Structuralists like Saussure, Barthes, and Foucaux argued that there were rules governing how we think, act and behave. Language is not just a means of expressing thoughts, they said, but also a tool to shape our minds. These theorists claimed that texts like laws, books, newspapers, and even social norms influenced us in ways that we did not realize. Post-structuralism developed out of this view. Rather than believing that there was a single truth about reality, that we could discover through empirical science, they believed that there was no such thing. There were multiple truths and interpretations of reality.
Deconstruction is a theory of literary criticism that was originally proposed by Jacques Derrida in 1967. It challenges the validity of certain claims made by other scholars or philosophers, especially those regarding knowledge and truth, revealing their internal contradictions. This critical examination of the literature reveals not only its deeper meanings but also its ambiance. Through deconstruction, Post-Structuralism revealed the paradoxical nature of any seemingly valid statement about reality or truth, exposing it to be based upon self-referentiality and circular reasoning.