Puped on Derrida

The current issue of Skeptic (vol. 11 no. 4) contains a priceless "memorial" to the work of Derrida, and to that great UFIA of 20th century thought, post-modernism ("The Death of Philosophy" by L. Kirk Hagen). This is one of the more satisfying articles I've read in recent years. Some highlights:

...it is usually unclear in Grammatology when Derrida is serious, when he is speaking metaphorically, and when he is simply word-smithing with no real objective in mind. ... One would think that the literati, whose job it is to understand, explain, and even teach the art of good writing, would have themselves excelled at self-expression.

Yet Derrida, the most revered figure in 20th century literary criticism, was unforgivably reckless in his exposition. He composed wierd, almost surreal narratives that seemed intentionally unintelligible. He took familiar words and concepts hither and yon, and distorted them beyond recognition.

...Like the essay it analyzes [Rousseau's Essay on the Origins of Language], Derrida's Grammatology is without merit. Among Derrida's most fervent supporters, it is difficult to find any two individuals who can agree on what the book is supposed to be about. How could they? On page 7 Derrida explains that "the word 'writing' has ceased to designate the signifier of the signifier," and adds that "strange as it may seem, the 'signifier of the signifier' no longer defines accidental doubling and fallen secondarity." ... He then tells us that language has "lost its warmth" because "its accentuated features have been gnawed by consonants," and that consonants are easier to write than vowels.

Of deconstruction, the author concludes:

...it is time to start looking for a suitable epitaph, and the best candidate so far comes from the oft-cited "Letter to a Japanese Friend" that Derrida wrote to Professor Izutsu in 1983. "What deconstruction is not?" asks Derrida. "Everything of course! What is deconstruction? Nothing of course!" Derrida was right... of course.

(UFIA = Unsolicited Finger In Anus)