>[!abstract] >**Always already** is a philosophical expression, prominent in phenomenology, existentialism, and post-structuralism (particularly in the works of Heidegger, Derrida, and Althusser), used to indicate that certain conditions or structures are in place prior to conscious reflection or deliberate choice. It emphasizes that subjects never encounter the world from a neutral or original starting point but are *always already* embedded in language, history, social norms, or conceptual frameworks that shape experience in advance. It serves to undermine notions of pure immediacy and autonomy by reminding of pre-given conditions of meaning and action. >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): — >- **West** (similar): — >- **East** (different): — >- **South** (downstream): [[Strange loop]]