How did Jacques Derrida criticize philosophical ideas of truth, reality, and being?

Jacques Derrida challenged traditional Western philosophical concepts of truth, reality, and being by critiquing what he termed the metaphysics of presence. This is the pervasive tendency in philosophy to prioritize concepts like essence, identity, and origin, assuming that truth exists independently of language and can be fully "present" to the mind.12

Derrida argued that this view is fundamentally flawed because it relies on logocentrism—the assumption that a realm of truth exists prior to and outside of linguistic representation. Through his method of deconstruction, he demonstrated that meaning is not fixed or naturally given. Instead, he utilized the concept of différance—a term signifying both difference and the act of deferring—to show that meaning is created through an infinite, "limitless" play of differences between words. Because the meaning of any word depends on its contrast with others in an endless chain, it is never fully present or final.132

Consequently, Derrida sought to "displace" the binary oppositions (such as speech/writing or nature/culture) that structure Western thought, revealing that these hierarchies are not natural but are constructions of the texts themselves.132