"What am I to do in order to speak of the a of différance? It goes without saying that it cannot be exposed. One can expose only that which at a certain moment can become present, manifest, that which can be shown, presented as something present, being-present in its truth, in the truth of a present or the presence of the present"
At first glance this paragraph could be considered one of the most confusing set of sentences ever written...however we have heard this concept before from a different author. De Saussure focused on the sign and all of its meanings including the signified and the signifier. After all, "in language there are only differences..."
While searching for other meanings of the text I found a website that explains this point even more clearly. They state, "Derrida re-emphasizes the point that meaning isn't in the signifier itself, but that it only exists in a network, in relation to other things. Différance comes before being. This throws the idea of "origin," of true original meaning, into radical question..."
Through his works Derrida states that difference is never offered to the present. It is in the "occult of a non knowledge." In simple terms differance does NOT expose itself. In order to understand these concepts I found that it was important to acknowledge the main points:
1. Signs only mean difference
2. At the heart of existence is not "essence" but differance
3. Differance calls into question both time and space
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