To apply oneself to Derrida's comprehension of “law,” to probe the connections between Derrida and law, raises a seemingly insurmountable challenge for anyone wishing to elucidate what the conjunction masks as it brings not‐together the inscription of a proper noun in the French language and that of a noun in the English language. To be sure, one cannot speak of a history, but only of histories. Derrida acknowledged that the word “law” can point to significance as it issues “from morality, (...) from legality or from politics, even from nature”. Derrida's lesson in the dismantling of positivism's hegemonic distortions is powerful. The first manifestation of Derrida's positivism pertains to his distinction between law and justice. (shrink)

This essay examines the capacity of language (‘word’) to convey what there is (‘world’). It draws on philosophical thought, which it seeks to apply to law while making specific reference to comparative legal studies, that is, to the investigation of law that is foreign to its interpreter.