You may only Jacques Derrida as a name in a post-modern philosophy textbook, but you can thank him for his method of deconstructive analysis for getting you through your Bachelor’s degree and its critical thinking requirement. Derrida rocked the philosophy world in his 60’s classic Of Grammatology by positing that since language itself is subjective, it is up to the reader to search out the truth in all we think we know about history, science and philosophy. Our education ends about there and since we barely retain enough daily brain cells to tie our shoes, we offer up Derrida’s own “least bad definition” that deconstruction is “a certain experience of the impossible.”
Later in life, Derrida was derided (hey, linguists- any connection?) by fellow Jews for applying his deconstructionist ideas towards Zionism and caught heat for defending an anti-Semitic colleague.
Derrida died of pancreatic cancer October 10th at the age of 74.