In College, I read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Thomas Aquinas
in order to read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida
Then I read Augustine of Hippo
in order to read Thomas Aquinas
in order to read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Plotinus
in order to read Augustine of Hippo
in order to read Thomas Aquinas
in order to read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Epicurus
in order to read Plotinus
in order to read Augustine of Hippo
in order to read Thomas Aquinas
in order to read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Aristotle
in order to read Epicurus
in order to read Plotinus
in order to read Augustine of Hippo
in order to read Thomas Aquinas
in order to read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Plato
in order to read Aristotle
in order to read Epicurus
in order to read Plotinus
in order to read Augustine of Hippo
in order to read Thomas Aquinas
in order to read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
Then I read Thales, Parmenides,
Empedocles and Heraclitus
in order to read Plato
in order to read Aristotle
in order to read Epicurus
in order to read Plotinus
in order to read Augustine of Hippo
in order to read Thomas Aquinas
in order. to read Duns Scotus
in order to read Erasmus
in order to read Francis Bacon
in order to read René Descartes
in order to read Baruch Spinoza
in order to read Immanuel Kant
in order to read Georg Hegel
in order to read Friedrich Nietzsche
in order to read Ludwig Wittgenstein
in order to read Martin Heidegger
in order to read Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
When I read Heraclitus,
I realized I had not misread Derrida:
Man had constructed logos.
Logos had deconstructed man.
When I understood Heraclitus,
I understood Jacques Lacan
and Jacques Derrida.
And that was how reading Derrida
taught me to value innate knowledge
over intellected knowledge.
And here I am, free of the past at last.

[Originally Appeared in Medium 9/11/2024]