Postmodernism vs. Truth Relativism
A friend and I were discussing via email some common misconceptions about postmodernism, particularly, those made on behalf of Christians. If there's one at bottom possible general misinterpretation, it seems to me, it's that the postmodern framework is in favor of truth relativism. However, this is not the case because, assuming this Wikipedia page is correct, postmodernism makes epistemological claims and not ontological ones. Truth relativism, on the other hand, is the notion that there is no such thing as absolute truth, which is a statement about reality (an ontological statement). Postmodernists do indeed comment on happenings in the human world, but they lack interest in meta-narratives, and instead favor, to put it quite sloppily, chewing the food that's on the table rather than replacing it with fresh food. It's about finding new ways to taste the same wine rather than drinking new wines to acquire new tastes.
That's just a snapshot of some of the information I've picked up on the topic. Perhaps I'm misguided in my interpretation? Of course, this is postmodernism that I'm writing about here and we all know that defining such a framework will be wrong every time.
What are others saying about postmodernism? Here are some quotes, most of which were taken from another Wikipedia page:
1. "what are the principles of their theories, on what evidence are they based, what do they explain that wasn't already obvious, etc.?...If [these requests] can't be met, then I'd suggest recourse to Hume's advice in similar circumstances: 'to the flames'."
~ Noam Chomsky
2. "The idea that we live in a postmodern culture is a myth. In fact, a postmodern culture is an impossibility; it would be utterly unlivable. People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion and ethics. But, of course, that's not postmodernism; that's modernism!"
~ William Lane Craig
3. "Postmodernism, the school of 'thought' that proclaimed 'There are no truths, only interpretations' has largely played itself out in absurdity, but it has left behind a generation of academics in the humanities disabled by their distrust of the very idea of truth and their disrespect for evidence, settling for 'conversations' in which nobody is wrong and nothing can be confirmed, only asserted with whatever style you can muster."
~ Daniel Dennett
4. "Although there are many strands to 'postmodernism' (an art style before it became a social theory), the basic idea is that individual freedom has combined with increased geographical mobility and better communication to create a world in which 'consumers' select elements of culture from a global cafeteria."
~ Steve Bruce
Join the discussion. What do you think postmodernism entails?
That's just a snapshot of some of the information I've picked up on the topic. Perhaps I'm misguided in my interpretation? Of course, this is postmodernism that I'm writing about here and we all know that defining such a framework will be wrong every time.
What are others saying about postmodernism? Here are some quotes, most of which were taken from another Wikipedia page:
1. "what are the principles of their theories, on what evidence are they based, what do they explain that wasn't already obvious, etc.?...If [these requests] can't be met, then I'd suggest recourse to Hume's advice in similar circumstances: 'to the flames'."
~ Noam Chomsky
2. "The idea that we live in a postmodern culture is a myth. In fact, a postmodern culture is an impossibility; it would be utterly unlivable. People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion and ethics. But, of course, that's not postmodernism; that's modernism!"
~ William Lane Craig
3. "Postmodernism, the school of 'thought' that proclaimed 'There are no truths, only interpretations' has largely played itself out in absurdity, but it has left behind a generation of academics in the humanities disabled by their distrust of the very idea of truth and their disrespect for evidence, settling for 'conversations' in which nobody is wrong and nothing can be confirmed, only asserted with whatever style you can muster."
~ Daniel Dennett
4. "Although there are many strands to 'postmodernism' (an art style before it became a social theory), the basic idea is that individual freedom has combined with increased geographical mobility and better communication to create a world in which 'consumers' select elements of culture from a global cafeteria."
~ Steve Bruce
Join the discussion. What do you think postmodernism entails?
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