How did Jacques Derrida respond to the claim that deconstruction produces total relativism?

The claim that deconstruction leads to total relativism is a common critique, often used to portray the work of Jacques Derrida as nihilistic or antirational.12

Derrida addressed the limitations of traditional metaphysics by arguing that binary oppositions—such as speech versus writing or nature versus culture—are not natural but are products of the texts themselves. He maintained that deconstruction is not an attempt to simply invert these hierarchies, as that would merely reinforce the metaphysical structure. Instead, he proposed "displacing" or "reinscribing" these oppositions to show that neither term is primary.23

Crucially, Derrida insisted that deconstruction does not signal an end to philosophy or a move toward total relativism, as there is no alternative, non-metaphysical language available to replace it. He argued that the "passage beyond philosophy" does not involve abandoning it, but rather continuing to read philosophical texts in a specific, critical way. While critics have argued that his position is vulnerable to the paradox of relativism, Derrida’s work remains a rigorous, albeit controversial, engagement with the fundamental conceptual distinctions of Western philosophy.324