The Supplement, or Derrida's Symptom

What affinity one should draw between a philosopher's life and their philosophy? Heidegger excludes biography from the framework of philosophy, whereas Nietzsche identifies it as its innermost core. Derrida appears to align with Nietzsche, treating the philosopher's biography as a subject of discussion that is no less legitimate than his philosophy. Yet what about Derrida himself? Does his stance entail a performative dimension? In his early writing, Derrida's life remains outside of his philosophy. Yet the unveiling of the vicissitudes of his biography in his late writing enables tracking down the biographical source of his immense corpus. Although his biography is not explicitly addressed in his early writing, it serves as its concealed origin, first and foremost of one of its key concepts – the supplement: About a year before Derrida's birth on 15 July 1930, his mother gave birth to an older brother who died prematurely at three months of age. Derrida's arrival into the world was thus marked by his indelible role as a replacement, a supplement to the dead brother. This constitutive experience should be understood as Derrida's symptom, one that determined the trajectory not only of his life, but also of his writing.