Issue #52

Abstract: This article addresses the problem of embedded statements, or the indistinction between declaration and declaration content, which appears to have been one of the focal points of postlinguistic reflection in European and Anglo-Saxon philosophy in the 20th century. I will first examine the essence of the problem and formulate it. As an example, I will consider the reflection on language in phenomenology, drawing on Merleau-Ponty. I will then explore one of the ways in which 20th-century philosophy addressed this problem: Derrida’s project of deconstruction and how the general deconstruction movement cemented and exploited this problem, making it the foundation of postmodern politics. Thus, it was never fully overcome. Judith Butler’s performative theory of gender will be used as an example, providing a striking example of the continuity between Derrida and postmodern politics.