What is Deconstruction?

I’m in the process of building a curriculum of courses about deconstruction and for those of us anywhere in the process of deconstruction, and one of my favorite parts as researching the origins of deconstruction as a philosophy. It’s freaking hilarious, really.

Jacques “Deconstruction” Derrida was so committed to the authenticity of deconstruction that he refused to define it. The minute you define deconstruction, the moment you ascribe a method to how to do it, it becomes a construct AND YOU TOTALLY RUIN IT!!!!!!!!!!1 I kid you not, that is the way this dude approached the idea of looking at everything that goes into the meaning of anything. And let me tell you, when you look at the world through that kind of rigorous diagnostic, you see layers of meaning everywhere.

Layers upon layers of meaning. Everywhere. The layers are piled so deep, it becomes impossible to see the real meaning—literally impossible, in that you realize there are so many levels of meaning that even a speaker or an author or a person who will one day be part of history isn’t even conscious of every layer of meaning they’re laying down.

Wouldn’t God know the real meaning?

That’s the point of deconstruction: there’s so much truth packed into everything that the idea of the real meaning of anything becomes laughable. But what about author intent? That’s one layer of meaning. But did the author know everything in their subconscious that contributed to what they wrote? Did they have full control over every ounce of meaning that went into those words? Did they know the significance of their art and how it would look against the historical landscape against which it would appear to later generations? No one knows all that.

Get ready for Miss Italics to reply with the big gotcha statement.

God knows all that. His meaning is the REAL meaning. Okay, let’s assume for a second this is true. In a world in which everything is packed with myriad layers of meaning, one of which happens to be the one true meaning God intended, how can any of us know which one of a thousand layers of truth was the one God intended specifically to communicate to us (and which of us did He really intend to grace with this message in the first place)?

The Word was His chosen form of communicating Himself to mankind—Jesus Christ was the Word and also the Bible as the Word of God. Again, assuming any of this is true doesn’t make things any clearer. Ascribing ultimate authority to an ancient text and a God-Man don’t render truth simple. If God is the Author of all truth, the nature of truth still remains infinitely complex, especially in a scenario in which the Author of all truth cut off all direct communication with us two-thousand years ago.

But He speaks to me directly through the Holy Spirit. This would make things even more complex and indefinable, right? There’s no written account of this communication, and the only way to preserve what the Creator of the Universe is telling us is by our own memory and/or our ability to translate the message into our own words?

This isn’t meant to be a debate between me and the italic Christian I made up in my head. I’m just trying to illustrate how belief in the God of Christianity doesn’t change the complexity of truth in the slightest. It doesn’t take us closer to a reality in which anything can have just one meaning. It’s always going to be more complicated than that.

Deconstruction is the search for every layer of meaning. The more you dig, the more you find. Editor’s note: I don’t see this as a bad thing.

Makeup! *whap*

On TikTok there’s this whole genre of videos in which people do their makeup while talking about something else. As a person who wears no makeup, I find it fascinating to see the steps involved in arriving at the various looks makeup-wearers accomplish. And talk about layers of meaning—these videos themselves defy simple definition. A woman puts on makeup while discussing a trial she’s been arguing in court. What’s that video about?

Is it about makeup? Is it about the practice of law? Is it about gender roles? Is it about the power structures of big corporations against private citizens? Yeah, it’s about all those things, and there isn’t a word of it that can be isolated to just one of those topics. All of the meaning in each of those topics (and more than I could list, really) is layered and blended and detailed like so much makeup.

I mean, makeup itself is an object lesson in the complexity of truth. Why do people wear it? You can give a simple answer, but it won’t be comprehensive. It’s funny, you’ll find incels getting furious online about makeup being a big lie women use to make it seem like they’re attractive . . . as if beauty is some objective truth!

There are so many levels. There’s an expectation in this society to look a certain way. The reward for looking that way is often sexualization, objectification, and general awfulness. It takes a huge investment of money, time, focus, and discipline to achieve that look, while some people are expected to do next to nothing to maintain their appearance with zero social consequences.

But there’s also a level of genuine confidence and esteem that goes with it. Makeup is an industry that employs gazillions of people and feeds families. Makeup makes story time both possible and fabulous.

I can’t really even begin to cover all of the meaning layered into makeup in society, throughout history, or in the life of one individual. I could spend years deconstructing just makeup.

Christian Deconstruction Takes Forever

Personally, I look at my faith in the past tense. But a) that’s my story, not yours, and b) maybe it isn’t even mine. I do think there’s an element of faith for anyone who doesn’t know everything but needs to operate on a few understandings they’re pretty sure about but can’t prove.

Deconstruction by no means has to involve removing any part of your faith. It really is a deeper search for meaning, but that search will almost inevitable reveal truths that have more to do with personal scars or social constructs that have nothing do with faith.

You might also find (or perhaps you’ve already found) genuine faith didn’t have a lot to do with what you believed at all. Deconstruction, specifically Christian Deconstruction, isn’t a prescribed path to surgically remove faith from your personhood. It’s a search for truth as opposed to the assumption you know all you need to know. If you really did learn everything you need to know in kindergarten, maybe it’s time you dig a little deeper in that sandbox?

If you’re in the middle of deconstruction, or it feels like the lion’s share of it is in the rearview mirror, take comfort (or take it as a challenge) in knowing there’s more to learn about the universe and your past, present, and future faith. Deconstruction never really ends. There’s always another layer of truth . . . or another coat of mascara.