I think that Derrida implies an actual restart, by claiming closure. Then, he starts saying we have to go older than this, and older than that, finally saying more ancient than originary, implying that we go back to a start prior to the original start. I think that the cycle is like a spiral, such that each time we go back to the "older", it must be older than the older that we went back to the last time.

Something I've always struggled in being able to clearly differentiate is between the empirical ego and the transcendental ego. As I'm reading the introduction it seems that this distinction is being brought up once again.

I have guesses, but they feel very much like guesses and are vague. In Kant I know why I have these guesses, but I also know that these are very far from central to his philosophy. They're important but not the "meat", so to speak.

I'd be very appreciative of anyone still following the thread if they could give their take on this distinction between psychology and transcendental consciousness or ego. (and if there's even a distinction there, too)