Deconstruction (a philosophy, maybe)

To define deconstruction would be possible very bad. As Deconstruction can't really be defined, or can it. First we should get an idea of what deconstruction as as it is as fluid as water.

The idea of deconstruction centers around a center of a system. Lets use religion as an example.

God is the Center of the Christian religion. Let us remove god from one's life. The center of the structure, this case religion, is removed. The person can't cope and their structure is gone. They must create a new structure in order to survive. The next step is Agnosticism. this structure works well for out hypothetical person but something happens to De-center this person once again and this process continues until we find a structure that suits us. It is a never ending cycle, or is it?

Can people live without this profound structure? Lets bring it closer to home. You are no longer otherkin. the center of your belief structure has been de-centered. Your structure collapses. How do you cope? What happens if you live in a deconstructed state?

Very interesting stuff, especially when it comes to literature. The literary aspect of this deals with La Lang and La Parole. I'll post many in depth links but here is a brief exercise to get some thinky-balls rolling. Words, in and of themselves, have no meaning. They are merely giving a meaning, a flawed one, by the people who created the words to begin with.

For those of you that are bi lingual I want you to think of the word "tree" in your native tongue and see what comes to your mind. then clear you mind and think of the same word in a different language. More than likely your image of that tree will change.

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DECONSTRUCTION LINKS

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" 1. Deconstructive critics believe that language doesn't accurately reflect reality becuase it's an unstable medium; literary texts therefore have no stable meaning.
2. Deconstructive criticism resembles formalist criticism in its close attention to the text, its close analysis of individual words and images. There the similarity ends, because their aims are in fact opposite. Whereas formalist criticism is interested in "aesthetic wholes" or constructs, deconstructionists aim to demonstrate irreconcilable positions--they destruct (or deconstruct)--by proving the instability of language, its inability to express anything definte."

taken from: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu/critical-approaches.html">http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu/crit ... aches.html</a><!-- m -->

Back when I was an English Lit major, I was a formalist <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s -->

Archer Wrote:Back when I was an English Lit major, I was a formalist <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s -->

EGADS! Oh well, at least you weren't a cultural critic....phhh like the author's environment has anything to do with their writing *sarcasm* xD. (my Lit Crit class warped my fragile little mind. @_@ *has a BA in English Writing, though you wouldn't know it with the way I post)...

What happens if someone's center can't be removed? Does that make them invulnerable to deconstruction?

For instance, if the center of my belief is myself, and that can't be removed without killing me, which would defeat the purpose, am I invulnerable to belief deconstruction? Or more vulnerable than others since the removal of my center ends in everything identified as "me" or "of me" being lost?

If you're confused, the illusion is working.

I'd have to say that at this point, I'd find a way to build new walls if I'm ever decentered.

And Kayako- I've been through that. It's called losing faith in existance itself. If you believe in you, then why? Is someone else pulling strings in your life? Who? Do you know them? Are they trustworthy? Have they given you reason to believe that they're trustworthy?

In my experience, most personal belief systems can be pretty easily torn down by the wrong kinds of questions.

Well, that's interesting. I've never really studied up on philosophy, so I might be getting the wrong view of this.

Not everyone has structure in their lives. I know I don't, I'm constantly moving, changing my beliefs and the way I see the world around me. Even my opinion on something will change from one moment to the next for no particular reason. If I ever did have a set structure, I would be a very unhappy creature.

Having a god removed from your life, or finding out that you aren't otherkin... these are things that happen due to your own personal beliefs changing, right? The structure is not collapsing, but you have decided that something else is the truth of your own accord and therefore your structure would just be evolving. I mean, you can't lose your beliefs, because you always believe in SOMETHING. Even believing that you believe in nothing, is a belief.

I think the only way for someone's structure to collapse would be if they no longer existed. Died, or something.

Deros Wrote:I'd have to say that at this point, I'd find a way to build new walls if I'm ever decentered.

And Kayako- I've been through that. It's called losing faith in existance itself. If you believe in you, then why? Is someone else pulling strings in your life? Who? Do you know them? Are they trustworthy? Have they given you reason to believe that they're trustworthy?

In my experience, most personal belief systems can be pretty easily torn down by the wrong kinds of questions.

But what if my beliefs centers on the very fact that I exist in this world?

Kayako Wrote:

Deros Wrote:I'd have to say that at this point, I'd find a way to build new walls if I'm ever decentered.

And Kayako- I've been through that. It's called losing faith in existance itself. If you believe in you, then why? Is someone else pulling strings in your life? Who? Do you know them? Are they trustworthy? Have they given you reason to believe that they're trustworthy?

In my experience, most personal belief systems can be pretty easily torn down by the wrong kinds of questions.

But what if my beliefs centers on the very fact that I exist in this world?

How do you know that the world isn't an illusion?

-Shang

How sure are you that you exist? How sure are you that the world exists? Certain? Absolutely certain? Not the slightest shred of doubt in your mind? If so, then you're better off than me. Or maybe not.

Deros Wrote:How sure are you that you exist? How sure are you that the world exists? Certain? Absolutely certain? Not the slightest shred of doubt in your mind? If so, then you're better off than me. Or maybe not.

Depends what you define as existence. I define existence of being aware of oneself. I'm aware of myself. So I exist.

EDIT: Should probably add that I define "existence" into two sub-categories: Living existence and mechanical existence (non-alive). The above is referring to the first type.