Jacques Derrida the French philosopher developed his critical technique known as 'deconstruction' His work is associated with ideas surrounding both post-structuralism & post-modern philosophy & he was known to have challenged some of the unquestioned assumptions of our philosophical tradition In this Very Short Introduction Simon Glendinning explores both the difficulty & significance of the work of Derrida He presents Derrida's challenging ideas as making a significant contribution to & providing a powerful reading of our philosophical heritage Defending Derrida against many of the charges that were placed against him he attempts to show why Derrrida's work causes such extreme reactions Glendinning explains Derrida's distinctive mode of engagement with our philosophical tradition & shows that this is not a merely negative thing By exploring his most famous & influential texts Glendinning shows how & why Derrida's work of deconstruction is inspired not by a 'critical frenzy' but by a loving respect for philosophy ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable