, ,or(ed that barrier 'hi&h ,orbids a &rossing over 9U5ergehen: the line !,ro( the assertion, to the G6estion, o, 7eing$R@ "4lse'here Heidegger s6ggests, as does, o, &o6rse, =ietFs&he be,ore hi(, that the propositional lang6age o, the s&ien&es is D6st as ,orget,6l o, the G6estion o, 7eing)# @., that 'ere the &ase, 'o6ld not then the &rossing !o6t$ !diagonallyEL5erMueren: o, the line ne&essarily be&o(e a trans,or(ation o, lang6age and de(and a trans,or(ed relationship to the essen&e o, lang6ageR@ E4B D-ED1# As a (ove to'ard this trans,or(ation, Heidegger &rosses o6t the 'ord @7eing,@ and lets both deletion and 'ord stand) .t is ina&&6rate to 6se the 'ord @7eing@ here, ,or the di,,erentiation o, a @&on&ept@ o, 7eing has already slipped a'ay ,ro( that pre&o(prehended G6estion o, 7eing) Pet it is ne&essary to 6se the 'ord, sin&e lang6age &annot do (ore% A tho6ght,6l glan&e ahead into this real( o, @7eing@ &an only 'rite it as !7eing (ed kryss$ The dra'ing o, these &rossed lines at ,irst only 'ards o,, 9a50ehrt:; espe&ially the habit o, &on&eiving @7eing@ as so(ething standing by itsel,) ) ) ) The sign o, &rossing thro6gh 9Ieichen der 2urchkreuBung: &an, to be s6re, ) ) ) not be a (erely negative sign o, &rossing o6t 9Ieichen der 2urchstreichung: . . . . >an in his essen&e is the (e(ory !or @(e(orial,@ GedNchtnis: o, 7eing, b6t o, !7eing (ed kryss$, This (eans that the essen&e o, (an is a pale o, that 'hi&h in the &rossed interse&ted lines o, !7eing (ed kryss$ p6ts thinking 6nder the &lai( o, a (ore originary &o((and 9an!Nnglichere Geheiss:. E4B *oT*1, J2KJ3G 3ang6age is indeed straining here) The senten&e @>an in his essen&e is the (e(ory "(e(orial# o, 7eing@ avoids as&ribing an agent to the 6naskable G6estion o, 7eing) Heidegger is 'orking 'ith the reso6r&es o, the old lang6age, the lang6age 'e already possess, and 'hi&h possesses 6s) To (ake a ne' 'ord is to r6n the risk o, ,orgetting the proble( or believing it solved% @That the

trans,or(ation o, the lang6age 'hi&h &onte(plates the essen&e o, 7eing is s6bDe&t to other de(ands than the e5&hanging o, an old ter(inology ,or a ne' one, see(s to be &lear)@ This trans,or(ation sho6ld rather involve @&rossing o6t@ the relevant old ter(s and th6s liberating the(, e5posing @the pres6(pt6o6s de(and that !thinking$ kno' the sol6tion o, the riddles and bring salvation)@ E4B D2KD3G =o' there is a &ertain di,,eren&e bet'een 'hat Heidegger p6ts 6nder eras6re and 'hat Aerrida does) @7eing@ is the (asterH'ord that Heidegger &rosses o6t) Aerrida does not reDe&t this) 76t his 'ord is @tra&e@ "the Bren&h 'ord &arries strong i(pli&ations o, tra&k, ,ootprint, i(print#, a 'ord that &annot be a (asterH 'ord, that presents itsel, as the (ark o, an anterior presen&e, origin, (aster) Bor @tra&e@ one &an s6bstit6te @ar&heH'riting@ "@ar&hiHO&rit6re@#, or @di,,eren&e,@ or in ,a&t G6ite a ,e' other 'ords that Aerrida 6ses in the sa(e 'ay) 76t . shall begin 'ith @tra&e:

""5vi## tra&k,@ ,or it is a si(ple 'ordK and there also see(s, . (6st ad(it, so(eHthing rit6ally satis,ying abo6t beginning 'ith the @tra&e)@ To be s6re, 'hen Heidegger sets 7eing be,ore all &on&epts, he is atte(ptHing to ,ree lang6age ,ro( the ,alla&y o, a ,i5ed origin, 'hi&h is also a ,i5ed end) 76t, in a certain 0ay; he also sets 6p 7eing as 'hat Aerrida &alls the @trans&endental signi,ied)@ Bor 'hatever a &on&ept (ight @(ean,@ anything that is &on&eived o, in its beingHpresent (6st lead 6s to the alreadyHans'ered G6estion o, 7eing) .n that sense, the sense o, the ,inal re,eren&e, 7eing is indeed the ,inal signi,ied to 'hi&h all signi,iers re,er) 76t Heidegger (akes it &lear that 7eing &annot be &ontained by, is al'ays prior to, inHdeed trans&ends, signi,i&ation) .t is there,ore a sit6ation 'here the signi,ied &o((ands, and is yet ,ree o,, all signi,iersEa re&ogniFably theologi&al sit6ation) The end o, philosophy, a&&ording to Heidegger, is to restore the (e(ory o, that ,ree and &o((anding signi,ied, to dis&over Ur0Orter "originary 'ords# in the lang6ages o, the 'orld by learning to 'aylay the li(iting logi& o, signi,i&ation, a proDe&t that Aerrida des&ribes as @the other side o, nostalgia, 'hi&h . 'ill &all Heideggerian hope.... . ) ) ) shall relate it to 'hat see(s to (e to be retained o, (etaphysi&s in !Heidegger+s$ +9pr6&h des Ana5i(ander,+ na(ely, the G6est ,or the proper 'ord and the 6niG6e na(e)@ ">P /9, 9P 109H -# Aerrida see(s to sho' no nostalgia ,or a lost presen&e) He sees in the traditional &on&ept o, the sign a hetereogeneityE@the other o, the signi,ied is never &onte(porary, is at best a s6btly dis&repant inverse or parallelEdis&repant by the ti(e o, a breathEo, the order o, the signi,ier@ "81, :;#) .t is indeed an inel6&table nostalgia ,or presen&e that (akes o, this heterogeneity a 6nity by de&laring that a sign brings ,orth the presen&e o, the signi,ied) ;ther'ise it 'o6ld see( &lear that the sign is the pla&e 'here @the &o(pletely other is anno6n&ed as s6&hE'itho6t any si(pli&ity, any identity, any rese(blan&e or &ontin6ityEin that 'hi&h is not it@ " 9, 9<#) 2ord and thing or tho6ght never in ,a&t be&o(e one) 2e are re(inded o,, re,erred to, 'hat the &onvention o, 'ords sets 6p as thing or tho6ght, by a parti&6lar arrange(ent o, 'ords) The str6&t6re o, re,eren&e 'orks and &an go on 'orking not be&a6se o, the identity bet'een these t'o soH&alled &o(ponent parts o, the sign, b6t be&a6se o, their relationship o, di,,eren&e) The sign (arks a pla&e o, di,,eren&e) ;ne 'ay o, satis,ying the rage ,or 6nity is to say that, 'ithin the phoni& sign "spee&h rather than 'riting# there is no str6&t6re o, di,,eren&eK and that this nondi,,eren&e is ,elt as sel,Hpresen&e in the silent and solitary tho6ght o, the sel,) This is so ,a(iliar an arg6(ent that 'e 'o6ld a&&ept it readily i, 'e did not stop to think abo6t it) 76t i, 'e did, 'e 'o6ld noti&e that there is no ne&essary reason 'hy a parti&6lar so6nd sho6ld be identi&al 'ith a @tho6ght or thing@K and that the

arg6(ent applies even 'hen one @speaks@ silently to onesel,) 9a6ss6re 'as a&&ordingly obliged to

""5vii## point o6t that the phoni& signi,ier is as &onventional as the graphi& "74, 8:#U Ar(ed 'ith this si(ple yet po'er,6l insightEpo'er,6l eno6gh to @deH&onstr6&t the trans&endental signi,ied@Ethat the sign, phoni& as 'ell as graphi&, is a str6&t6re o, di,,eren&e, Aerrida s6ggests that 'hat opens the possibility o, tho6ght is not (erely the G6estion o, being, b6t also the neverHann6lled di,,eren&e ,ro( @the &o(pletely other)@ 96&h is the strange @being@ o, the sign% hal, o, it al'ays @not there@ and the other hal, al'ays @not that)@ The str6&t6re o, the sign is deter(ined by the tra&e or tra&k o, that other 'hi&h is ,orever absent) This other is o, &o6rse never to be ,o6nd in its ,6ll being) As even s6&h e(piri&al events as ans'ering a &hild+s G6estion or &ons6lting the di&tionary pro&lai(, one sign leads to another and so on inde,initely) Aerrida G6otes 3a(bert and Peir&e% @ J!philosophy sho6ld$ red6&e the theory o! things to the theory o! signs.@ ... JThe idea o, mani!estation is the idea o, a sign+ @ "7/, 92#, and &ontrasts the( to H6sserl and Heidegger) ;n the 'ay to the tra&e:tra&k, the 'ord @sign@ has to be p6t 6nder eras6re% @the sign !is (ed kryss$ that illHna(ed !thing (ed kryss$, the only one, that es&apes the instit6ting G6estion o, philosophy% J2hat is ) ) ) R+ @ Aerrida, then, gives the na(e @tra&e@ to the part played by the radi&ally other 'ithin the str6&t6re o, di,,eren&e that is the sign) ". sti&k to @tra&e@ in (y translation, be&a6se it @looks the sa(e@ as Aerrida+s 'ordK the reader (6st re(ind hi(sel, o, at least the tra&k, even the spoor, &ontained 'ithin the Bren&h 'ord)# .n spite o, itsel,, 9a6ss6rean ling6isti&s re&ogniFes the str6&t6re o, the sign to be a tra&eHstr6&t6re) And Bre6d+s psy&hoanalysis, to so(e e5tent in spite o, itsel,, re&ogniFes the str6&t6re o, e5perien&e itsel, to be a tra&eH, not a presen&eHstr6&t6re) Bollo'ing an arg6(ent analogi&al to the arg6(ent on the sign, Aerrida p6ts the 'ord @e5perien&e@ 6nder eras6re% As ,or the &on&ept o, e5perien&e, it is (ost 6n'ieldy here) 3ike all the notions . a( 6sing, it belongs to the history o, (etaphysi&s and 'e &an only 6se it 6nder eras6re) @45perien&e@ has al'ays designated the relationship 'ith a presen&e, 'hether that relationship had the ,or( o, &ons&io6sness or not) Pet 'e (6st, by (eans o, the sort o, &ontortion and &ontention that dis&o6rse is obliged to 6ndergo, e5ha6st the reso6r&es o, the &on&ept o, e5perien&e be,ore attaining and in order to attain, by de&onstr6&tion, its 6lti(ate ,o6ndation) .t is the only 'ay to es&ape @e(piri&is(@ and the @naive@ &ritiG6es o, e5perien&e at the sa(e ti(e "*9, o#) =o' 'e begin to see ho' Aerrida+s notion o, @so6s rat6re@ di,,ers ,ro( that o, Heidegger+s) Heidegger+s !7eing (ed kryss$ (ight point at an inarti&6lable presen&e) Aerrida+s !tra&e (ed kryss$is the (ark o, the absen&e o, a presen&e, an al'ays already absent present, o, the la&k at the origin that is the &ondition o, tho6ght and e5perien&e) Bor so(e'hat di,,erent yet si(ilar

""5viii## &ontingen&ies, both Heidegger and Aerrida tea&h 6s to 6se lang6age in ter(s o, a tra&eHstr6&t6re, e,,a&ing it even as it presents its legibility) 2e (6st re(e(ber this 'hen 'e 'ish to atta&k Aerrida or, ,or that (atter, Heidegger, on &ertain sorts o, straight,or'ard

logi&al gro6ndsK ,or, one &an al'ays ,orget the invisible eras6re, @a&t as tho6gh this (akes no di,,eren&e)@ ">P 8, 9P 181# 18 Aerrida 'rites th6s on the strategy o, philosophiFing abo6t the tra&e% The val6e o, the trans&endental ar&he !origin$ (6st (ake its ne&essity ,elt be,ore letting itsel, be erased) The &on&ept o, the ar&heHtra&e (6st &o(ply 'ith both that ne&essity and that eras6re) .t is in ,a&t &ontradi&tory and not a&&eptaH ble 'ithin the logi& o, identity) The tra&e is not only the disappearan&e o, origin, ))) it (eans that the origin did not even disappear, that it 'as never &onstit6ted e5&ept re&ipro&ally by a nonHorigin, the tra&e, 'hi&h th6s be&o(es the origin o, the origin) Bro( then on, to 'ren&h the &on&ept o, the tra&e ,ro( the &lassi&al s&he(e 'hi&h 'o6ld derive it ,ro( a presen&e or ,ro( an originary nonHtra&e and 'hi&h 'o6ld (ake o, it an e(piri&al (ark, one (6st indeed speak o, an originary tra&e or ar&heHtra&e "9-, 1# ) At on&e inside and o6tside a &ertain Hegelian and Heideggerian tradition, Aerrida, then, is asking 6s to &hange &ertain habits o, (ind% the a6thority o, the te5t is provisional, the origin is a tra&eK &ontradi&ting logi&, 'e (6st learn to 6se and erase o6r lang6age at the sa(e ti(e) .n the last ,e' pages, 'e have seen Heidegger and Aerrida engaged in the pro&ess o, this &6rio6s pra&ti&e) Aerrida in parti&6lar is a&6tely a'are that it is a G6estion o, strategy) .t is the strategy o, 6sing the only availHable lang6age 'hile not s6bs&ribing to its pre(ises, or @operat!ing$ a&&ordHing to the vo&ab6lary o, the very thing that one deli(its)@ ">P 1*, 9P 147# Bor Hegel, as Hyppolite re(arks, @philosophi&al dis&o6rse@ &ontains @its o'n &riti&is( 'ithin itsel,)@ "9C 88 , 10*# And Aerrida, des&ribing the strategy @o, a dis&o6rse 'hi&h borro's ,ro( a heritage the reso6r&es ne&essary ,or the de&onstr6&tion o, that heritage itsel,,@ re(arks si(ilarly, @lang6age bears 'ithin itsel, the ne&essity o, its o'n &ritiG6e)@ E72 41 , 9C /04# The re(ark be&o(es &learer in the light o, 'riting @so6s rat6re@% @At ea&h step . 'as obliged to pro&eed by ellipses, &orre&tions and &orHre&tions o, &orre&tions, letting go o, ea&h &on&ept at the very (o(ent that . needed to 6se it, et&)@14 There is so(e si(ilarity bet'een this strategy and 'hat 3OviH9tra6ss &alls 5ricolage in La pens'e sauvage. 10 Aerrida hi(sel, re(arks% 3OviH9tra6ss 'ill al'ays re(ain ,aith,6l to this do6ble intention% to preserve as an instr6(ent that 'hose tr6thHval6e he &riti&iFes, &onserving ) ) ) all these old &on&epts, 'hile at the sa(e ti(e e5posing ) ) ) their li(its, treating the( as tools 'hi&h &an still be o, 6se) =o longer is any tr6thHval6e !or rigoro6s (eaning$ attrib6ted to the(K there is a readiness to abandon the( i, ne&essary i, other

""5i5## instr6(ents sho6ld appear (ore 6se,6l) .n the (eanti(e, their relative e,,i&a&y is e5ploited, and they are e(ployed to destroy the old (a&hinery to 'hi&h they belong and o, 'hi&h they the(selves are pie&es) Th6s it is that the lang6age o, the h6(an s&ien&es &riti&iFes itsel!. E72 417K 9C /00, /04# ;ne distin&tion bet'een 3OviH9tra6ss and Aerrida is &lear eno6gh) 3OviH9tra6ss+s anthropologist see(s ,ree to pi&k his toolK Aerrida+s philosopher kno's that there is no tool that does not belong to the (etaphysi&al bo5, and pro&eeds ,ro( there) 76t there is yet another di,,eren&e, a di,,eren&e that 'e (6st (ark as 'e o6tline Aerridean strategy) 3OviH9tra6ss &ontrasts the 5ricoleur to the engineer) "@The +bri&ole6r+ has no pre&ise eG6ivalent in 4nglish) He is a (an 'ho 6ndertakes odd Dobs and is a Ja&k o, all trades or is a kind o, pro,essional doHitHyo6rsel, (an, b6t ) ) he is o, a di,,erent standing ,ro(, ,or instan&e, the 4nglish Jodd Dob (an+ or handy(an)@ 1 # The dis&o6rse o, anthropology and the other s&ien&es o, (an (6st be 5ricolage: the dis&o6rses o, ,or(al logi&, and the p6re s&ien&es, one pres6(es, &an be those o, engineering) The engineer+s @instr6(ent@ is @spe&ially adapted to

a spe&i,i& te&hni&al need@K the 5ricoleur (akes do 'ith things that 'ere (eant perhaps ,or other ends) 17 The anthropologist (6st tinker be&a6se, at least as 3OviH9tra6ss arg6es in Le cru et le cuit; it is in ,a&t i(possible ,or hi( to (aster the 'hole ,ield) Aerrida, by an i(portant &ontrast, s6ggests that the ,ield is theoretically; not (erely e(piri&ally, 6nkno'able) E72 419 ,), 9C /09 ,)# =ot even in an ideal 6niverse o, an e(piri&ally red6&ed n6(ber o, possibilities 'o6ld the proDe&ted @end@ o, kno'ledge ever &oin&ide 'ith its @(eans)@ 96&h a &oin&iden&e E@engineering@Eis an i(possible drea( o, plenit6de) The reason ,or 5ricolage is that there &an be nothing else) =o engineer &an (ake the @(eans@Ethe signE and the @end@E(eaningEbe&o(e sel,Hidenti&al) 9ign 'ill al'ays lead to sign, one s6bstit6ting the other "playH,6lly, sin&e @sign@ is @6nder eras6re@# as signi,ier and signi,ied in t6rn) .ndeed, the notion o, play is i(portant here) Nno'ledge is not a syste(ati& tra&king do'n o, a tr6th that is hidden b6t (ay be ,o6nd) .t is rather the ,ield @o, !reeplay; that is to say, a ,ield o, in,inite s6bstit6tions in the &los6re o, a ,inite ense(ble)@ E72 4/8, 9C / -# Bor Aerrida, then, the &on&ept o, the @engineer@ @G6estioning the 6niHverse@ is, like Hegel+s ,atherHte5t en&o(passing the sonHpre,a&e, or Heidegger+s 7eing as trans&endental signi,ied, @a theologi&al idea,@ an idea that 'e need to ,6l,ill o6r desire ,or plenit6de and a6thority) He re(arks that 3OviH9tra6ss, like Heidegger, is a,,li&ted 'ith nostalgia% @one ) ) ) per&eives in his 'ork a sort o, ethi& o, presen&e, an ethi& o, nostalgia ,or origins, an ethi& o, ar&hai& and nat6ral inno&en&e, o, a p6rity o, presen&e and sel,Hpresen&e in spee&hEan ethi&, nostalgia, and even re(orse 'hi&h he o,ten presents as the (otivation o, the ethnologi&al proDe&t 'hen he (oves to'ard ar&hai&

""55## so&ietiesEe5e(plary so&ieties in his eyes) These te5ts are 'ell kno'n)@ E72 4/7, 9C / 4# Aerrida does not o,,er the obverse o, this nostalgia) He does not see in the (ethod o, the soH&alled e5a&t s&ien&es an episte(ologi&al (odel o, e5a&tit6de) All kno'ledge, 'hether one kno's it or not, is a spe&ies o, 5ricolage; 'ith its eye on the (yth o, @engineering)@ 76t that (yth is al'ays totally other, leaving an originary tra&e 'ithin @bri&olage)@ 3ike all @6se,6l@ 'ords, @bri&olage@ (6st also be pla&ed @6nder eras6re)@ Bor it &an only be de,ined by its di,,eren&e ,ro( its oppositeE@engineering)@ Pet that opposite, a (etaphysi&al nor(, &an in ,a&t never be present and th6s, stri&tly speaking, there is no &on&ept o, @bri&olage@ "that 'hi&h is not engineering#) Pet the &on&ept (6st be 6sedE6ntenable b6t ne&essary) @Bro( the (o(ent that 'e &ease to believe in s6&h an engineer ) ) ) as soon as it is ad(itted that every ,inite dis&o6rse is bo6nd by a &ertain 5ricolage; . . . the very idea o, 5ricolage is (ena&ed and the di,,eren&e in 'hi&h it took on its (eaning de&o(poses)@ E72 *#J; ". /0 # The possible and i(pli&it hierar&hi&al (ove, re(inding 6s that 5ricolage as a (odel is @preHs&ienti,i&,@ lo' on a &hain o, teleologi& develop(ent, here disappears) Aerrida does not allo' the possibility o, seeing 5ricolage as a &r6der, preHs&ienti,i& (ethod o, investigation, lo' on the evol6tionary s&ale) ;ne &an no' begin to 6nderstand a rather &rypti& senten&e in the Gram(matology: @2itho6t that tra&k !o, 'riting 6nder eras6re$, ) ) ) the 6ltraHtrans&endental te5t 95ricolage 6nder eras6re$ 'ill so &losely rese(ble the preH&riti&al te5t 95ricolage plain and si(ple$ as to be indisting6ishable ,ro( it)@ "9-, 7:# This 6ndoing yet preserving o, the opposition bet'een 5ricolage and engineering is an analog6e ,or Aerrida+s attit6de to'ard all oppositionsEan attit6de that @erases@ "in this spe&ial sense# all oppositions) . shall &o(e ba&k to this gest6re again and again in this Pre,a&e)

"As he develops the notion o, the Doy,6l yet laborio6s strategy o, re'riting the old lang6ageEa lang6age, in&identally, 'e (6st kno' 'ellEAerrida (entions the @&lVt6re@ o, (etaphysi&s) 2e (6st kno' that 'e are 'ithin the @&lVt6re@ o, (etaphysi&s, even as 'e atte(pt to 6ndo it) .t 'o6ld be an histori&ist (istake to represent this @&los6re@ o, (etaphysi&s as si(ply the te(poral ,inishingHpoint o, (etaphysi&s) .t is also the (etaHphysi&al desire to (ake the end &oin&ide 'ith the (eans, &reate an en(&los6re, (ake the de,inition &oin&ide 'ith the de,ined, the @,ather@ 'ith the @son@K 'ithin the logi& o, identity to balan&e the eG6ation, &lose the &ir&le) ;6r lang6age re,le&ts this desire) And so it is ,ro( 'ithin this lang6age that 'e (6st atte(pt an @opening)@#

""55i## II Aerrida 6ses the 'ord @(etaphysi&s@ very si(ply as shorthand ,or any s&ien&e o, presen&e) "., he 'ere to atte(pt a rigoro6s de,inition o, (etaHphysi&s, the 'ord+ 'o6ld no do6bt go @6nder eras6re)@# 76t it is this si(ple 5ricoleur@s take on the 'ord that per(its Aerrida to allo' the possibility o, a @>ar5ist@ or @str6&t6ralist@ (etaphysi&s) He p6ts it s6&&in&tly in that early essay ,ro( 'hi&h . have already G6oted% The history o, (etaphysi&s, like the history o, the 2est, is the history o, these (etaphors and (etony(ies 1* .ts (atri5Ei, yo6 'ill pardon (e ,or de(onstrating so little and ,or being so ellipti&al in order to bring (e (ore G6i&kly to (y prin&ipal the(eEis the deter(ination o, being as presence in all the senses o, this 'ord) .t 'o6ld be possible to sho' that all the na(es related to ,6nda(entals, to prin&iples, or to the &enter have al'ays designated the &onstant o, a presen&eEeidos, arch?; telos; energeia; ousia "essen&e, e5isten&e, s6bstan&e, s6bDe&t# aletheia; trans&endentality, &ons&io6sness, or &ons&ien&e, Iod, (an, and so ,orth) E72 41-H11, 9C /49# . have lingered on the @G6estion o, the pre,a&e@ and the pervasive Aerridean pra&ti&e o, the @so6s rat6re@ to slip into the at(osphere o, Aerrida+s tho6ght) =o' . speak o, his a&kno'ledged @pre&6rsors@E=ietFs&he, Bre6d, Heidegger, H6sserl) 19 . shall attend in greatest detail to =ietFs&he be&a6se o6r re&eived version o, hi( is so di,,erent ,ro( Aerrida+s, and be&a6se Aerrida+s relationship to hi( is so ines&apable) . shall then &o((ent on Aerrida+s attit6des to'ard str6&t6ralis(K on his o'n vo&ab6lary and pra&ti&e and on the str6&t6re o, the Grammatology. < ,e' 'ords ne5t abo6t translation, and 'e are into the te5t) Aerrida has given 6s t'o lists o, 'hat 'e sho6ld look ,or in =ietFs&he% @the syste(ati& (istr6st o, (etaphysi&s as a 'hole, the ,or(al approa&h to philosophi& dis&o6rse, the &on&ept o, the philosopherHartist, the rhetori&al and philologi&al G6estion asked o, the history o, philosophy, the s6spi&ion o, the val6es o, tr6th "+'ell applied &onvention+#, o, (eaning and o, being, o, J(eaning o, being+, the attention to the e&ono(i& pheno(ena o, ,or&e and o, di,,eren&e o, ,or&es, and so ,orth)@ ">P 8 /T 8# And, @?adi&aliFing the &on&epts o, interpretation; perspective; evaluation; di!!erence ... =ietFs&he, ,ar ,ro( re(aining simply "'ith Hegel and as Heidegger 'ished# 0ithin (etaphysi&s, &ontrib6ted a great deal to the liberation o, the signi,ier ,ro( its dependen&e or derivation 'ith respe&t to the logos, and the related &on&ept o, tr6th or the pri(ary signi,ied ) ) )@ "pH8/, 19#)

""55ii##

.t sho6ld by no' be &lear that =ietFs&he+s @s6spi&ion o, the val6e o, tr6th ) ) ) o, (eaning and o, being, o, J(eaning o, being+ @ o, the @&on&ept o, ) ) ) the pri(ary signi,ied,@ is inti(ately shared by Aerrida) The other ite(s on the t'o lists &an be bro6ght 6nder one head% philosophi&al disH&o6rse as ,or(al, rhetori&al, ,ig6rative dis&o6rse, a so(ething to be deH&iphered) The end o, this Pre,a&e 'ill (ake &lear ho' deeply Aerrida is &o((itted to s6&h a notion) Here . shall &o((ent on the i(pli&ations o, @the de&ipher(ent o, ,ig6rative dis&o6rse@ in =ietFs&he) As early as 1*78, =ietFs&he des&ribed (etaphor as the originary pro&ess o, 'hat the intelle&t presents as @tr6th)@ @The intelle&t, as a (eans ,or the preservation o, the individ6al, develops its &hie, po'er in dissi(6lation)@ /- @A nerveH sti(6l6s, ,irst trans&ribed 9C5ertragen: into an i(age 9Bild:P Birst (etaphorW The i(age again &opied into a so6ndW 9e&ond (etaphorW And ea&h ti(e he !the &reator o, lang6age$ leaps &o(pletely o6t o, one sphere right into the (idst o, an entirely di,,erent one)@ E/, ...) ii. 878, TB 17*# .n its si(plest o6tline, =ietFs&he+s de,inition o, (etaphor see(s to be the establishing o, an identity bet'een dissi(ilar things) =ietFs&he+s phrase is @Ilei&h (a&hen@ "(ake eG6al#, &alling to (ind the Ier(an 'ord @Ilei&hnis@Ei(age, si(ile, si(ilit6de, &o(parison, allegory, parableEan 6n(istakable pointer to ,ig6rative pra&ti&e in general) @4very idea originates thro6gh eG6ating the 6neG6al)@ E/, ...) ii. 874, TB 179# @2hat, there,ore, is tr6thR A (obile ar(y o, (etaphors, (etony(ies, anthropo(orphis(sK ) ) ) tr6ths are ill6sions o, 'hi&h one has ,orgotten that they are ill6sions, ) ) ) &oins 'hi&h have their obverse e,,a&ed and no' are no longer o, a&&o6nt as &oins b6t (erely as (etal)@ E/, ...) ii. 874H70, TB 1*o# . hold on here to the notions o, a pro&ess o, ,ig6ration and a pro&ess o, ,orget,6lness) .n this early te5t, =ietFs&he des&ribes the ,ig6rative drive as @that i(Hp6lse to'ards the ,or(ation o, (etaphors, that ,6nda(ental i(p6lse o, (an, 'hi&h 'e &annot reason a'ay ,or one (o(entE,or thereby 'e sho6ld reason a'ay (an hi(sel,) ) ) ) E/, ...) ii. 8*1, TB 1**# 3ater he 'ill give this drive the na(e @'ill to po'er)@ ;6r soH&alled 'ill to tr6th is a 'ill to po'er be&a6se @the soH&alled drive ,or kno'ledge &an be tra&ed ba&k to a drive to appropriate and &onG6er)@ /1 =ietFs&he+s sense o, the inevitable ,or&ing o, the iss6e, o, e5er&ising po'er, &o(es thro6gh in his itali&s% @ JThinking+ in pri(itive &onditions "preorgani&# is the &rystalliFation o, ,or(s) ) ) ) .n o6r tho6ght, the essential ,eat6re is ,itting ne' (ateHrial into old s&he(as, ) ) ) making eG6al 'hat is ne')@ // The h6(an being has nothing (ore to go on than a &olle&tion o, nerve sti(6li) And, be&a6se he or she (6st be se&6re in the kno'ledge o,, and there,ore po'er over, the @'orld@ "inside or o6tside#, the nerve sti(6li are e5plained and des&ribed thro6gh the &ategories o, ,ig6ration that (asG6erade as the &ategories o, @tr6th)@ These e5planations and

""55iii## des&riptions are @interpretations@ and re,le&t a h6(an inability to tolerate 6ndes&ribed &haosE@that the &olle&tive &hara&ter 9Gesamtcharakter: o, the 'orld ) ) ) is in all eternity &haosEin the sense not o, a la&k o, ne&essity b6t o, a la&k o, order, arrange(ent, ,or(, bea6ty, 'isdo(, and 'hatever other na(es there are ,or o6r aestheti& anthropo(orphis(s !h6(an 0eaknessesH Aenschlichkeiten:.323 As =ietFs&he s6ggests, this need ,or po'er thro6gh anthropo(orphi& de,ining &o(pels h6(anity to &reate an 6nending proli,eration o, interpretations 'hose only @origin,@ that sh6dder in the nerve strings, being a dire&t sign o, nothing, leads to no pri(ary signi,ied) As Aerrida 'rites, =ietFs&he provides an @entire the(ati&s o, a&tive interpretations, 'hi&h s6bstit6tes an in&essant de&iphering ,or the dis&los6re o, tr6th as a presentation o, the thing itsel,)@ EAP 19, 9P 149#

.nterpretation is @the introd6&tion o, (eaning@ "or @de&eption thro6gh meaning@E"innhineinlegenG; a (akingHsign that is a (akingH,ig6re, ,or there is, in this tho6ght, no possibility o, a literal, tr6e, sel,Hidenti&al (eanHing) .denti,i&ation EGleich(machenG &onstit6tes the a&t o, ,ig6ration) There,ore, @nothing is ever &o(prehended, b6t rather designated and disHtorted))))@ This e5tends, o, &o6rse, to the identity bet'een an a&t "e,,e&t# and its p6rpose "&a6se# % @4very single ti(e so(ething is done 'ith a p6rpose in vie', so(ething ,6nda(entally di,,erent and other o&&6rs)@ "2> H) 09, 18-K 2P 8-1, 801# The 'ill to po'er is a pro&ess o, @in&essant de&iphering@E,ig6rating, interpreting, signHi,ying thro6gh apHparent identi,i&ation) Th6s, even s6pposing that an a&t &o6ld be isolated 'ithin its o6tlines, to ga6ge the relationship bet'een it and its @originating@ &ons&io6sness, the &riti&al glan&e (6st reverse "ne&essarily nonidenti&allv# this de&ipher(ent, ,ollo' the 3aske0 path,@ read the a&t in its te5t6ality) .n this i(portant respe&t, @'itho6t hi( !=ietFs&he$ the +G6estion+ o, the te5t 'o6ld never have er6pted, at least in the pre&ise sense that it has taken today)@/4 .n $he Genealogy o! Aorals; =ietFs&he reads the history o, (orality as a te5t) He interprets the s6&&essive meanings o, syste(s o, (orality) @P6rHposes and 6tilities are only signs that a 'ill to po'er has be&o(e (aster o, so(ething less po'er,6l and has in t6rn i(printed the (eaning o, a ,6n&tion 6pon it 9ihm von sich aus den "inn einer &unktion a6, geprXgt hatQ this i(age o, <u ! prXg6ngE i(printingEJ,ig6ration+ in yet another sense, is (ost i(portant in =ietFs&he, and &onstantly re&6rs in this parti&6lar &onte5t$K and the entire history o, a Jthing+, an organ, a &6sto( &an in this 'ay be a &ontin6o6s signH&hain o, ever ne' interpretations and (akeHshi,t e5&6ses 9Iurechtmachungen: 'hose &a6ses do not even have to be related to one another in a p6rely &han&e ,ashion)@/0 @All &on&epts in 'hi&h an entire pro&ess is se(ioti&ally teles&oped 9Iusammen!asst: el6de de,inition)@ E/,; %-. ii. 888, I> *o# Aerrida 'o6ld, o, &o6rse, s6spend the entire notion o, se(iosis, p6t the sign 6nder eras6re) .t is possible to read

""55iv## s6&h a s6spension into =ietFs&he+s @&ontin6o6s signH&hains,@ 'itho6t origin and end in @tr6th)@ And th6s it is possible to dis&over an a,,inity bet'een Aerrida+s pra&ti&e in ! Grammatology and =ietFs&he+s interpretation o, val6e syste(s as in,inite te5t6alityK and to see in Aerrida+s de&ipher(ent o, the negative val6ation o, 'riting 'ithin the spee&hH'riting hierar&hy the (ark o, a =ietFs&hean @genealogy)@ 76t it is also possible to &riti&iFe =ietFs&he+s inde,inite e5pansion o, the notion o, (etaphori&ity or ,ig6ration as a gest6re that t6rns ba&k 6pon itsel,) @=ietFs&he stret&hes the li(its o, the (etaphori&al,@ Aerrida 'rites% to s6&h a point that he attrib6tes (etaphori&al po'er to every 6se o, so6nd in speaking% ,or does this not involve the trans,er into the ti(e o, speaking o, so(ething that has a di,,erent nat6re in itsel,R ) ) ) 9trangely eno6gh, this &o(es do'n to treating every signi,ier as a (etaphor ,or the signi,ied, 'hile the &lassi&al &on&ept o, (etaphor denotes only the s6bstit6tion o, one signi,ied ,or another so that the one be&o(es the signi,ier o, the other) .s not =ietFs&he+s pro&ed6re here pre&isely to e5tend to every ele(ent o, dis&o6rse, 6nder the na(e metaphor; 'hat &lassi&al rhetori& no less strangely &onsidered a G6ite spe&i,i& ,ig6re o, spee&h, metonymy o! the sign !that the sign as @a part@ stood !or @the 'hole@ (eaning$R@/ 2e sho6ld, o, &o6rse, note that Aerrida+s &riti&is( is ,ra(ed in t'o G6estions, rather than in a series o, de&larations) Pet, even i, 'e 'ere to take only the de&larative senten&e in o6r passage, it 'o6ld be &lear that Aerrida &riti&iFes =ietFs&he pre&isely be&a6se 'hat =ietFs&he de&iphers he holds de&ipherable and

be&a6se (etaphor "or ,ig6re# so vastly e5panded &o6ld si(ply be&o(e the na(e o, the pro&ess o, signi,i&ation rather than a &ritiG6e o, that pro&ess) .t 'o6ld be (ore a&&eptable i, =ietFs&he had p6t (etaphor, or ,ig6re, or interpretation, or perspe&tive, or, ,or that (atter, tr6th, 6nder eras6re) . shall s6ggest that a (ove to'ard s6&h an eras6re (ay be tra&ed thro6gh =ietFs&he+s &ritiG6e o, &ons&io6sness and the @s6bDe&t)@ 2hen the o6tlines o, the @s6bDe&t@ are loosened, the &on&epts o, ,ig6ration or (etaphori&ityErelated to (eaningH,6lH ness,Eare s6bs6(ed 6nder the broader &ategories o, appropriation and the play o, resistant ,or&es) The 'ord @(etaphor@ is seen to be 6sed @so6s rat6re,@ as a (ethodologi&al &onvenien&e, ,or it re,ers to a (ore en&o(passing str6&t6re not ne&essarily involved in (eaningH(aking) 3et 6s ,ollo' the 6n,olding o, this pattern) The @s6bDe&t@ is a 6ni,ied &on&ept and there,ore the res6lt o, @interpretation)@ =ietFs&he o,ten stresses that it is a spe&i,i&ally ling6isti& ,ig6rative habit o, i((e(orial standing% @that 'hen it is tho6ght 90enn gedacht 0ird: there (6st be so(ething Jthat thinks+ is si(ply a ,or(6lation o, o6r gra((ati&al &6sto( that adds a doer to every deed)@ "2> ..) 18, 2P / *# The @ insertion o! a su56ect3 is 3!ictitious.3 E,A ..) no, 2P 887# The 'ill to po'er as the su56ect@s (etaphoriFing or ,ig6rating, or introH

""55v## d6&tion o, (eaning, (6st there,ore be G6estioned) And =ietFs&he a&&ordingly asks, pondering on the @(aking eG6al@ o, pro5i(ate sensations, a propos o, ho' 3images . . . then 0ords; . . . ,inally concepts arise in the spirit@% @Th6s &on,6sion o, t'o sensations that are &lose neighbors, as 'e take note o, these sensationsK b6t 0ho is taking noteR@ E,A ..) /8, 2P /70# =ietFs&he a&&ordingly entertains the notion o, the 'ill to po'er as an abstra&t and 6nlo&aliFed ,ig6rative "interpretative# pro&ess% @;ne (ay not ask% J'ho then interpretsR+ ,or the interpretation itsel, is a ,or( o, the 'ill to po'er, e5ists "b6t not as a Jbeing+ b6t as a pro&ess, a beH&o(ing# as an a,,e&t)@ E,A ..) 1, 2P 8-/# 9o(eti(es =ietFs&he pla&es this abstra&t 'ill to po'er, an in&essant ,ig6ration, not 6nder the &ontrol o, any kno'ing s6bDe&t, b6t rather 6nderHgro6nd, in the 6n&ons&io6s) The =ietFs&hean 6n&ons&io6s is that vast arena o, the (ind o, 'hi&h the soH&alled @s6bDe&t@ kno's nothing) As Aerrida re(arks% @both !Bre6d and =ietFs&he$ ) ) ) o,ten in a very si(ilar 'ay, G6estioned the sel,Hass6red &ertit6de o, &ons&io6sness) ) ) ) Bor =ietFs&he Jthe i(portant (ain a&tivity is 6n&ons&io6s)+ @ ">P 1*, 9P 14*# .,, ho'ever, 'e 'ant to hold onto @the i(portant (ain a&tivity@ 'e have to go ,6rther than the 6n&ons&io6s, 'e have to rea&h the body, the organis() ., the @6n&ons&io6s@ is 6nkno'n to 6s, ho' (6&h (ore so the bodyW Already in the early essay @;n Tr6th and Balsity in their Ultra(oral 9ense,@ the &onne&tions are being established% 2hat indeed does (an kno' abo6t hi(sel,R ) ) ) Aoes not nat6re keep se&ret ,ro( hi( (ost things, even abo6t his body, e)g), the &onvol6tions o, the intestines, the G6i&k ,lo' o, the bloodH&6rrents, the intri&ate vibration o, the ,ibres, so as to banish and lo&k hi( 6p in pro6d, del6sive kno'ledgeR =at6re thre' a'ay the keys and 'oe to the ,ate,6l &6riosity 'hi&h (ight be able ,or a (o(ent to look o6t and do'n thro6gh a &revi&e in the &ha(ber o, &ons&io6sness, and dis&over that (an indi,,erent to his o'n ignoran&e, is resting on the pitiless, the greedy, the insatiable, the (6rdero6s, and, as it 'ere, hanging in drea(s on the ba&k o, a tiger) 2hen&e, in the 'ide 'orld, 'ith this state o, a,,airs, arise the i(p6lse o, tr6thR "=2 ...) ii, 871, TB 170T7 # Here is the early signal ,or a s'eeping G6estion like this one in $he Gay "cience: @The 6n&ons&io6s disg6ise o, physiologi&al needs 6nder the &loaks o, the

obDe&tive, ideal, p6rely spirit6al goes to ,rightening lengthsEand o,ten . have asked (ysel, 'hether, taking a large vie' philosophy has not been (erely an interpretation o, the body and a misunderstanding o! the 5ody.3 E/, %. ii. 1 , I9 84T80# A yet (ore s'eeping de&larative ,ragH(ent% @;6r (ost sa&red &onvi&tions, the 6n&hanging ele(ents in o6r s6pre(e val6es, are D6dg(ents o, o6r (6s&les)@ E,A -. 87-, 2P 178# .t is as i, that &ontrolling ,ig6rative pra&ti&e that &onstit6tes all o6r &ognition is being handed over to the body) And indeed =ietFs&he+s spe&6lation goes ,6rther) @>aking eG6al@ is seen as a sy(pto( o, being ani(ate, rather

""55vi## than the @privilege@ o, being h6(anK the 'ill to po'er @appropriates@ in the organis(, be,ore the @na(e o, (an@ (ay be broa&hed% @All tho6ght, D6dg(ent, per&eption, as &o(parison 9Gleichnis: has as its pre&ondition a Jpositing o, eG6ality+ 9GleichsetBen:; and earlier still a Rmaking eG6al+ 9Gleich(machen:. The pro&ess o, (aking eG6al is the sa(e as the in&orpoHration o, appropriated (aterial in the a(oeba ) ) ) !and$ &orresponds e5a&tly to that e5ternal, (e&hani&al pro&ess "'hi&h is its sy(bol# by 'hi&h protoplas( &ontin6ally (akes 'hat it appropriates eG6al to itsel, and arranges it into its o'n ,or(s and ranks 9in seine )eihen and &ormen einordnet:.3 E,A ..) /1, /0K 2P 2D3KD*; 2D=G Appropriation and its sy(bol, (aking eG6al, positing as eG6alEthe pro&ess operates in the organi& 6niverse ,or its o'n preservation and &onstit6tion be,ore the h6(an &ons&io6sness appropriates it and de&lares it the pro&ess o, the dis&overy o, tr6th, the establish(ent o, kno'ledge) The pro&ess di,,erentiates itsel, into the (apping o, the (oral 6niverse% @.s it virt6o6s 'hen a &ell trans,or(s itsel, into a ,6n&tion o, a stronger &ellR .t has to do so 9"ie muss es:. And is it evil 'hen the stronger &ell assi(ilates the 'eakerR ) ) ) Joy and desire appear together in the stronger that 'ants to trans,or( so(ething into its ,6n&tion, Doy and the 'ish to be desired appear together in the 'eaker that 'ants to be&o(e a ,6n&tion)@ "=2 1) ii) 104, G" 170T7 # Here the relationship bet'een ,ig6ration on the one hand, and appropriation, the play o, ,or&es, on the other, &o(es &lear) 9peaking o, the h6(an 'ill to tr6th, ling6isti& ,ig6ration is the ,ig6re =ietFs&he (6st e(ploy) >oving @ba&k@ into the organis( in general, di,,erentiations a(ong goodness, strength, tr6th begin to bl6rK appropriation &o(es to be a (ore e(bra&ing ter( than interpretation) Ad(ittedly, this ne6traliFing rigor is not o,ten e8plicit in =ietFs&he) 76t 'hen it is operative, the irred6&ible des&ription o, the 'ill to po'er as a sear&h ,or 'hat is resistant to itsel, e(erges) @The 'ill to po'er &an (ani,est itsel, only against resistan&esK there,ore it seeks that 'hi&h resists it) ) ) )@ E,A .. 1/8, 2P 84 # Consider also that &6rio6s series o, notes, (ade bet'een =ove(ber 1**7 and >ar&h 1***, 'here =ietFs&he tries to bypass lang6age to e5press 'hat 'e &an &r6dely &all the 'ill to po'er as the play o, 'ill and noH'ill) .t is 'orth (ediating 6pon the entire passage) Here . G6ote sele&tively to give a sense o, the proble(% There are no d6rable 6lti(ate 6nits, no ato(s, no (onadsK here, too, beings are only introd6&ed by 6s)))) @1al6e@ is essentially the standpoint ,or the in&rease or de&rease o, these do(inating &enters "@(6ltipli&ities@ in any &ase, b6t @6nits@ are no'here present in the nat6re o, be&o(ing# ) 3ing6isti& (eans o, e5pression are 6seless ,or e5pressing @be&o(ing@K it a&&ords 'ith o6r inevitable need to preserve o6rselves to posit a &r6de 'orld o, stability, o, @things,@ et&) 2e (ay vent6re to speak o, ato(s and (onads in a relative senseK and it is &ertain that the s(allest 'orld is (ost d6rableEThere is no 'ill% there are

""55vii##

p6n&t6ations o, 'ill 9,illens(Punktationen: that are &onstantly in&reasing or losing their po'er) "2> ..) 171T7/, 2P 8*oT*1# =ietFs&he 6ses the ti(eHhonored ,ig6re o, the point Estigm?G 2D only as the relatively sa,est i(age o, a 6nit, and even then not as a sign ,or d6rability or &ontin6ity, b6t rather as the parti&ipant in a disD6n&tive periodi&ity o, "positive or negative# energiFing, a p6n&t6ation perhaps also in the sense o, the deploy(ent o, spa&e as &onstit6ting 'hat is 6s6ally taken to be a te(poral or histori&al &ontin6ity) As 'e shall see later, the str6&t6ral &o(pli&ity here 'ith Bre6d+s psy&hi& ti(eH(a&hine is striking) Bor the (o(ent o6r arg6(ent is that in this strained and hedged i(age o, the ,illens(Punktationen "'here it is not even &lear i, the topi& is the restri&ted h6(an 'ill or the prin&iple o, the 'ill to po'er E,or 'ho, a,ter all, &an @ling6istiH&ally e5press@ the 'ill to po'erR#, =ietF&he+s theory o, (etaphori&ity or ,ig6ration e5plodes into @so6s rat6re@ and ne6traliFes into a play o, resisting ,or&es) This is ho' . (6st interpret Aerrida+s &o((ent, (ade o6tside o, the &onte5t o, =ietFs&he+s theory o, (etaphor% @) ) ) the Ja&tive+ "in (ove(ent# dis&ord o, the di,,erent ,or&es and o, the di,,eren&es bet'een ,or&es 'hi&h =ietFs&he opposes to the entire syste( o, (etaphysi&al gra((ar)@ ">P 19, 9P 149# =o' i, the @s6bDe&t@ is th6s p6t in G6estion, it is &lear that the philosopher &reating his syste( (6st distr6st hi(sel, as none other) And indeed =ietFs&he arti&6lates this proble( o,ten) He &o6&hes his boldest insights in the ,or( o, G6estions that 'e &annot dis(iss as a rhetori&al ploy) 2riting on @The Uses and Ab6ses o, History@ as early as 1*74, he 'arns 6s% @And this present treatise, as . 'ill not atte(pt to deny, sho's the (odern note o, a 'eak personality in the inte(perateness o, its &riti&is(, the 6nripeness o, its h6(anity, in the too ,reG6ent transitions ,ro( irony to &yni&is(, ,ro( arrogan&e to s&epti&is()@/* The spirit o, sel,Hdiagnosis is strong in every =ietFs&hean te5t) @4very so&iety has the tenden&y to red6&e its opponents to &ari&at6resEat least in i(aginationE))) A(ong i((oralists it is the (oralist% Plato, ,or e5a(ple, be&o(es a &ari&at6re in (y hands)@ E,A .) 41-T11, 2P /-/# C6ite in passing, he pla&es a 'arning ,ra(e aro6nd all his philosophiFing% @;ne seeks a pi&t6re o, the 'orld in that philosophy in 'hi&h 'e ,eel ,reestK i)e), in 'hi&h o6r (ost po'er,6l drive ,eels ,ree to ,6n&tion) This 'ill also be the &ase 'ith (eW@ "2> .) 41-T11, 2P //4T/0# .n a passage in $he Gay "cience; he spells o6t his version o, the parti&6lar proble( that leads Heidegger and Aerrida to 'riting 6nder eras6re% Ho' ,ar the perspe&tive &hara&ter o, e5isten&e e5tends or indeed 'hether e5isten&e has any other &hara&ter than thisK 'hether e5isten&e 'itho6t interpretation, 'itho6t @sense,@ does not be&o(e @nonsense@K 'hether, on the other

""55viii## hand, all e5isten&e is not essentially an interpreting e5isten&e 9ein a6slegendes 2asein:Hthat &annot be de&ided even by the (ost ind6strio6s and (ost s&r6p6lo6sly &ons&ientio6s analysis and sel,He5a(ination o, the intelle&tK ,or in the &o6rse o, this analysis the h6(an intelle&t &annot avoid seeing itsel, in its o'n perspe&tive ,or(s 9perspektivische &orm:S and only in these) 2e &annot look aro6nd o6r o'n &orner) "=2 1) ii) 8-*, I9 88 # .nstan&es &an be (6ltiplied) 76t 'e (6st not only re&ord =ietFs&he+s a'areness o, this proble(, b6t o, so(e o, his 'ays o, &oping 'ith it) ;ne o, the( (ight be =ietFs&he+s pervasive strategy o, inters6bstit6ting opposites) ., one is al'ays bo6nd by one+s perspe&tive, one &an at least deliberately reverse perspe&tives as o,ten as possible, in the pro&ess 6ndoing opposed perspe&tives, sho'ing that the t'o ter(s o, an opposition are (erely a&&o(pli&es o, ea&h other) .t 'o6ld take a detailed analysis o, =ietFs&hean pra&ti&e to de(onstrate 'hat . a(

(erely going to s6ggest here% the notion that the setting 6p o, 6nitary opposites is an instr6(ent and a &onseG6en&e o, @(aking eG6al,@ and the dissolving o, opposites is the philosopher+s gest6re against that 'ill to po'er 'hi&h 'o6ld (ysti,y her very sel,) Here let a representative re(ark s6,,i&e% @There are no opposites% only ,ro( those o, logi& do 'e derive the &on&ept o, oppositesEand ,alsely trans,er it to things)@ "2> ..) 0 , 2P /9*# . have already d'elt on =ietFs&he+s proble(atiFing o, the opposition bet'een @(etaphor@ and @&on&ept,@ @body@ and @(ind)@ Any sa(pling o, =ietFs&he+s 'riting 'o6ld be &rosshat&hed 'ith s6&h 6ndoings) Here are a ,e' provo&ative e5a(ples, 'hi&h . append so that the reader (ay sense their i(pli&it or e5pli&it 'orkings as she reads the Grammatology: 96bDe&t and ;bDe&tK both a (atter o, interpretation% @=o, !obDe&tive$ ,a&ts are pre&isely 'hat there is not, only interpretations) 2e &annot establish any ,a&t Jin itsel,+ ) ) ) J4verything is s6bDe&tive,+ yo6 sayK b6t even this is interpretation) The s6bDe&t is not so(ething given, it is a s6peradded invention, st6&k on to the tail 9et0as HinBu(7rdichtetes; 2ahinter(Gestecktes:. @ "2> ..) 11E1/, 2P / 7# Tr6th and errorK no @tr6th@ at the origin, b6t @tr6ths@ and @errors@Eneither des&ription (ore a&&6rate than the otherE&ast 6p by the 'aves o, &ontrolH preserving interpretations% @2hat are (an+s tr6ths a,ter allR They are (an+s irre!uta5le errors)@ "=2 1) ii 19 , I9 /19# @Tr6th is the kind o, error 'itho6t 'hi&h a &ertain spe&ies o, living being &o6ld not live)@ "2> 19, 2P /7/# Iood and evil "(orality and i((orality# % @An abs6rd pres6pposition ))) takes good and evil ,or realities that &ontradi&t one another "not as &o(ple(entary val6e &on&epts#) ) ) )@ "2> .) 897, 2P 19/# @>orality itsel, is a spe&ial &ase o, i((orality)@ "2> .) 481, 2P /17# Theory and pra&ti&e% @Aangero6s distin&tion bet'een Jtheoreti&al+ and Jpra&ti&al+ ) ) ) as i, p6re spirit6ality prod6&ed 9vorlege: . . . the proble(s o,

""55i5## kno'ledge and (etaphysi&sKE ) ) ) as i, pra&ti&e (6st be D6dged by its o'n (eas6re, 'hatever the ans'er o, theory (ight t6rn o6t to be 9aus!alle:.3 "2> .)4*1, 2P /01# P6rpose and a&&ident, death and li,e% @;n&e yo6 kno' that there are no p6rposes, yo6 also kno' that there is no a&&ident, ,or it is only beside a 'orld o, p6rposes that the 'ord Ja&&ident+ has (eaning) 3et 6s be'are o, saying that death is opposed to li,e) The living is (erely a type o, 'hat is dead, and a very rare type)@ "=2 1) ii) 14 , I9 1 *K again, the &o(pli&ity 'ith Bre6d+s spe&6lations abo6t the individ6al, organi& li,e, and inertia is striking)# /9 =ietFs&he+s 6ndoing o, opposites is a version o, Aerrida+s pra&ti&e o, 6ndoing the( thro6gh the &on&ept o, @di,,eran&e@ "de,er(entHdi,,eren&e#, 'hi&h . dis&6ss later) Aerrida hi(sel, notes the a,,inity% 2e &o6ld th6s take 6p all the &o6pled oppositions on 'hi&h philosophy is &onstr6&ted, and ,ro( 'hi&h o6r lang6age lives, not in order to see opposition vanish b6t to see the e(ergen&e o, a ne&essity s6&h that one o, the ter(s apH pears as the di,,eran&e o, the other, the other as @di,,ered@ 'ithin the syste(ati& ordering 9l@'conomie: o, the sa(e "e)g), the intelligible as di,,ering ,ro( the sensible, as sensible di,,eredK the &on&ept as di,,eredHdi,,ering int6ition, li,e as di,,eredHdi,,ering (atterK (ind as di,,eredHdi,,ering li,eK &6lt6re as di,,eredH di,,ering nat6re))))#) .n =ietFs&he, these are so (any the(es that &an be related 'ith the sy(pto(atology that al'ays diagnoses the evasions and r6ses o, anything disg6ised in its di,,eran&e) EAP 1*E19, 9P 14*E49# ;ne atte(pt at a holding a&tion against the i(possibility o, breaking o6t o, the en&los6re o, @interpretation@ is a @pl6ral style)@ .n an essay translated as @The 4nds o, >an,@ Aerrida 'rites% @As =ietFs&he said, it is perhaps a &hange o, style

that 'e needK =ietFs&he has re(inded 6s that, i, there is style, it (6st be plural.3 3F And, (6&h later, @the G6estion o, style &an and (6st try its strength against the grand G6estion o, the interpretation, o,, si(ply, interpretation, to resolve or disG6ali,y it in its state(ent)@ "C9 /08# The &on,o6nding o, opposites, 'ith the attendant s'it&hing o, perspe&tive, (ight be an e5a(ple o, that pl6ral style) And so (ight =ietFs&he+s 6se o, (any registers o, dis&o6rse in s6&h 'orks as $hus "poke Iarathustra; $he Gay "cience; and 7cce Ho(o, or Aerrida+s shi,ts bet'een &o((entary, interpretation, @,i&tion,@ in the 'orks i((ediately ,ollo'ing ;, Grammatology and his typographi&al play 'ith (odes o, disH&o6rse in Aarges or Glas. Perhaps =ietFs&he+s boldest insight in the ,a&e o, the ines&apable bo6ndary is an e5hortation to the 'ill to ignoran&e% @.t is not eno6gh that yo6 6nderstand in 'hat ignoran&e (an and beast liveK yo6 (6st also have and a&G6ire the 0ill to ignoran&e)@ "2> ..) 9*, 2P 8/*# 2hat is (ore &onventionally &alled @Doy,6l 6n'isdo(@ "=2 ...) i) /0/, UA 10# in an

""555## early te5t is later na(ed @Doy,6l 'isdo(@Ethe gay s&ien&eEand seen as the greatest threat to the &hain o, sel,Hpreservative interpretations that a&&epts its o'n a&tivity as @tr6e@ and @good@% @The greatest danger that al'ays hovered over h6(anity and still hovers over it is the er6ption o, madnessH'hi&h (eans the er6ption o, arbitrariness in ,eeling, seeing, and hearing, the enDoy(ent o, the (ind+s la&k o, dis&ipline, the Doy in h6(an 6nHreason) =ot tr6th and &ertainty are the opposite o, the 'orld o, the (ad(an, b6t the 6niversality and the 6niversal binding ,or&e o, a ,aithK in s6(, the nonarbitrary &hara&ter o, D6dg(ents)@ E/, %. ii. #FDKFJ; G" #3FG The 'ill to ignoran&e, the Doy,6l 'isdo(, (6st also be prepared to reDoi&e in 6n&ertainty, to reDoi&e in and even to 'ill the reversal o, all val6es that (ight have &o(e to see( tenable% @=o longer Doy in &ertainty b6t in 6n&ertainty ) ) ) no longer 'ill to preservation b6t to po'er))))@ E,A ..) 3>T; ,P T*TG This &ontin6al riskHtaking is the a,,ir(ative play in =ietFs&he that AerHrida 'ill o,ten &o((ent on) @. do not kno' any other 'ay,@ =ietFs&he 'rites, @o, asso&iating 'ith great tasks than play.381 @2isdo(% that see(s to the rabble to be a kind o, ,light, an arti,i&e and (eans ,or getting oneHsel, o6t o, a dangero6s ga(eK b6t the gen6ine philosopherEas he see(s to 6s, (y ,riendsRElives J6nphilosophi&ally+ and J6n'isely,+ above all im(prudently; . . . he risks himsel! &onstantly, he plays the dangero6s ga(e)@8/ This i(pr6den&e, &onstantly atte(pting to bypass the pr6den&e o, stabiliFing thro6gh @interpretation,@ is amor !ati; the love o, 'hat Aerrida &alls @the ga(e o, &han&e 'ith ne&essity, o, &ontingen&y 'ith la')@ "Ais 3F>G This is the dan&e o, the ;verH(an, a dan&e =ietFs&he des&ribes in ter(s o, hi(sel, 'ith a &ertain poignan&y% @Ho' 'onder,6l and ne' and yet ho' gr6eso(e and ironi& . ,ind (y position visHYHvis the 'hole o, e5isten&e in the light o, (y insightW ) ) ) . s6ddenly 'oke 6p in the (idst o, this drea(, b6t only to the &ons&io6sness that . a( drea(ing and that . must go on drea(ing lest . perishE)))) A(ong all these drea(ers, ., too, 'ho Jkno',+ a( dan&ing (y dan&e)@ "=2 1) ii) >F(>#; G" 11 # The @kno'ledge@ o, the philosopher pla&es hi( a(ong the drea(ers, ,or kno'ledge is a drea() 76t the philosopher @kno'ingly@ agrees to drea(, to drea( o, kno'ledge, agrees to @,orget@ the lesson o, philosophy, only so as to @prove@ that lesson) ) ) ) .t is a vertigino6s (ove(ent that &an go on inde,initely or, to 6se =ietFs&hean lang6age, ret6rn eternally) This preH&ario6s 3!orget!ulness;3 @a&tive !orget!ulness;3 is 'hat Aerrida e(phasiFes in =ietFs&he+s ;verH(an) He 'rites, again in @The 4nds o, >an@% His !the ;verH(an+s$ la6ghter 'ill then break o6t to'ards a ret6rn 'hi&h 'ill no longer have the ,or( o, the (etaphysi&al ret6rn o, h6(anis( any (ore than it

'ill 6ndo6btedly take the ,or(, @beyond@ (etaphysi&s, o, the (e(orial or o, the g6ard o, the sense o, the being, or the ,or( o, the ho6se and the tr6th

""555i## o, 7eing) He 'ill dan&e, o6tside o, the ho6se, that @aktive 1ergesFli&hkeit,@ that a&tive ,orget,6lness "@o6blian&e@# and that &r6el "gra6sa(# ,east !'hi&h$ is spoken o, in $he Genealogy o! Aorals. =o do6bt =ietFs&he &alled 6pon an a&tive ,orget,6lness "@o6blian&e@# o, 7eing 'hi&h 'o6ld not have had the (etaphysi&al ,or( 'hi&h Heidegger as&ribed to it) EAP 1 8, 7A TDG 3ike everything else in =ietFs&he, this ,orget,6lness is at least do6bleHedged) 4ven in his early 'ritings @,orget,6lness@ (akes its appearan&e in t'o opposed ,or(s% as a li(itation that prote&ts the h6(an being ,ro( the blinding light o, an absol6te histori&al (e(ory "that 'ill, a(ong other things, reveal that @tr6ths@ spring ,ro( @interpretations@#, as 'ell as an attrib6te boldly &hosen by the philosopher in order to avoid ,alling into the trap o, @histori&al kno'ledge)@ .n the 'ork o, the seventies, there are, on the one hand, passages s6&h as the ,ollo'ing "in 'hi&h 'e (6st grasp the ,6ll irony o, the 'ord @tr6th@# % 2e do not yet kno' 'hen&e the i(p6lse to tr6th &o(es, ,or 6p to no' 'e have heard only abo6t the obligation 'hi&h so&iety i(poses in order to e5ist% to be tr6th,6l, that is, to 6se the 6s6al (etaphors, there,ore e5pressed (orally% 'e have heard only abo6t the obligation to lie a&&ording to a ,i5ed &onvention, to lie gregario6sly in a style binding ,or all) =o' (an o, &o6rse ,orgets that (atters are going th6s 'ith hi(K he there,ore lies in that ,ashion pointed o6t 6n&ons&io6sly and a&&ording to habits o, &ent6ries+ standingEand by this very uncon(sciousness; by this very ,orgetting, he arrives at a sense ,or tr6th) "=2 ...) ii) 3DT; -& 1*-T*1# ., 'e appre&iate the ,6ll irony o, this passage, it be&o(es i(possible ,or 6s to take a passage s6&h as the ,ollo'ing, also 'ritten in the seventies, at ,a&e val6e, 'ith the @histori&al sense@ as the 6nG6estioned villain "altho6gh, ad(ittedly, 'e (6st (ake a distin&tion bet'een an a&ade(i& and preservative !on the one hand$ and a philosophi& and destr6&tive !on the other$, sense o, history# % @The histori&al sense (akes its servants passive and retrospe&tive) ;nly in (o(ents o, ,orget,6lness, 'hen that sense is inter(ittent 9intermittirtQ &o(pare the dis&ontin6o6s energiFing o, ,illens(Punktationen:; does the (an 'ho is si&k o, the histori&al ,ever ever a&t)@ E/, ...) i. 8-1, U< =JG And thro6gh this net'ork o, shi,ting val6es, 'e begin to gli(pse the &o(ple5ity o, the a&t o, choosing ,orget,6lness, already advan&ed as a partial sol6tion to the proble( o, history in the sa(e early essay% @) ) ) the antidotes o, history are the J6nhistori&al+ and the Js6perHhistori&al)+ ) ) ) 7y the 'ord J6nhistori&al+ . (ean the po'er, the art o, !or( getting; and o, dra'ing a li(ited horiFon ro6nd one+s sel,)@ E/, ...) i. 32=; U< >TG . a( not going to &o((ent e5tensively on =ietFs&he+s tho6ght o, ,orget,6lness, b6t si(ply re(ark that, even in the passage in $he Genealogy

""555ii## o! Aorals to 'hi&h Aerrida e5pressly re,ers, this a(bivalen&e is &learly (arked) The Doyo6s a,,ir(ative a&t o, ,orget,6lness is also a deliberate repression% Borgetting is no (ere vis inertiae as the s6per,i&ial i(agineK it is rather an a&tive and in the stri&test sense positive ,a&6lty o, repression 9HemmungsvermOgen:; that is responsible ,or the ,a&t that 'hat 'e e5perien&e and absorb enters o6r &ons&io6sness as little 'hile 'e are digesting it "one (ight &all the pro&ess @inpsy&hation@# as does the tho6sand,old pro&ess, involved in physi&al no6rish(entEsoH&alled @in&orporation)@ To &lose the doors and 'indo's o,

&ons&io6sness ,or a ti(eK to re(ain 6ndist6rbed by the noise and str6ggle o, o6r 6nderH'orld o, 6tility organs 'orking 'ith and against one anotherK a little G6ietness, a little tab6la rasa o, the &ons&io6sness, to (ake roo( ,or ne' thing, above all ,or the nobler ,6n&tions and ,6n&tionaries, ,or reg6lation, ,oresight, pre(editation ",or o6r organis( is oligar&hi&allv dire&ted 9oligarchisch eingerichtet: GHthat is the p6rpose o, a&tive ,orget,6lness, 'hi&h is like a doorkeeper, a preserver o, psy&hi& order, repose, and etiG6ette% so that it 'ill be i((ediately obvio6s ho' there &o6ld be no happiness, no &heer,6lness, no hope, no pride, no present; 'itho6t ,orget,6lness) E/, %-. ii.; 3FDKFJQ GA TDKTJG @Nno'ing@ that there is no'here an isolatable 6nit, not even an ato(isti& one, and that &on&eptions o, a 6ni,ied present are (erely an interpretation, the philosopher, by an a&t o, @,orgetting@ that kno'ledge, 'ins hi(sel, a @present)@ 2ithin that &reated ,ra(e he, 'ho has do6bted the possibility o, any stable (orality, any possibility o, tr6th, nonetheless speaks in one o, the strongest pole(i&al voi&es in 46ropean tho6ght, not only taking sides b6t de(olishing his opponents) =ietFs&he+s 'ork is the 6nre&on&iled playgro6nd o, this @kno'ledge@ and this @,orget,6lness,@ the establish(ent o, the kno'ledge "that presents all kno'ing as (ere sy(pto(# as &onvin&ing as the voi&e o, ,orget,6lness "that gives 6s the (ost (e(orable prophe&y#) The (ost &o((on predi&a(ent in the reading o, =ietFs&he is to de,eat onesel, in the e,,ort to establish a &oheren&e bet'een the t'o) 76t the s6staining o, the in&oheren&e, to (ake the t'o poles in a &6rio6s 'ay interdependent,Ethat is =ietFs&he+s s6perb tri&k) ,hat =ietFs&he+s style brings o,, here is, to borro' a Aerridean p6n, 'hat the stylus perH,or(s 'hen, in the gest6re o, @so6s rat6re,@ it deletes and leaves legible at the sa(e ti(e) A hint is lodged in =ietFs&he+s o'n des&ription o, @the psy&hologi&al proble( in the type o, Zarath6stra%@ @ho' he that says =o and does =o to an 6nheardHo, degree, to everything to 'hi&h one has so ,ar said Pes, &an nevertheless be the opposite o, a =oHsaying spirit)@88 >artin Heidegger, as 'e have seen, drea(s o, ann6lling a ,irst ,orget,6lness o, the G6estion o, 7eing) Bor hi(, @all ,6nda(entalHontologi&al &onstr6&tion 9!undamental(ontologische Uonstruktion: . . . (6st in its plan 9im 7nt0er!en: 'rest ,ro( ,orget,6lness that 'hi&h is planned 9in den 7nt0ur! Genommene:. The basi&, ,6nda(entalHontologi&al a&t o, the (etaphysi&s

""555iii## o, 2asein is, there,ore, a @re(e(bering ba&k 9,iedererinnerung:.33* .t is th6s thro6gh the notion o, an active ,orget,6lness that =ietFs&he, Aerrida believes, gives Heidegger the slip) To re&all the passage ,ro( Aerrida that . have already G6oted, the @la6ghter@ o, the ;verH(an 'ill not be a @(e(orial or ) ) ) g6ard o, the ) ) ) ,or( o, the ho6se and the tr6th o, 7eing) He 'ill dan&e, o6tside o, the ho6se, this ) ) ) a&tive ,orget,6lness)@ Heidegger stands bet'een Aerrida and =ietFs&he) Al(ost on every o&&asion that Aerrida 'rites o, =ietFs&he, Heidegger+s reading is invoked) .t is as i, Aerrida dis&overs his =ietFs&he thro6gh and against Heidegger) .n the Grammatology; he 'rites% @) ) ) rather than prote&t =ietFs&he ,ro( the Heideggerian reading, 'e sho6ld perhaps o,,er hi( 6p to it &o(pletely, 6nder'riting that interpretation 'itho6t reserveK in a certain 0ay and 6p to the point 'here, the &ontent o, the =ietFs&hean dis&o6rse being al(ost lost ,or the G6estion o, being, its ,or( regains its absol6te strangeness, 'here his te5t ,inally invokes a di,,erent type o, reading, (ore ,aith,6l to his type o, 'riting)@ "8/, 19# Heidegger des&ribes =ietFs&he as the last (etaphysi&ian o, the 2est) Bor Heidegger a (etaphysi&ian is one 'ho asks the G6estion @2hat is the being o, the entityR@ And, ,or Heidegger, =ietFs&he+s ans'er to this G6estion isEthe being o, the entity is the 'ill to po'er) And, as Heidegger has &onsistently pointed o6t,

the pla&e ,or the posing o, the G6estion o, the being o, the entity is (an) 9tarting ,ro( this @(etaphysi&al pre(ise@ Heidegger develops a thoro6ghly &oherent reading o, =ietFs&he and reH(inds 6s again and again that to &onsider =ietFs&he in&oherent is si(ply not to grasp that his (asterHG6estion is the sa(e as that o, all 2estern (etaphysi&s% @2hat is the being o, the entityR@ .t is as i, Heidegger, philosopher o, that spe&ial nostalgia ,or the original 'ord, resol6tely re,6ses to re&ogniFe that =ietFs&he+s &onsisten&y is established by virt6e o, an a&tive ,orget,6lness the &onditions ,or 'hi&h are also ins&ribed in the =ietFs&hean te5t) Heidegger o,ten G6otes a senten&e ,ro( =ietFs&he and de&lares @this (eans ) ) ) )@ ;6t o, this highly dida&ti& approa&h &o(es po'er,6l ,or(6lae s6&h as the ,ollo'ing% 2e shall be able to deter(ine the (ain thr6st o, =ietF&he+s (etaphysi&al pre(ise, 'hen 'e &onsider the ans'er that he gives to the G6estion o, the constitution o, the entity and its mode o! 5eing. . . . =ietFs&he gives t'o ans'ers% the entity in its totality is 'ill to po'er, and the entity in its totality is the eternal ret6rn o, the sa(e) ))).n these t'o propositions ) ) ) @is@ (eans di,,erent things) The entity in totality @is@ the 'ill to po'er (eans% the entity as s6&h is &onstit6ted as that 'hi&h =ietFs&he deter(ines as the 'ill to po'er) And the entity in totality @is@ the eternal ret6rn o, the sa(e (eans the entity in totality is as entity in the (ode o, the eternal ret6rn o, the sa(e) The deter(ination @'ill to po'er@ ans'ers the G6estion o, the entity 0ith re!(

""555iv## erence to its constitutionQ the deter(ination @eternal ret6rn o, the sa(e@ ans'ers the G6estion o, the entity in totality 0ith re!erence to its mode o! 5eing. Ho'ever, &onstit6tion and (ode o, being belong together as deter(inations o, the entityHness o, the entity 80 4verything is (ade to ,all into pla&e in ter(s o, the G6estion o, being) That in =ietFs&he &on&epts s6&h as @entity@ and @totality@ are pro,o6ndly proble(atiFed "@) ) ) there is no Jtotality+K ) ) ) no eval6ation o, h6(an e5isten&e, o, h6(an ai(s, &an be (ade in regard to so(ething that does not e5ist ) ) )@ !2> ..) 1 9, 2P 87*$ #, that =ietFs&he al(ost never speaks o, the eternal ret6rn o, the same; b6t si(ply o, the eternal ret6rnEs6&h (assive details are set aside) =ietFs&he+s (o&kery o, @(aking eG6al,@ @(akHing sa(e@ EGleichG is ignored in the energy o, the Heideggerian &op6la that eG6ates the 'ill to po'er and the eternal ret6rn o, the same EGleichG : @,ill to po0er is in essence and according to its inner possi5ility the eternal return o! the same.3 EH/ -. 4 7# 7e&a6se Heidegger does not a&kno'ledge the pl6rality o, =ietFs&he+s style, he does not allo' =ietFs&he the privilege o, being a philosopher o, the @so6s rat6re)@ Bor hi(, =ietFs&he re(ains a (etaphysi&ian 'ho asks the G6estion o, being, b6t does not G6estion the G6estioning itsel,W @=either =ietFs&he nor any thinker be,ore hi(Ealso and e5a&tly not Hegel, 'ho be,ore =ietFs&he ,or the ,irst ti(e tho6ght the history o, philosophy philosophi&allyE&o(e to the &o((en&ing beginning, rather they see the beginning already and only in the light o, 'hat is already a ,alling o,, ,ro( the beginning and a G6ietening o, the beginning% in the light o, Platoni& philosophy ) ) ) =ietFs&he hi(sel, already early on designates his philosophy as reversed Platonis() The reversal does not eli(inate the Platoni& pre(ise, b6t rather solidi,ies it e5a&tly thro6gh the appearan&e o, eli(ination)@ EH/ .) 4 9# 2ithin the en&o(passing and &onstri&ting ,ra(e o, =ietFs&he+s (etaHphysi&s 3as the metaphysics o! su56ectivity3 EH/ ..) 199#, Heidegger+s reading o, =ietFs&he is s6perb) Un,ort6nately ,or (y interests, and Aerrida+s, it (atters (ore at this point that Heidegger ,eels &o(pelled to bypass or e5plain a'ay so (6&h in =ietFs&he) . reserve the o&&asion ,or a (ore thoro6ghgoing &ritiG6e o, the Heideggerian te5t on =ietFs&he) Here let (e indi&ate so(e s'eeping instan&es)

., =ietFs&he speaks o, the 'orld and o, o6r sensations as &haos, Heidegger e5plains &haos as 3the e8clusive 9eigentCmlich: 5lueprint o! the 0orld in totality and its 0orking. .. . JChaos+ &annot si(ply (ean 'aste &on,6sion, b6t the se&re&y o, the 6nHs6bd6ed do(ain o, be&o(ing)@ EH/ -. 0 # Art "'hose stat6s in =ietFs&he is e5tre(ely el6sive and proble(ati&# 8 is then des&ribed as the s6pre(e 'ill to po'er, 'hi&h, giving ,or( to &haos, "@another signH&hain

""555v## teles&oped there,@ =ietFs&he (ight (6tter# is @the &reative e5perien&e o,+ be&o(ing)@ EH/ .) 0 *# ., =ietFs&he invokes the body and the organis( in general as li(its to &ons&io6sness, Heidegger brilliantly introd6&es the &on&ept o, @the bodying reason@ and interprets =ietFs&he+s gest6re as the e5tension o, the &on&ept o, s6bDe&tivity to ani(ality and the @ Jbody+ )) ) !as$ the na(e ,or that ,or( o, the 'ill to po'er in 'hi&h the latter is i((ediately a&&essible to (an as the distin&t Js6bDe&t+)@ EH/ ..) 8--# 2hen =ietFs&he 'rites% @To i(pose 6pon be&o(ing the &hara&ter o, being Ethat is the s6pre(e 'ill to po'er@ "2> ..) loi, 2P 88-#, Heidegger (6st read it 'itho6t bene,it o, the pervasive irony o, =ietFs&he+s do6ble stan&e) He (6st even overlook the i(pli&ations o, the (etaphor o, i(Hprinting Eau!BuprNgenG that is translated as @to i(pose@ in the 4nglish version) He (6st o,ten in pra&ti&e overlook the ,rag(entary nat6re o, $he ,ill to Po0er; as he (6st overlook the interrogative ,or( o, (any o, =ietFs&he+s (ost aggressive insights) He (6st interpret the goalHlessness o, the ;verH(an as @the 6n&onditioned (astery o, (an on earth) The (an o, this (astery is the ;verH(an)@ EH/ ..) 1/0# Aerrida thinks there (ight be pro,it in p6shing thro6gh a rigoro6sly Heideggerian reading o, =ietFs&heEa reading that 'o6ld develop into its 6lti(ate &oheren&e the =ietFs&he 'ho a&tively ,orgets the terrible te5t o, his o'n @kno'ledge)@ At the li(it s6&h a reading 'o6ld break open, @its ,or( reH&over its absol6te strangeness, and his te5t ,inally invoke another type o, reading)@ Aerrida+s o'n &ritiG6e o, Heidegger on =ietFs&heE@3a C6estion d6 style@Esee(s to (ove aro6nd an apparently 6ni(portant (o(ent in the Heideggerian te5t) The strategy o, de&onstr6&tion, as 'e shall see later, o,ten ,astens 6pon s6&h a s(all b6t tellHtale (o(ent) .n this parti&6lar essay, the (o(ent is Heidegger+s overlooking o, the 'ords @it 5ecomes a 0oman3 in the &hapter entitled @Ho' the JTr6e +2orld+ Ulti(ately 7eH&a(e a Bable% the History o, An 4rror,@ in =ietF&he+s $he $0ilight o! the -dols. 3D =ietFs&he+s brie, &hapter gives the history o, 2estern (etaphysi&s in si5 ,or(6lai& paragraphs 'ith a&&o(panying @stage dire&tions,@ 'ritten in a pe&6liarly =ietFs&hean tone o, Dest in earnest) At the (o(ent 'hen (etaHphysi&s &hanges ,ro( Platonis( to Christianity, @the idea ) ) ) 5ecomes a 0oman.3 Heidegger takes no noti&e o, this in his e5tended &o((entary on the &hapter) At that o(ission Aerrida ,i5es his glan&e, and in a bold and (ost s6rprising gest6re, ill6(inates the @G6estion o, style@ in =ietFs&he thro6gh a dis&6ssion o, the @G6estion o, 'o(an)@ A general reading o, =ietFs&he+s te5t 'o6ld see hi( as a raging (isogynist) 76t Aerrida+s &are,6l reading disengages a (ore &o(ple5 &olle&tion o, attit6des to'ard 'o(an) Aerrida breaks the( into three and s6ggests

""555vi## that ea&h =ietFs&hean attit6de is &ontig6o6s 'ith a psy&hoanalyti&al @position@E a (odality o, the s6bDe&t+s relationship 'ith the obDe&t) 96((ariFed, the @positions@ 'o6ld be as ,ollo's%

The 'o(an ) ) ) &onde(ned as ) ) ) ,ig6re or po'er o, lying) ) ) ) He 'as, he ,eared s6&h a &astrated 'o(an))) ) The 'o(an ) ) ) &onde(ned as ) ) ) ,ig6re or po'er, o, tr6th) ) ) ) He 'as, he ,eared s6&h a &astrating 'o(an))) ) The 'o(an ) ) ) re&ogniFed, beyond this do6ble negation, a,,ir(ed as the a,,ir(ative, dissi(6lating, artisti&, Aionysia&) ) ) ) He 'as, he loved s6&h an a,,ir(ative 'o(an) E4" 2=T; 2=DG 7y (eans o, an elaborate arg6(ent on the G6estion o, style, Aerrida &a6tions 6s that these three positions &annot be re&on&iled into a 6nity or even an @e5ha6stive &ode)@ "C9 2==G 76t i,, that 'arning heeded, 'e 'ere to &on&entrate here on the tripartite s&he(a, and glan&e again at the @History o, An 4rror,@ 'e (ight distill a Aerridean reading o, =ietFs&he) A&&ording to =ietFs&he, 'ith the &o(ing o, Christianity, the period o, &astration began, and the idea, be&o(e a "&astrating and &astrated# 'o(an, 'as p6rs6ed by the (ale type o, the philosopher ,or possession and appropriation) =ietFs&he is &a6ght 6p 'ithin this s&he(e, speaks !or (en, proposes an ver(man. 76t his te5t is &apable o, pointing o6t that the 'o(an 6nder(ines the a&t o, (as&6line possession by @giving hersel,@ "in the sense o, playing a part, playing hersel,#, even in the a&t o, @giving herHsel,@ 6p to se56al (astery)8* Abo6t this @tr6th as 'o(an,@ one &annot then ask, @'hat is sheR@Ethe ontologi&al G6estionEand e5pe&t an ans'erEthe her(ene6ti& ass6(ption% @4a&h ti(e that the G6estion o, the proper !o, the sel,Hsa(e, o, appropriation, o, kno'ledge as possession$ e(erges, )) ) the ontoHher(ene6ti& ,or( o, interrogation sho's its li(it)@ "C9 2D*G .n the very a&t o, s6rrender, 'o(an dissi(6lates) Here 'e ,ind a se56al des&ription o, that do6ble register o, kno'ledgeH,orget,6lness that ,orever r6pt6res =ietFs&he+s style) To possess the 'o(an, one (6st 5e the 'o(an "@the &onte(plative &hara&ter ) ) ) &onsists o, (ale (others@ 9/, %. ii. 19 , G" #2>: G; and yet the being o, the 'o(an is 6nkno'n) The (as&6line style o, possession thro6gh the styl6s, the stiletto, the sp6rs, breaks do'n as prote&tion against the enig(ati& ,e(ininity o, tr6th) @Perhaps tr6th is a 'o(an 'ho has reasons ,or not letting 6s see her reasonsR Perhaps her na(e isEto speak IreekE7a6bo !,e(ale genitals$R@ E/, %. ii. 2F; I9 3JG @4ven the &o(passionate &6riosity o, the 'isest st6dent o, h6(anity is inadeG6ate ,or g6essing ho' this or that 'o(an (anages to a&&o((odate hersel, to this sol6tion o, the !se56al$ riddle ) ) ) and ho' the 6lti(ate philosophy and skepsis o, 'o(an &asts an&hor at this pointW@ E/, %. ii. 1-0, G" 1/*# ;n&e 'e are p6t on the trail, the s6rprising passages appear, the te5t begins to open) >an (6st &onstantly atte(pt to 5e the tr6th as

""555vii## 'o(an "arti&6late ,orget,6lness# in order to kno0 her, 'hi&h is i(Hpossible) @>an and 'o(an &hange pla&es, e5&hange their (asks to in,inity@ "C9 2D3G. .s Aerrida s6ggesting that, in G6estioning a re&overable and possessable originary @tr6th,@ =ietFs&he is sy(boli&ally G6estioning, as Bre6d did, the reality o, a @pri(al s&ene,@ o, things in general being taken to have beg6n 'ith the &astration o, the phall6s, 'ith the distin&t division into (an and 'o(anR .s =ietFs&he+s desire "as Aerrida sees it# to pla&e the &astrating idea 0ithin history akin to Bre6d+s re'riting o, the pri(al @s&ene@ into the &hild+s pri(al @,antasyR@89 .s the =ietFs&hean te5t, in s6ggesting that in order to have "possess# the tr6th "'o(an# the philosopher (6st 5e the tr6th "'o(an#, 6ndoing Bre6d+s in&ipient phallo&entris(, 'hi&h provides G6ite a di,,erent alternative% i, the son "(an# disavo's se56al di,,eren&e, he seeks to 5e the phallus !or the (other "'o(an# and be&o(es @the lost obDe&tK@ 'hen the se56al di,,eren&e is a&kno'ledged, the son "(an# has the phall6s thro6gh identi,i&ation 'ith the ,ather) .s =ietFs&he seeking to 6ndo that @rep6diation o, ,e(ininity@ in the (aleE

the other side o, 'hi&h is possessionEthat Bre6d posits as @nothing else than a biologi&al ,a&t@ "I2 M1.) 99, 94 MM...) 2T2G; and des&ribe a ,e(ininity that is not de,ined by a (ale desire to s6pply a la&kR 4"Perhaps Aerrida+s =ietFs&he goes @beyond@ Aerrida+s Hegel) His &onsistent &ontra&tion ,or the Hegelian savoir a5solu !absol6te kno'ledge$ in Glas is 9a) =ot only is this a (isspelling o, @[a@ !id, it$, and the 6s6al Bren&h &ontra&tion ,or @signi,iant@ !signi,ier$, b6t also a possessive proHno6n 'ith a ,e(inine obDe&t, 'hi&h in this &ase is 6nna(ed) Absol6te kno'ledge as arti&6lated by Hegel (ight be &a6ght 'ithin the 'ill to an 6nna(ed !6nna(able$ @&hose ,O(inine@ !,e(ale thingEin every sense$)# Aerrida ends his essay 'ith yet another long &a6tionary passage abo6t the proble( o, reading =ietFs&he, 41 o, the ,a&t that in his te5t in parti&6lar, as 'e have tried to e5plain, one &onsistent reading &ontin6ally erases itsel, and invokes its opposite, and so on inde,initely% @Ao not &on&l6de ,ro( this that one (6st give 6p i((ediately the kno'ledge o, 'hat it (eans))) ) To be a'are, as rigoro6sly as possible, o, that str6&t6ral li(it ) ) ) one (6st p6sh this de&iphering as ,ar as possible) ) ) ) ., =ietFs&he (eant !'anted to say$ so(ething, 'o6ld it not be this li(it o, (eaning !the 'ill to say$, as the e,,e&t o, a 'ill to po'er ne&essarily di,,erential, there,ore al'ays divided, ,olded, (6ltipliedR ) ) ) As (6&h as to say that there 'o6ld no longer be a Jtotality o, =ietFs&he+s te5t,+ even ,rag(entary or aphoristi&)@ "C9 2JTG And, ina6g6rating ,or 6s an attit6de that . shall develop later in this Pre,a&e, Aerrida 'rites% @The te5t &an al'ays re(ain at the sa(e ti(e open, pro,,ered and inde&ipherable, even 'itho6t o6r kno'ing that it is inde&ipherable)@ "C9 2J=G