The Violence of Writing
The Violence of Writing

Summary/Abstract: In this article, the author offers a systematic reflection on the violence of writing, drawing inspiration from Jacques Derrida’s remarks in Of Grammatology. However, Derrida’s philosophy is not in primary focus here; rather, the theme of the violence of writing is. First, a phenomenological reflection is undertaken on what the article itself is, in the context of the cultural conditions it must fulfill in order to exist at all as a scholarly work (i.e., to be published). In the next step, the author examines the philosophical meaning and validity of these conditions, referring to the history of European culture and the concept of humanism. Finally, the ontology of writing and the metaphysics of presence are discussed, as they have been accused of legitimizing violence on numerous accounts in 20th-century philosophy. Is this because metaphysics serves the power of writing? In conclusion, the question arises as to the possibility of doing philosophy other than in writing.

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