logocentrism

(lō'gə-sĕn'trĭz'əm)
n.

1. A structuralist method of analysis, especially of literary works, that focuses upon words and language to the exclusion of non-linguistic matters, such as an author's individuality or historical context.
2. Excessive attention paid to the meanings of words or distinctions in their usage.

logocentric lo'go·cen'tric adj.
logocentrist lo'go·cen'trist n. & adj.

logocentrism, the term used by Jacques Derrida and other exponents of deconstruction to designate the desire for a centre or original guarantee of all meanings, which in Derrida's view has characterized Western philosophy since Plato. The Greek word logos can just mean ‘word’, but in philosophy it often denotes an ultimate principle of truth or reason, while in Christian theology it refers to the Word of God as the origin and foundation of all things. Derrida's critique of logocentric thinking shows how it attempts to repress difference (see différance) in favour of identity and presence: the philosophical ‘metaphysics of presence’ craves a ‘transcendental signified’ or ultimately self‐sufficient meaning (e.g. God, Man, Truth). The most significant case of logocentrism is the enduring phonocentrism that privileges speech over writing because speech is held to guarantee the full ‘presence’ and integrity of meaning.

Term used in postmodernist writing to criticize what is perceived as an excessive faith in the stability of meanings, or excessive concern with distinctions, or with the validity of inferences, or the careful use of reason, or with other traditional aids to sifting truth from falsity, or indeed an excessive faith in the notions of truth and falsity themselves.

[fr. Gk logos, word + -centrism]  /lo go CEN triz em/
1) literary analysis that focuses on words and language to the exclusion of non-linguistic matters such as the author's individuality or historical context
2) excessive attention paid to the meanings of words or distinctions in their usage   hence, logocentric