'No, let us not eliminate; on the contrary, let us include' (Conversations, p. 132).
Is a philosopher always a critic, does she always analyze? Both of these words, so dear to the modernist settlement, semantically imply differentiation, classification, and categorization. The critic splits things up, or erases borders, with her de(con)structive analysis: this is A, this is B, and they are not the same, or, perhaps even, they should be the same. Dichotomous difference or holistic sameness?
I'd like to think of the philosopher-traceur as something else. The traceur doesn't eliminate anything, save for notions about what possible connections there are in a given situation. To trace is to create sameness, without eliminating difference. A gentle caress on the cheek of a stranger; bold, but affirmative.
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