Renowned UCI professor dies at 74

Jacques Derrida, a prominent philosopher of the 20th century and a UC

Irvine professor of philosophy, died Friday of pancreatic cancer at

the age of 74, according to wire reports.

Derrida, the founder of the school of deconstructionism, has been

a UCI Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, French and Comparative

Literature since 1986. He was the author of more than 50 books on

subjects such as philosophy, literature, Marxism and critical legal

studies.

According to a short bio on the university’s website, Derrida has

influenced philosophical debates throughout the world and paved the

way for new ideas in critical theory. His work reportedly showed that

language can have layers, or several meanings.