Which binary oppositions did Jacques Derrida challenge through deconstruction?

Through deconstruction, Jacques Derrida challenged the fundamental, hierarchical "binary oppositions" that have characterized Western philosophy since the time of the ancient Greeks.12

These binaries consist of pairs where one term is traditionally privileged as primary or fundamental, while the other is viewed as secondary or derivative. Derrida’s analysis aimed to "displace" these oppositions—showing that neither term is truly primary—rather than simply inverting them.32

Common examples of these binary oppositions include:

• Speech and writing (the most pervasive example, which Derrida linked to logocentrism)32
• Nature and culture32
• Mind and body32
• Presence and absence32
• Inside and outside32
• Literal and metaphorical32
• Intelligible and sensible32
• Form and meaning32

By examining the internal tensions and contradictions within texts, Derrida demonstrated that these hierarchies are not natural or necessary but are instead "constructions" of the texts themselves.32