oppositions and exclusions
March 23, 2022•107 words
Linguistic meaning, they [deconstructionists] argue, rests on oppositions and exclusions. "Man" is defined as the opposite of "woman." "Freedom" excludes "slavery." Yet, because a word is defined in terms of what it excludes, each word carries with it a "trace" of its opposite. Every time we use the word man, we are excluding women. "Freedom" depends for its meaning on the concept of slavery—a totally free society would presumably have no word for the concept. Freedom would be taken for granted. To say, "Americans are free," calls to mind (to the deconstructionists) the ways that they are also enslaved.
—Gene Edward Veith, Jr. 'Postmodern Times' pg. 53