Différance

Différance is a French term coined by Jacques Derrida, deliberately homophonous with the word "différence". For a first approximation of the term's meaning, one can say, following Derrida's essay "Différance" (published in Margins of Philosophy), that it designates "constitutive, productive, and originary causality, the process of scission and division which would produce or constitute different things or differences". In the latter sense, one can say that différance refers to the causal origin of something appearing as different from something else. However, as the scholar Simon Morgan Wortham notes, it also alludes to the irreducibility that is characteristic of those 'movements' (viz., spacing and temporalization) which produce differences; to the irreducible quality of that process by which distinctions amongst things is produced. That is to say, différance does not intend to refer to some present entity that is responsible for two items being different from each other; it is not reducible to some "subject or substance". Rather than pointing to some fully present entity, the term, for Derrida, suggests a "playing movement...that 'produces' - by means of something that is not simply an activity - differences". Yet, it also must be noted that Derrida regarded the term to be "irreducibly polysemic"; that is, the term has numerous meanings which cannot be reduced to a single law or principle. Thus, in the context of the question of temporality, he will say différance names the "irreducibly nonsimple" "constitution of the present" (it is "nonsimple" in that the constitution of the present depends on the present's "very relation to what it is not [namely, the future and the past]".

Jacques Derrida

Jacques Derrida (/ʒɑːk ˈdɛrᵻdə/; French: [ʒak dɛʁida]; born Jackie Élie Derrida; July 15, 1930 – October 9, 2004) was a French philosopher, born in Algeria. Derrida is best known for developing a form of semiotic analysis known as deconstruction, which he discussed in numerous texts. He is one of the major figures associated with post-structuralism and postmodern philosophy.

During his career Derrida published more than 40 books, together with hundreds of essays and public presentations. He had a significant influence upon the humanities and social sciences, including—in addition to philosophy and literature—law, anthropology, historiography, linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychoanalysis, political theory, religious studies, feminism, and gay and lesbian studies. His work still has a major influence in the academe of Continental Europe, South America and all other countries where continental philosophy is predominant, particularly in debates around ontology, epistemology (especially concerning social sciences), ethics, aesthetics, hermeneutics, and the philosophy of language. He also influenced architecture (in the form of deconstructivism), music, art, and art criticism.

Surname

A surname or family name is a name added to a given name. In many cases, a surname is a family name and many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name". In the western hemisphere, it is commonly synonymous with last name because it is usually placed at the end of a person's given name.

In most Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries, two or more last names (or surnames) may be used. In China, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Madagascar, Taiwan, Vietnam, and parts of India, the family name is placed before a person's given name.

The style of having both a family name (surname) and a given name (forename) is far from universal. In many countries, it is common for ordinary people to have only one name or mononym.

The concept of a "surname" is a relatively recent historical development, evolving from a medieval naming practice called a "byname". Based on an individual's occupation or area of residence, a byname would be used in situations where more than one person had the same name.