In
critical theory and
deconstruction,
logocentrism is a phrase coined by the German philosopher
Ludwig Klages in the 1920s to refer to the perceived tendency of Western thought to locate the
center of any text or discourse within the
logos (a Greek word meaning
word,
reason, or
spirit). Logocentrism is often used as a derogatory term, referring to the tendencies of some works to assume a transparent relation between signifier and referent, or between language and intended meaning. Logocentrism is often confused with
phonocentrism, which more specifically refers to the privileging of speech over writing.
Logocentrism is claimed to be manifested in the works of
Plato,
Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
Ferdinand de Saussure,
Claude Lévi-Strauss, and many other philosophers of the Western tradition, all of whom regard speech as superior to writing (believing writing only represents or archives speech), but who more generally wish to establish a foundational presence of Logos or "reason" obtained from an origin of all knowledge (e.g., God or the universe).
See also
