1: What Is Postmodernism? 2: (Blank Slide) 3: History of Postmodernism

1st: What is Postmodernism?
2nd: (BLANK SLIDE)

3rd: HISTORY OF POSTMODERNISM
• Postmodern philosophy originated primarily in France during the mid-20th century.
However, several philosophical antecedents inform many of postmodern philosophy's
concerns.
• It was greatly influenced by the writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche in
the 19th century and other early-to-mid 20th-century philosophers
including phenomenologists Edmund Husserl and Martin
Heidegger, psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, structuralist Roland Barthes, Georges
Bataille, and the later work of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
• (insert photos of Philosophers)
• Postmodern philosophy also drew from the world of the arts and architecture.
4/5th slide: PRE VS MODERNISM VS POSTMODERNISM
Terms: Definition:
Hyperreality  in semiotics and postmodernism, is an inability of consciousness to
distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically
advanced postmodern societies.
Incredulity  the state of being unwilling or unable to believe something.
Meta-narratives  in critical theory and particularly in postmodernism is a narrative about
narratives of historical meaning, experience, or knowledge, which offers a
society legitimation through the anticipated completion of a (as yet
unrealized) master idea.
Deconstruction  a method of critical analysis of philosophical and literary language which
emphasizes the internal workings of language and conceptual systems, the
relational quality of meaning, and the assumptions implicit in forms of
expression.
Realism  the viewpoint which accords to things which are known or perceived an
existence or nature which is independent of whether anyone is thinking
about or perceiving them.
Supernaturalism  a belief in an otherworldly realm or reality that, in one way or another, is
commonly associated with all forms of religion.
Naturalism  is the belief that nothing exists beyond the natural world.
Anti-realism
 Antirealists take a diametrically opposite view, that a theory should never be
regarded as truth.
Mysticism
 the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can
be attained through subjective experience (such as intuition or insight)
 any of various theories asserting the validity of objective phenomena over

Objectivism
subjective experience. an ethical theory that moral good is objectively real or
that moral precepts are objectively valid
 the doctrine that "our own mental activity is the only unquestionable fact of
Subjectivism
our experience", instead of shared or communal, and that there is no external
or objective truth.
 a cultural value that is characterized by emphasis on cohesiveness among
Collectivism
individuals and prioritization of the group over self.
 In an extreme case, altruism may become a synonym of selflessness which
Altruism
is the opposite of selfishness.
 the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that
Individualism
emphasizes the moral worth of the individual.
Socialism  a range of economic and social systems characterized by social ownership
of the means of production and workers' self-management, as well as the
political theories and movements associated with them.
6th: POSTMODERN PHILOSOPHERS
Friedrich Nietzsche
Jean Baudrillard
The postmodern semiotic concept of "hyperreality" was contentiously coined by French
sociologist Jean Baudrillard in Simulacra and Simulation. Baudrillard defined "hyperreality" as
"the generation by models of a real without origin or reality" hyperreality is a representation, a
sign, without an original referent.
Jean-François Lyotard
He is best known for his articulation of postmodernism after the late 1970s and the analysis of
the impact of postmodernity on the human condition. he proposes what he calls an extreme
simplification of the "postmodern" as an 'incredulity towards meta-narratives'
Jacques Derrida
best known for developing a form of semiotic analysis known as deconstruction, which he
discussed in numerous texts, and developed in the context of phenomenology. (deconstruction
is an approach to understanding the relationship between text and meaning.)
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault was a postmodernist though he refused to be so in his works. He defined
postmodernity with reference to two guiding concepts: discourse and power.
7th 12 Major Key ideas of Postmodern Social Theory
Fragmentation
Postmodernism seems to reveal in fragmentation, ephemerality and discontinuity, preferring
difference over uniformity.
Rejection of meta-narratives:
Postmodern social thinkers, such as Foucault and Lyotard, attack any notion that there might be
a meta-language, meta-narrative or meta-theory through which all things can be connected,
represented or explained.
Attack on scientific truth
Lyotard was asked to submit a report on the state of knowledge with reference to science. He
argued that scientific knowledge or the knowledge generated by science is largely a myth. It is
limited by the institutions in which it is created. Philosophers and historians tell more on truth
than science. He, therefore, also rejects science narratives.
Emphasis on local narratives:
The postmodernists, therefore, put an emphasis on local factors or partial explanations, such as
the micro-politics of power relations in different social contexts and in relation to specific
discourses, language games or interpretative communities. All in all, they stand for local
narratives or the narratives of the grass roots people.
Stress on multiple, local and autonomous struggles:

The issues of labour unrest and class war have been abandoned by the postmodernists.
Politically, they are now engaged in multiple, local, autonomous struggles for liberation, rejecting
the imperialism of an enlightened modernity that presumed to speak for others such as ethnic
groups, religious minorities, women and weaker sections with a unified voice.
Deconstruction
Some of the postmodernists are influenced by structuralism. Important among them is Derrida.
Deconstruction is associated with him and it has become a major feature of postmodernism.
Modernists had resolved the problem of communication. (deconstruction is an approach to
understanding the relationship between text and meaning.)
Popular culture:
The postmodernists including their liberal and radical variants condemn the elite and high-brow
authority over cultural tastes. The elite culture is replaced by popular culture. Pop music,
pictures of gods and deities, calendars of all kinds and pictures of film stars are example of new
popular culture.
Development of sub-culture
There are various groups of youths and ethnic minorities who develop their own sub-culture. In
India, one can see the youths wearing earrings and girls swinging their hips under tight skirts. It
is common to see these youths consuming gutkha and other such intoxicants. Postmodernism
encourages sub-culture among members of the new generation.
Denial of history
Fukuyama observed in 1989 that there was end of history. By this end, he meant “that the
decline of socialism in former Russia has become a thing of the past. There is no history; there
is no alternate to capitalism”. Beyond Fukuyama, there are other postmodernists who argue that
in postmodern society there is no place for history.
End of empiricism
Empiricism in social science means experience through sensory organs, particularly

observation. The postmodernism considers science to be a myth. It is a tool – a handmaid of
elites and trading class. Postmodern social theory labels science as a ‘little science’ robbed off
its earlier glory. For it, empiricism ceases to be a methodological naturalism. In particular, the
claim that postmodernism is anti-science is a common one.
http://www.aquestionofexistence.com/Aquestionofexistence/Syllabi/Entries/2012/8/16_Phenome
nology_and_Postmodernism.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_philosophy
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/12-major-key-ideas-of-postmodern-social-theory-
explained/39891
https://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-
Postmodernism.htm?fbclid=IwAR1TSF22VXGZkyFLcZ7mrfY3yadMWx_iB6szn5mixlKX5OArP1UvaQACx_0

1: What Is Postmodernism? 2: (Blank Slide) 3: History of Postmodernism

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1: What Is Postmodernism? 2: (Blank Slide) 3: History of Postmodernism

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

1: What Is Postmodernism? 2: (Blank Slide) 3: History of Postmodernism

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1st: What is Postmodernism?

2nd: (BLANK SLIDE)

 any of various theories asserting the validity of objective phenomena over

6th: POSTMODERN PHILOSOPHERS

Stress on multiple, local and autonomous struggles:

Empiricism in social science means experience through sensory organs, particularly

You might also like