The 1960s is a decade of great achievement for this generation of French thinkers. 1961 sees the publication of Foucault’s monumental History of Madness (Madness and Civilization). At this time, Derrida is participating in a seminar taught by Foucault; on the basis of it, he will write “Cogito and the History of Madness” (1963), in which he criticizes Foucault’s early thought, especially Foucault’s interpretation of Descartes. “Cogito and the History of Madness” will result in a rupture between Derrida and Foucault, which will never fully heal. In the early 60s, Derrida reads Heidegger and Levinas carefully. The recently published lecture course from 1964–1965, Heidegger: The Question of Being and History, allows us to see how Derrida developed his questions to Heidegger. In 1964, Derrida publishes a long two part essay on Levinas, “Violence and Metaphysics.” It is hard to determine which of Derrida’s early essays is the most important, but certainly “Violence and Metaphysics” has to be a leading candidate.