Listening to Brother West's commentary on the passing of Jacques Derrida last October (2004)
Cornel West: The Legacy of Derrida

deconstruction is a form of skepticism
david hume (finest skepticist in the english language)
derrida was a colonial subject in algeria, and a jew, who moved to metropo paris, imperial paris
called into question various hierarchies that justified imperialism
skepticism is a THREAT to those who want to preserve a certain status quo, to those who
want to preserve a certain hierarchical view of the world

critical of anti-semitism, american imperialism
jacques derrida was very different from many of his followers, similar to marx and jesus
he was not a deconstructivist in any narrow sense

in the end, there is a mystery, an ineffability of truth... we have to make certain leaps of faith
"i have tried to remain true to kierkegaard"
deeply religious, fundamentally tied to a notion of justice... keeping a limelight on the least of these: "others", subordinates, overlooked