514.What did Jacques Derrida mean by the term 'aporia'?

Reader86

What did Jacques Derrida mean by the term 'aporia'?

Anthony Curtis Adler
Teaches Continental PhilosophyAuthor has 1.6K answers and 9.7M answer views1y

An “aporia” is a Greek work, belonging to Aristotle’s philosophical vocabulary. It comes from the verb ἀπορέω, which means to “be at a loss.” An impass, in Aristotle’s sense, refers to situations when philosophers are “at a loss” as to how to proceed. For Aristotle, such aporias are very valuable, since they reveal that a different approach—and different perspective or conceptual frame—is necessary.

While aporias and paradoxes are closely related, they are not the same. A paradox refers to a result of a process of reasoning that is contrary to common sense or received opinion. And while it is often thought that every paradox involves a self-contradictory statement, this is really only one type of paradox, and only pertains to formal logic.

I don’t think that Derrida means something fundamentally different by an “aporia” than Aristotle, even though he has an entire book called “Aporias.” He does, however, attach a different value to aporia, responding to them in a different way. For Aristotle, as for Hegel—on most readings, at least—aporia are to be resolved through obtaining a higher perspective. For Derrida, aporia are not to be overcome but comprehended. And comprehending an aporia means: recognizing the absolute impossibility of its resolution—and hence the impossibility of absolute comprehension. In a similar way, Lyotard speaks of “bearing witness to the differend.”

Derrida’s approach, I would argue, must be situated in the context of phenomenology. The point ultimately is to experience the aporia—and in this way comprehend the aporetic dimension of experience itself.

https://www.quora.com/What-did-J ... -by-the-term-aporia

Reader86

Aporia derrida dictionary

According to the A Derrida Dictionary by Niall Lucy, Jacques Derrida used the term aporia to refer to the "blind spots" of metaphysical arguments. Aporia is a Greek word that means impasse, puzzle, or unanswerable uncertainty. In philosophy, it can also refer to a state of being perplexed or at a loss.
Here are some other ways that Derrida used the term aporia:

Paradoxes：

Derrida described paradoxes that affect issues like giving, hospitality, forgiving, and mourning. He argued that these notions are only made possible through their impossibility.


Deconstructive criticism：
Aporia is often associated with deconstructive criticism and is used to highlight flaws in structuralist interpretations.


Texts：
Deconstruction is often credited with uncovering the concealed aporetic nature of texts.

Reader86

Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a philosopher who believed that words are defined by their differences from other words, and that meaning is constantly changing. He argued that words derive their meaning by searching for other words to provide a definition, and that there is no absolute meaning or definition.

Here are some of Derrida's ideas about words:

Differance:
The process of differing and deferring that goes on continually when using a language or understanding texts.

Deconstruction:
The attempt to find hidden meanings in texts that are not necessarily intended by the author.

Logocentrism:
The desire for the ultimate definition or true knowledge. Derrida argued that logocentrism inevitably prefers present circumstances and certainties.

Espacement or "spacing" and temporisation or "temporising"：
The process by which meaning is forever "deferred" or postponed through an endless chain of signifiers.

Arche-writing:
The idea that signs always refer to yet more signs ad infinitum, and that there is no ultimate referent or foundation.

Mark:
Derrida preferred to speak of "mark" rather than of language, as the pure possibility of language.

Reader86

Jacques Derrida, a French philosopher, believed that truth is constructed and deconstructed, but that it still has the possibility of existence:

Truth in philosophy:
Derrida targeted the idea of truth as a monolithic, unitary, and self-explanatory entity in philosophy.

Truth and absolute value:
Derrida believed that truth and absolute value cannot be known with certainty.

Truth and language:
Derrida believed that a "pure language" is one where the terms have multiple senses that cannot be reduced to a single meaning.

Truth and art:
In his 1978 work The Truth in Painting, Derrida explored the concept of framing in art and truth. He deconstructed the philosophical and aesthetic assumptions about representation.

Derrida's ideas have been criticized by some who say he threatened the foundation of Western culture and society. Others have described him as a relativist and radical skeptic.

Reader86

Jacques Derrida believed that truth is not something that can be accessed directly, but rather is something that can be deconstructed and examined:

Deconstruction:
Derrida believed that truth is constructed and can be deconstructed, but this does not mean that it doesn't exist. He encouraged people to deconstruct the idea of truth, and to consider who benefits from its assertion, and who speaks for it.

Logocentrism:
Derrida rejected the idea that language can reveal the truth about life. He believed that philosophical tradition is logocentric, meaning it is centered on a misplaced faith in objective truths and stable meanings.

Metaphors:
Derrida believed that all concepts are metaphors, and that consciousness uses metaphors to function. He believed that this means that we cannot have access to brute facts.

Critique of Western metaphysics:
In his 1978 text The Truth in Painting, Derrida criticized the idea that art can convey objective truth. He argued that the concept of truth in art is always deferred, and is subject to a play of meaning.

Derrida's critics argued that his insistence that truth and absolute value cannot be known with certainty threatened the foundation of Western culture and society.