John Raymund Alonzo

In this article, I argue that, although Jacques Derrida is “unwelcomed” to “most” philosophical traditions, his “différance” may have some similarities with Ludwig Wittgenstein’s “language-games.” A number of scholars have looked into the connection between Wittgenstein and Derrida in various perspectives. This paper aims to contribute to this body of work by analyzing Wittgenstein’s “languagegames” in his Philosophical Investigations in relation to Derrida’s “différance” in his Margins of Philosophy. Assessing some similarities between these philosophers requires a charitable consideration of the differences as foundation for a convergence between these philosophers’ viewpoints, specifically their 1) views on “differences” in meaning, 2) the “text” and the “context” as the field of analyzing and/or deconstructing language, and 3) the refusal to commit their philosophical work as methods, concepts, and/or theories. Eventually, this attempt to establish a convergence between Wittgenstein and Derrida can stand as a bridge or, in the Wittgensteinian word, a “language-game” towards a more comprehensive understanding not only of philosophy and language, but of life itself. My aim is to show that such convergence, though is not so much focused on the “deconstructive-ness” of the Investigations, can introduce a new way of analyzing the “text” without separating it from the “context.”