How did Jacques Derrida propose displacing binary oppositions?

Jacques Derrida proposed displacing binary oppositions through the process of deconstruction, a method of analysis that examines the tensions and contradictions within philosophical and literary texts.12

Western philosophy has historically relied on binary and hierarchical oppositions—such as nature/culture, speech/writing, or mind/body—where one term is privileged as primary and the other as secondary. Derrida argued that these hierarchies are not natural or necessary but are "constructions" of the text itself.32

To displace these oppositions, Derrida did not advocate for simply inverting them (e.g., claiming writing is superior to speech). Instead, he sought to restructure the relationship between the terms to demonstrate that neither is truly primary. By analyzing how texts often rely on the very concepts they claim to exclude, he showed that the terms are inextricably bound together. This analysis reveals that meaning is not fixed or fully present but is instead created through the "play" of differences between words, a concept he termed différance, which involves both differing and the endless deferral of meaning.32