Das Sichtbare und das Unsichtbare

The idea that every presence is permeated by absence and that every identical thing remains different is not only encountered in Derrida but also in Merleau-Ponty's later ontology. The search here is directed towards an invisible aspect that belongs to this world itself, giving it structure and relief, and towards a non-seeing that inscribes itself in the field of consciousness as a blind spot that mocks every world and self-determination. Being develops cracks. It is not in front of us, but around us, more element than object. It can only be grasped indirectly, in the hollows, intersections, and intertwinings of what we encounter in experience.