The anti-foundationalist belief that there is no secure basis for knowledge was worked out philosophically in the somewhat wearisome tracts of Jacques Derrida. The difference, Derrida tells us, is the idea that any attempts to discuss universal features of human nature are merely products of local standards, often serving the vested interests of the status quo, and should rightly be dismantled and critiqued. Derrida was considered the originator of a profound challenge to the history of human thought. However, a century before Derrida, Darwin's theory of natural selection had made anti-foundationalism almost an inevitable consequence. From an evolutionary point of view, our understanding of the world depends on earlier and less-developed forms of understanding; meaning is continuously referred or deferred to other terms or experiences.

Derrida’s definition of difference suggests that he would most likely subscribe to which of the following beliefs?

A. The interests of the status quo always maintain local standards.
B. Ideas expressed by those who are part of the status quo do not necessarily represent a universally accepted truth.
C. Any attempts to discuss human nature serve the interests of the status quo.
D. The interests of the status quo should be critiqued and dismantled by those who are part of the status quo.
E. Ideas that are a product of local standards cannot contain elements of a universal truth.



Select the sentence which states a position with which the author does NOT agree.





The passage implies that which of the following beliefs is embraced by anti-foundationalists?

A. In many cases humans cannot be completely secure in thinking that they fully understand a given situation.
B. The meaning of an experience can best be understood outside the cultural context in which it occurs.
C. Those who are part of the status quo are best able to dismantle and critique society.
D. Derrida’s work would not have been possible without the prior ruminations of Darwin a century earlier.
E. Darwin’s faith in the status quo is sufficient grounds to develop universal truths about cultural experiences.