Derrida Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Derrida - Essay Example Further, Derrida asserts that â€Å"all of these aspects are linked with presence and more valued or treasured aspect than the other, which is connected with absence† (Derrida 33). Deconstruction theory presents the metaphysics of presence by locating its ideal binary oppositions and illustrating the speciousness of their order by refuting the potentiality of understanding the superior or powerful element of the hierarchy or order in the absence of its inferior or less powerful counterpart. Refuting an inner or intrinsic and absolute implication or meaning to one of the aspects of the order or hierarchy ‘diffarence’ is unraveled. In this case, Derrida asserts that difference refers to the perceptual sequence of contacts between existence or presence and absence. In this sense, an idea is constructed, understood, and located in terms of what it is not and self-efficient implication is never attained. It is important to note that Western language and thought have al ways been at the center of in determining absolute truth. This presents hurdles or limits on what humans can think or believe. It offers a platform for existence or being and for knowing (how people think). Deconstruction theory failed to identify if God plays a role in determining the absolute truth, which neglects the concepts of uncertainties. Instead, Derrida states that any concept of a fixed center was a structure or configuration of authority imposed on people by their past or by societal institutions (Silverman 44-45). Derrida’s deconstruction theory aimed to call for re-evaluation and re-assessment of all western ideas and values founded on the Kantian critique of human though or reason. Deconstruction principles were built on elemental oppositions, which all dialogue has to highlight if it aims to make reasonable arguments and sound decisions. This is because identity is perceived as constructs, which are in a position to generate meaning via the interplay of differ ence within a scheme of different signs (Derrida 111). Critique of post structuralism movement Post modernist philosophers such as Nietzsche believed that the earth is full of disorder or confusion and it has no objective or aim. Post structuralism refutes the concept of a literary text containing a solitary purpose or meaning or a single being or existence. Instead, post structuralism advocates that every person or reader establish a new and personal meaning, purpose, and being/existence for any given text. Post structuralism has been criticized for the failure to address questions from a realist perception. Post structuralism does little to explain the self-reflective celebration, which gives an individual the freedom to decide and choose any or all subject positions. Post structuralism dismisses the ability of people to learn and understand the world as an entirety on the basis that it is a contemptible effort to construct or constitute grand narratives (Besley 65-69). Derridian ideas reject these arguments and assert that people should be given opportunity to reason or think for themselves. Foucault and his views as a post structuralist and what he says about language or feminism Foucault based his arguments about post structuralism

How might theories of economic power prove limited when exploring the Assignment

How might theories of economic power prove limited when exploring the relations between media forms and claims of cultural imperialism - Assignment Example Within the definition of imperialism, a deliberate act is visualized in which one country seeks to extend its power over one other or many other countries. The Roman Empire, the British Empire, and the German Third Reich are perhaps classic examples of imperial power, and it is from such systems that most models of economic power in which one nation asserts control over another have been built. But within the 21st Century world can a deliberate kind of cultural imperialism be identified? Within what might be termed as the hold-overs from the Twentieth Century system of Imperialism there clearly are deliberate attempts at cultural control through the power of the mass media. One example is the â€Å"Voice of America†. Started during the Cold War as an attempt to counter what was perceived as a propaganda machine being created by the USSR, the Voice of America was transmitted into eastern Europe, Cuba and whatever countries were deemed as needing the service. Financed and suppor ted by the US government, VOA claims to be â€Å"a trusted source of news and information† on its internet homepage. The move from pure radio transmissions to the internet shows how while the media may change, its basic nature does not. VOA seeks to present the American view of the world to the populations of countries that might not necessarily hear it otherwise. The move to the internet, with written news available in more than sixty languages, represents the growth of VOA into what is termed â€Å"the information age†.... Like road maps, models or theories of economic phenomena come in various degrees of detail - but all models describing the same set of phenomena are consistent with each other. No map or theory will be perfectly complete in every detail... So ask not, "Is the theory accurate" but rather "Is the theory good enough for our purposes" 2 So, to put it succinctly, are any theories of economic power "good enough" for the purposes of explaining the relationship between media forms and cultural imperialism. What degree of detail is needed in an economic map of media/cultural imperialism Can such complex and ambiguous a relationship be explained by the simplified model of reality that a theory implies This paper will analyze these questions in two parts. First, it will explore what the relationship between 'media forms" and 'cultural imperialism' is, and whether the latter actually exists. Second, an attempt will be made to place this relationship within present theories of economic power. Some initial definitions are in order. Media is defined as "a means of mass communication . . . the communications industry or profession."3 Culture is defined as "the behavior patterns, arts beliefs, institutions, and all other products or human thought at work; especially as expressed in a particular community of period."4 Imperialism is "the policy of extending a nation's authority by economic and political means over other nations."5 'Media' is then, at least superficially, quite easy to define. In the modern age media includes books, newspapers, films, TV programs and, perhaps, the Internet. Yet professional sports6 and education7When looking at the definitions of "culture" and "imperialism ", problems start. Within the definition of imperialism a deliberate act