Deconstruction For Beginners Book

When did we stop agreeing on definitions as a society? Why can't we agree on what we're even arguing about any more? Why aren't there any 'facts' anymore? To that I say (with tongue only slightly in cheek) you can blame "Deconstruction."

Here's what I got from this: According to Deconstruction, there isn't much that means anything. An example: If you hear the person delivering your mail say 'I'm a mail man' do they mean they are a letter carrier or a very, very male person? But Joe, I would just use context to decide. Ah yes, Deconstruction would say, but then you must deconstruct that context. Down and down we go into the rabbit hole until everything is gibberish and nonsense and no one can agree on anything.

It seems to me that the best us of Deconstruction is as a sword, not a shield. It allows the aggressor to say "your argument means nothing because you're relying on sexist/racist/marxist/etc. language so that invalidates everything that comes after it."

One of my biggest frustrations in this modern era is refusing to believe that there is "objective good." The purpose of many philosophical movements is to discover this objective good, i.e. Is murder wrong? Which religion is correct? Is Cilantro delicious or gross? Deconstruction seems to exist to tear these "truths" down.

To an extent, Deconstruction is necessary and refreshing. So much of our learning and history is build upon presumptions that favor the historian. If Germany had won WWII, let's just say the books would be a little different these days. I don't necessarily think Deconstruction says objective good doesn't exist, I think it just makes it very difficult to define what that is.

I enjoy Deconstruction because it forces the person who is presenting an idea to go back to basic principles. I could see this being a particularly useful tool between two people arguing about pro life/pro choice. That's one of those arguments that definitions matter and both sides play pretty fast and loose with them.

All in all, I'm glad I read this book, although I don't see myself becoming a "Deconstruction Disciple" any time soon.