Derrida and Husserl: The Basic Problem of Phenomenology

"[A] magnificent work... that will definitely shape the discussion
on Derrida for years to come." -- Rodolphe Gasché

What is
the nature of the relationship of Jacques Derrida and deconstruction to Edmund
Husserl and phenomenology? Is deconstruction a radical departure from phenomenology
or does it trace its origins to the phenomenological project? In Derrida and
Husserl, Leonard Lawlor illuminates Husserl's influence on the French philosophical
tradition that inspired Derrida's thought. Beginning with Eugen Fink's pivotal essay
on Husserl's philosophy, Lawlor carefully reconstructs the conceptual context in
which Derrida developed his interpretation of Husserl. Lawlor's investigations of
the work of Jean Cavaillès, Tran-Duc-Thao, and Jean Hyppolite, as well as recent
texts by Derrida, reveal the depth of Derrida's relationship to Husserl's
phenomenology. Along the way, Lawlor revisits and sheds light on the origin of many
important Derridean concepts, such as deconstruction, the metaphysics of presence,
différance, intentionality, the trace, and spectrality.