Derrida

[Terrance]

For Augustine the second person of the Trinity is the light
of the mind for learning all things. 



I believe that it was Whitehead that said, "Seek simplicity
and distrust it." He also said, that all of western
philosophy is a footnote to Plato. Others on this list will
be better able than I to assess the accuracy of this
observation. But if we mean by "footnote" a significant
response or reaction then certainly some 
work by Derrida can be considered a footnote to Plato and
some of his work may be considered a footnote to St.
Augustine. Of course today footnotes are only "footnotes." 

In fact, Derrida's footnotes can't hold a candle to any of
the other students of Plato, but a quick glance at reviews
in scholarly journals, dissertation titles and publishers
lists, will remove any doubt, logocentric gendered
patriarchal DerridaISM now dominates every field. I guess
Derrida may deconstruct other texts, but it's up to students
to deconstruct his, since it seems he cannot deconstruct his
own text. Derridarians then faithfully repeat his exact
meaning in various ways. [De civitate Dei viii. 7. 


    

For do teachers profess that it is their thoughts which are
perceived and grasped by the students, and not the sciences
themselves which they convey through speaking? For who is so
stupidly curious as to send his son to school in order that
he may learn what the teacher thinks? But all these sciences
which they profess to teach, and the science of virtue iself
and wisdom, teachers explain through words. Then those that
are called pupils consider within themselves wheather what
has been explained has been said truly; looking of course to
that interior truth, according to the measure of which each
is able. Thus they learn, and when the interior truth makes
known to them that true things have been said, they applaud,
but without knowing that instead of applauding teachers they
are applauding learners, if indeed their teachers know what
they are saying. 

St. Augustine De magistro 14.