Derrida, "Plato's Pharmacy"

In Plato’s Pharmacy (1972), Jacques Derrida engages Plato’s Phaedrus to deconstruct the Platonic critique of writing, showing how that critique itself is philosophically problematic. The dialogue features Socrates and Phaedrus discussing the nature of speech, writing, and truth, with Socrates favoring the living, dialectical logos over the static, fixed form of writing.

Core argument: Derrida argues that Plato’s dismissal of writing as “sophistry” — a static, unchanging form of discourse — is a metaphysical overreach. He uses the Greek term pharmakon (“remedy” or “poison”) as a central example of polysemy, showing how a single word can carry multiple, often contradictory meanings. For Plato, the logos is the only true medium for truth because it is alive, responsive, and tied to the thinker’s mind. Writing, by contrast, is a fixed echo of speech, incapable of producing new insight.

Derrida’s reversal: Instead of accepting Plato’s hierarchy, Derrida turns the critique back on itself. He shows that Plato’s own account of writing — for example, the myth of Theuth and Thamos — deploys the very features of writing that he claims are its dangers: citation, imitation, and the production of belief without originality. Writing, in this reading, is not just a poor substitute for speech; it is a “pharmakon” that can both heal and harm, depending on context.

Plato’s Pharmacy is an early deconstructive intervention, arguing that Plato’s rejection of writing is not only philosophically flawed but also self-defeating. Writing, with its capacity for multiple meanings and contextual interpretation, is not merely a poor imitation of speech — it is a productive, ambiguous force that challenges the very idea of fixed truth.

Please read section 4, “The Pharmakon” (pp. 95 – 117, *.pdf pp. 127 – 149). Know that the entire essay (over 100 pages, *.pdf pp. 93 – 203) can take anywhere from three to six hours to read.

The translator’s introduction, especially pages viii – xvi (*.pdf pp. 6 – 14), gives a brief overview of Derrida and deconstruction. Mike Sutton (2018) wrote a shorter “summary and analysis” of Plato’s Pharmacy (just under 10,000 words) that is easier to read – feel free to read this instead.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a “Jacques Derrida” entry that you may find useful. This YouTube video (24:34) mentions Derrida’s deconstruction and shows how the world has moved from modernism to postmodernism. This video from Overthink Podcast [12:29] is a remarkably clear presentation of Derrida, deconstruction and differance – highly recommended.

The café (Kapej Coffee Roasters) does NOT allow any outside food or drinks. Please remember this.

We look forward to seeing you.