Clearly the ostensive and actual meanings of the text are wildly divergent. Start with the headline: its use of the term "icon Derrida" speaks volumes, to those who can see such things, about the exact nature of the entity which has purportedly died. And the authorship of the whole piece is far from clear, since it seems to quote its own author -- Paris Correspondent Hugh Schofield -- on more than one occasion. Insertion of the author himself into the text, of course, is a classic postmodern jape, intended to raise questions of unreliable narration.

But if Derrida is not dead, of course, we must ask the corollary: is he now, and, indeed, was he ever, alive? On this crucial question, I am afraid, the BBC question is silent.

Still, farewell father of the scare quote, We hardly "knew" ye.

Erik Stattin over at myMarkup.net [Swedish] actually nails the relevant quote, from Derrida's
Donner la mort (The Gift of Death)

"Death is very much that which nobody else can undergo or confront in my place. My irreplaceability is therefore conferred, delivered, 'given', one can say, by death. It is the same gift, the same source, one could say the same goodness and the same law. It is from the site of death as the place of my irreplaceability, that is, of my singularity, that I feel called to responsibility. In this sense only a mortal can be responsible."

I lament that I never saw him in person. I only knew him as the author of many cruel and amusing games which friends and myself have partaken in, the inhumane torture of texts until they break and perhaps, reveal their secrets.

"Urinating is very much that which nobody else can undergo or confront in my place. My irreplaceability is therefore conferred, delivered, 'given', one can say, by urinating. It is the same gift, the same source, one could say the same goodness and the same law. It is from the site of urination as the place of my irreplaceability, that is, of my singularity, that I feel called to responsibility. In this sense only a urinating person can be responsible."

Sefan:

Absence of "c" in the deceased's name indicates hurry by author to "punch" line. Inner conflicts do out, n'est-ce pas?

Absence of t indicates same.

The absence is due to me not being able to "c" clearly through the veil of malentendus and semi-entendres that separates names from the true core of a person.

What's the difference?

Stefan you should really look into harrassing the Onion for plagerism. Or just recognize how obvious the joke is.

er, "plagiarism". i don't know what happened there...

I think I will settle for it being an obvious joke, though I do claim to be first.

Shouldn't that be "What's the differance?"