Why did Jacques Derrida argue that the idea of nature is shaped by culture?

Jacques Derrida argued that the idea of nature is shaped by culture because the distinction between the two is not an objective, independent reality, but rather a conceptual product created within culture itself.12

In Western philosophy, "nature" and "culture" are often treated as a binary opposition, where nature is assumed to be primary or fundamental and culture is seen as secondary or derivative. Derrida’s deconstruction challenges this hierarchy by demonstrating that what is defined as "natural" varies across different historical moments and cultural contexts.13

Rather than simply inverting this relationship—which would merely maintain the problematic binary—Derrida sought to "displace" the opposition. He argued that the meaning of "nature" is inextricably bound to the cultural frameworks used to describe it. By showing that this distinction is a "construction" of language and thought rather than a natural or necessary truth, Derrida highlighted how such hierarchies are products of the texts and systems of representation in which they appear.123