The Deconstructed Degree: A Post-Structuralist Manifesto for Philosophical Liberation
Let us begin by acknowledging the sheer, unapologetic absurdity of our undertaking. Philosophy—once a beacon of absolute truths, of Platonic ideals and Kantian imperatives—has become, in the eyes of a post-structuralist, little more than a labyrinth of shifting signs and interpretative traps. We are not here to uncover universal truths but to revel in the very play of language, power, and meaning. Truth, in this world, is always already interpreted; it is produced, contingent, and forever entangled in the webs of power structures that we, with great joy, must deconstruct. It is in this joyous paradox of being that we must begin—acknowledging that existence itself is at once sublime and ridiculous. We embrace the absurd, for in this embrace, we are freed from the tyranny of stable meaning.
Embrace the Absurd
In the post-structuralist vein, the “truth” of any philosophical system is always relative and historically contingent, subject to the play of discourse. There are no foundational certainties, no transcendental signifiers that can anchor us. Instead, what remains is a constant shifting of meaning, where each interpretation becomes an interpretation of an interpretation, and in this repetition, the “truth” becomes fluid, malleable, and open to infinite revision. To embrace the absurd is to acknowledge the fundamental irony of existence—life is meaningless in the traditional sense, yet we derive joy, beauty, and meaning from our very confrontation with that absence. In this liberation from meaning, paradox becomes the ground of our thought.
Decenter the Canon
The Western philosophical canon, once a fortress of intellectual authority, must be decentered. No longer should we, as intellectuals, give reverence to the towering figures of history, as though they held the key to eternal wisdom. The canon has been used as a tool of power, policing what is deemed worthy of philosophical inquiry. As post-structuralists, we question the very legitimacy of this canon, which has for so long marginalized, excluded, and silenced alternative voices. Philosophy is not a monolithic tradition but a constellation of competing narratives. We must welcome the voices of the marginalized, whether they be from Indigenous traditions, feminist critiques, non-Western thought systems, or the myriad interdisciplinary fields that transcend the borders of traditional academic discipline. Philosophy must become pluralistic and radically inclusive, embracing the vast diversity of thought that has been suppressed by hegemonic systems.
Deconstruct Dogma
The very essence of philosophy—particularly in its post-structuralist form—is the critique of fixed meanings, hierarchical structures, and essentialist categories. We must dismantle the dogmatic thinking that insists on binary oppositions: right/wrong, truth/falsehood, man/woman, human/non-human. These binaries are constructs designed to maintain control, to stabilize identities and institutions that serve the status quo. Post-structuralism forces us to ask: who benefits from these categories, and at what cost? In this deconstruction, we must embrace difference, not as something to be integrated into a whole, but as something to be celebrated for its own multiplicity. The Grand Narratives that have guided human thought for centuries—whether they be religious, scientific, or political—must be critiqued, not simply rejected. The grand story is never final, and each retelling opens new avenues for thought, critique, and creative possibility.
Incorporate Performative Philosophy
The boundaries of philosophy must be pushed beyond the written word. We must engage with the body, with the senses, and with the performative as vehicles of philosophical exploration. Philosophy need not be confined to the ivory tower or the rigid prose of academic writing. We should embrace embodied forms of thought—through dance, art, music, performance—that express the ineffable complexity of existence. Just as Derrida’s deconstruction is an act of performance, so too can philosophy itself be an event, a happening, an interplay of signs and gestures. It is through this performative act that the philosopher participates in the lived experience of meaning-making, and through this participation, we expose the malleability of knowledge itself.
Promote Posthuman Perspectives
To think philosophically in the post-human era is to consider that human beings are not the sole or even the most important agents in the world. Posthumanism encourages us to expand our ethical and philosophical horizon to include not only human beings but non-human animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. In this space, the Cartesian dualism of subject and object, human and non-human, is shattered. In its place, we find an interconnected web of existence where the agency of a stone, the consciousness of a dog, or the sentience of a tree are no longer denied or ignored. Material feminist theory, post-phenomenology, and object-oriented ontology open up these new terrains, where the very idea of being is no longer anthropocentric but fundamentally relational and ecological. It is through this expansive view that philosophy can begin to address urgent questions of justice, ecology, and interspecies ethics.
Foster Philosophical Activism
Philosophy, in its post-structuralist iteration, cannot remain aloof from the real world. It is not enough to critique systems of thought from the comfort of the ivory tower. Philosophy must be an activist discipline, committed to real-world engagement. Philosophers have long been content to critique the status quo from a distance, but the time has come to enter the fray, to get our hands dirty in the struggles for justice, equality, and environmental sustainability. We must recognize that philosophy is not a neutral activity; it is an inherently political one. It shapes ideologies, influences power structures, and, at its best, liberates. We call on philosophy departments to not just produce scholars but activist-philosophers who challenge the systems of oppression that pervade our world.
Reconsider Research Evaluation
The institutionalization of philosophy has led to a cult of quantifiable output. Academic success is often measured by publications, citations, and grant funding, leaving little room for creativity, experimentation, or the exploration of ideas that fall outside the narrow parameters of conventional scholarship. In a post-structuralist world, we must abandon this obsession with metrics and reimagine how philosophical work is valued. Research should be evaluated not for its ability to conform to rigid criteria but for its potential to disrupt conventional thinking, to generate new ways of being and understanding. A philosopher’s impact is not measured by their productivity but by their capacity to inspire others to think differently, to challenge established norms, and to spark new forms of creative, ethical, and philosophical engagement.
Celebrate Philosophical Play
Play is the heart of post-structuralist philosophy. If we take seriously the idea that meaning is contingent, open-ended, and endlessly mutable, then philosophy must become a space for creative play, for the exploration of new ideas, forms, and practices. Philosophy must shed its heavy burden of seriousness and embrace humor, irony, and absurdity as tools for thought. To think philosophically is to allow oneself the freedom to experiment, to risk failure, and to delight in the creative potential of thought. We must create an environment where philosophers are free to take risks, to subvert expectations, and to explore the wild terrain of the unknown.
Queer the Discipline
Heteronormativity and cisnormativity are insidious forces that shape much of philosophical discourse. From the patriarchal ideals embedded in the Western tradition to the gendered assumptions that permeate contemporary thought, philosophy must challenge these assumptions at every turn. To queer the discipline is to question and subvert the norms of gender and sexuality that have long been treated as unquestionable truths. It is to recognize that identity is fluid, contingent, and performative. Philosophy must be a space that welcomes and celebrates LGBTQ+ voices, perspectives, and experiences, as it unravels the constraints of traditional, binary conceptions of gender and sexuality.
Indigenize Philosophy
Finally, post-structuralism calls for a radical reimagining of what constitutes legitimate knowledge. Indigenous epistemologies and ontologies offer an invaluable alternative to the Eurocentric philosophical systems that have dominated global thought. The very notion of “philosophy” must be expanded to include Indigenous ways of knowing and being, which often do not adhere to Western categories of thought. By engaging with these traditions, we can decolonize philosophy, recognizing that Indigenous knowledge systems hold profound wisdom for navigating our ecological, social, and spiritual crises. Indigenous thought challenges the assumptions of individualism, human exceptionalism, and materialism that have long underpinned Western philosophy. It offers an alternative vision of interconnectedness, sustainability, and relationality that we desperately need in today’s world.
In conclusion, The Deconstructed Divine calls us to a radical rethinking of philosophy. A philosophy that celebrates its own deconstruction, that embraces absurdity, that expands its boundaries to include the marginalized, the non-human, and the performative. It is a philosophy that is unafraid to engage with the pressing issues of our time, that is committed to justice and activism, and that recognizes the power of play and creativity. It is a philosophy of liberation—a philosophy that frees us from the tyranny of fixed meaning and opens up new ways of being and thinking in a world that is both ridiculous and sublime.
