العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolPOSTMODERN PHILOSOPHY
'
'Postmodern philosophy' is an eclectic and elusive trend of thought. Postmodern philosophy is an application of postmodernism to philosophical thought. Beginning as a critique of Continental philosophy, it was heavily influenced by phenomenology, structuralism and existentialism, including writings of both Søren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger. It was also influenced to some degree by the later Ludwig Wittgenstein's criticisms of traditional philosophy, including earlier analytic philosophy. Postmodern philosophy is skeptical of many of the values and bases of analytic philosophy; for instance a postmodernist might disavow that the complex system of meanings that is entailed in a simple statement could be represented in logical annotation.
Postmodern philosophy is often particularly skeptical about simple binary oppositions characteristic of structuralism, emphasizing the problem of the philosopher cleanly distinguishing knowledge from ignorance, social progress from reversion, dominance from submission, and presence from absence.[1][2]
Postmodern philosophy has strong relations substantial literature of critical theory. Other areas of production have included deconstruction and several areas beginning with the prefix "post-", such as post-structuralism, post-Marxism, and post-feminism.
While the idea of postmodernity had been around since the 1940's, postmodern philosophy originated primarily in France during the mid-20th century as a rejection of the hegelianism of the age. 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 20th century philosophers, including phenomenologists Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, structuralist Roland Barthes, and the linguistic/therapeutic philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Postmodern philosophy also drew from the world of the arts and architecture, particularly Marcel Duchamp and artists who practiced collage, and the architecture of Las Vegas and the Pompidou Centre.
The most influential early postmodern philosophers were Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard, and Jacques Derrida. While Foucault enabled postmodern philosophy from a historical perspective allowing for other postmodern philosophy, building upon structuralism, but at the same time rejecting structuralism by re-historicizing and destabilizing the philosophical structures of Western thought. He also argued that knowledge is defined and changed by the operation of ''power''.
The writings of Lyotard were largely concerned with the role of narrative in human culture, and particularly how that role has changed as we have left modernity and entered a "postindustrial" or postmodern condition. He argued that modern philosophies legitimized their truth-claims not (as they themselves claimed) on logical or empirical grounds, but rather on the grounds of accepted stories (or "metanarratives") about knowledge and the world -- comparing these with Wittgenstein's concept of language-games. He further argued that in our postmodern condition, these metanarratives no longer work to legitimize truth-claims. He suggested that in the wake of the collapse of modern metanarratives, people are developing a new "language game" -- one that does not make claims to absolute truth but rather celebrates a world of ever-changing relationships (among people and between people and the world).
Derrida, the father of deconstruction, practiced philosophy as a form of textual criticism. He criticized Western philosophy as privileging the concept of presence and ''logos'', as opposed to absence and markings or writings. Derrida thus claimed to have deconstructed Western philosophy by arguing, for example, that the Western ideal of the present ''logos'' is undermined by the expression of that ideal in the form of ''markings'' by an absent author. Thus, to emphasize this paradox, Derrida reformalized human culture as a disjoint network of proliferating markings and writings, with the author being absent.
In America, the most famous pragmatist and self-acclaimed postmodernist was Richard Rorty. An analytic philosopher, Rorty believed that combining Willard Van Orman Quine's criticism of the analytic-synthetic distinction with Wilfrid Sellars's critique of the "Myth of the Given" allowed for an abandonment of the view of the thought or language as a mirror of a reality or external world. Further, drawing upon Donald Davidson's criticism of the dualism between conceptual scheme and empirical content, he challenges the sense of questioning whether our particular concepts are related to the world in an appropriate way, whether we can justify our ways of describing the world as compared with other ways. He argued that truth was not about getting it right or representing reality, but was part of a social practice and language was what served our purposes in a particular time; ancient languages are sometimes untranslatable into modern ones because they posess a different vocabulary and are unuseful today. Donald Davidson is not usually considered a postmodernist (, although he and Rorty have both acknowledged that there are few differences between their philosophies.[3][4]
Postmodern philosophy is very similar to post-structuralism. Whether one considers the two identical or fundamentally different generally depends on how invested one is in the issues. People who are opposed to either postmodernism or poststructuralism often lump them together; advocates on the other hand, make finer distinctions.
As with post-structuralism, deconstruction is often considered with or as postmodern philosophy.
Postmodern philosophy is often subject to scathing criticism, accused of self-refuting relativism and intellectual irresponsibility. Its defenders claim that its terminology and positions are often misrepresented by its critics.
While some critics claim that postmodern skepticism appears similar to relativism or even nihilism, defenders of post-modernism in turn sometimes argue that there is a distinct difference: while relativism and nihilism are generally viewed as an ''abandonment'' of meaning and authority, postmodern philosophy is generally viewed as an ''openness'' to meaning and authority from unexpected places, so that the ultimate source of authority is the "play" of the discourse itself.
For the most part, postmodern philosophy has spawned substantial literature of critical theory. Other areas of production have included deconstruction and several areas beginning with the prefix "post-", such as post-structuralism, post-Marxism, and post-feminism.
★ Postmodernism
★ Postmodernity
★ Hyperreality
★ Natural philosophy
★ Postcontemporary theory
★ Postmodernism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
1. Stuart, Sim. ''Routledge Companion to Postmodernism''
2. Taylor, Victor and Charles Winquist. ''Encyclopedia of Postmodernism'' "Binary Opposition"
3. An interview with Rorty
4. Davidson, D., 1986, "A Coherence Theory of Truth and Knowledge," Truth And Interpretation, Perspectives on the Philosophy of Donald Davidson, ed. Ernest LePore, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, afterwords.
'Postmodern philosophy' is an eclectic and elusive trend of thought. Postmodern philosophy is an application of postmodernism to philosophical thought. Beginning as a critique of Continental philosophy, it was heavily influenced by phenomenology, structuralism and existentialism, including writings of both Søren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger. It was also influenced to some degree by the later Ludwig Wittgenstein's criticisms of traditional philosophy, including earlier analytic philosophy. Postmodern philosophy is skeptical of many of the values and bases of analytic philosophy; for instance a postmodernist might disavow that the complex system of meanings that is entailed in a simple statement could be represented in logical annotation.
Postmodern philosophy is often particularly skeptical about simple binary oppositions characteristic of structuralism, emphasizing the problem of the philosopher cleanly distinguishing knowledge from ignorance, social progress from reversion, dominance from submission, and presence from absence.[1][2]
Postmodern philosophy has strong relations substantial literature of critical theory. Other areas of production have included deconstruction and several areas beginning with the prefix "post-", such as post-structuralism, post-Marxism, and post-feminism.
History of postmodern philosophy
Early influences on postmodern philosophy
While the idea of postmodernity had been around since the 1940's, postmodern philosophy originated primarily in France during the mid-20th century as a rejection of the hegelianism of the age. 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 20th century philosophers, including phenomenologists Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, structuralist Roland Barthes, and the linguistic/therapeutic philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Postmodern philosophy also drew from the world of the arts and architecture, particularly Marcel Duchamp and artists who practiced collage, and the architecture of Las Vegas and the Pompidou Centre.
Early postmodern philosophers
The most influential early postmodern philosophers were Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard, and Jacques Derrida. While Foucault enabled postmodern philosophy from a historical perspective allowing for other postmodern philosophy, building upon structuralism, but at the same time rejecting structuralism by re-historicizing and destabilizing the philosophical structures of Western thought. He also argued that knowledge is defined and changed by the operation of ''power''.
The writings of Lyotard were largely concerned with the role of narrative in human culture, and particularly how that role has changed as we have left modernity and entered a "postindustrial" or postmodern condition. He argued that modern philosophies legitimized their truth-claims not (as they themselves claimed) on logical or empirical grounds, but rather on the grounds of accepted stories (or "metanarratives") about knowledge and the world -- comparing these with Wittgenstein's concept of language-games. He further argued that in our postmodern condition, these metanarratives no longer work to legitimize truth-claims. He suggested that in the wake of the collapse of modern metanarratives, people are developing a new "language game" -- one that does not make claims to absolute truth but rather celebrates a world of ever-changing relationships (among people and between people and the world).
Derrida, the father of deconstruction, practiced philosophy as a form of textual criticism. He criticized Western philosophy as privileging the concept of presence and ''logos'', as opposed to absence and markings or writings. Derrida thus claimed to have deconstructed Western philosophy by arguing, for example, that the Western ideal of the present ''logos'' is undermined by the expression of that ideal in the form of ''markings'' by an absent author. Thus, to emphasize this paradox, Derrida reformalized human culture as a disjoint network of proliferating markings and writings, with the author being absent.
In America, the most famous pragmatist and self-acclaimed postmodernist was Richard Rorty. An analytic philosopher, Rorty believed that combining Willard Van Orman Quine's criticism of the analytic-synthetic distinction with Wilfrid Sellars's critique of the "Myth of the Given" allowed for an abandonment of the view of the thought or language as a mirror of a reality or external world. Further, drawing upon Donald Davidson's criticism of the dualism between conceptual scheme and empirical content, he challenges the sense of questioning whether our particular concepts are related to the world in an appropriate way, whether we can justify our ways of describing the world as compared with other ways. He argued that truth was not about getting it right or representing reality, but was part of a social practice and language was what served our purposes in a particular time; ancient languages are sometimes untranslatable into modern ones because they posess a different vocabulary and are unuseful today. Donald Davidson is not usually considered a postmodernist (, although he and Rorty have both acknowledged that there are few differences between their philosophies.[3][4]
Deconstruction and post-structuralism
Postmodern philosophy is very similar to post-structuralism. Whether one considers the two identical or fundamentally different generally depends on how invested one is in the issues. People who are opposed to either postmodernism or poststructuralism often lump them together; advocates on the other hand, make finer distinctions.
As with post-structuralism, deconstruction is often considered with or as postmodern philosophy.
Criticism
Postmodern philosophy is often subject to scathing criticism, accused of self-refuting relativism and intellectual irresponsibility. Its defenders claim that its terminology and positions are often misrepresented by its critics.
While some critics claim that postmodern skepticism appears similar to relativism or even nihilism, defenders of post-modernism in turn sometimes argue that there is a distinct difference: while relativism and nihilism are generally viewed as an ''abandonment'' of meaning and authority, postmodern philosophy is generally viewed as an ''openness'' to meaning and authority from unexpected places, so that the ultimate source of authority is the "play" of the discourse itself.
Influence
For the most part, postmodern philosophy has spawned substantial literature of critical theory. Other areas of production have included deconstruction and several areas beginning with the prefix "post-", such as post-structuralism, post-Marxism, and post-feminism.
See also
★ Postmodernism
★ Postmodernity
★ Hyperreality
★ Natural philosophy
Terms merged into Postmodern philosophy
★ Postcontemporary theory
External links
★ Postmodernism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Notes
1. Stuart, Sim. ''Routledge Companion to Postmodernism''
2. Taylor, Victor and Charles Winquist. ''Encyclopedia of Postmodernism'' "Binary Opposition"
3. An interview with Rorty
4. Davidson, D., 1986, "A Coherence Theory of Truth and Knowledge," Truth And Interpretation, Perspectives on the Philosophy of Donald Davidson, ed. Ernest LePore, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, afterwords.
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
