By: Nicanor Wong Arch Ortiz / / jnwong@cap-regionallima.org
Summary: Jean Francois Lyotard (1) is recognized as the "father of modernism, after his famous work" The Postmodern Condition ", a text that appeared in the year of 1979 brought discussion about the meaning and the duration of what this word meant Postmodernism. Without going to give a definition of it - except that you can define something based on denial - give us characteristics of this first world western culture as a failure of the modern project.
modernism as pessimism absolutization
For some, like Habermas (2) be treated as just a blip, nonexistent, a confusion caused by the decline of modernity.
The discrediting of this label comes from a lack of precision in concept that attempts to replace: the modernity or modern times. The "post" added to it would be something as vague and elusive that practically means nothing.
Moreover, the "post" would actually be a "anti" and tries to define the so-called denial-modern project. In any case, time will tell if we are truly facing a new stage of history or to delusions and consistency.
No But nobody doubts that in Western history, there is a period after the strong dominance of rationalist feudalism from a rejection of the strong predominance of divine providence in the conception of man and the world. The exaltation of reason trasformaría all aspects of daily life of European man but especially the domination of nature through science and the beginning of the production and reproduction: the industry and market.
modernity, science and reason would be worth as synonyms. As a rational statement of this program, the symbiosis of reason - science - the organization of social life - politics, would give mankind a future peace and happiness. The nature would have joined the sciences of man - or the social sciences - to set a life plan to replace the kingdom of God: the ancient religious faith. Such was the promise of even more positivism and Marxism in all its scientific nature.
To Jean François Lyotard, considered the "father of modernism," postmodernism is not the end of modernism but its nascent state, this state is constant . " It is noteworthy that, over the name "postmodern" say it is a "false name", a pseudonym, which initially took the Italian architects and a certain current dela American literary criticism. This misused term introduces confusion in the minds of the modern satisfied. Clearly, it will continue, that the name "post modernity" can not mean "what comes after modernity," because the word "modern" just means "now and after now" is "now." Not the end of one thing and the beginning of another. "That would be absurd, I would say that is something that has always been a part of" modernity "as the melancholy ..." (3), is therefore that Lyotard breaks the law of contradiction.
On the one hand, states that "postmodern is disbelief about the meta narratives" (4) and other that modernism is a meta-story building which continued to be no more than idle questions. As proof of certainty mentioned the tragedy of "Auschwitz", where the victory of the capitalist science and technology over the other candidates for universal purpose of the story (such as socialism, human rights, Christianity) mark the destruction of implementation of modern project.
that postmodernism is thus be defined by a threefold fall: that of science, social commitment and an interview (5). The postmodern crisis talks today against reason and against logic. In the words of Lyotard: "everything that is received, even yesterday, should be object of suspicion. " Interestingly, rejection per se is very typical of modernity.
For the" postmodern "no rational explanation, no science that is worth. It rejects any that seeks to encompass a systematic all or any theoretical foundation type. The only thing that counts is literature or art. Everything is fun, such as resolving the paradox of "understand the future given by the" post "something is done now (" modernus = now).
In social life emphasizes the "diversity", which basically would mean that each person, each human group, live as seems appropriate. There would be no rules. No have goals of human perfection that was desirable for everyone because the rules are already written, only "... we have to invent allusions to the conceivable which can not be made (...) war at all, bear witness to the unpresentable, check the differences , save the honor of the name " (6). Lyotard indirectly faced with a situation epistemological (the doctrine of the fundamentals and methods of scientific knowledge), where the only thing that matters is the ability to name the conceivable.
The main ontological problem that arises is the legitimacy of the assertion:
- have sunk the meta-narratives a source of empowerment.
- The scientist is not able to justify their own bases, so the invention would drift since there is no problem to solve.
- The operative criterion is technological, it is not appropriate to judge what is true and just.
- The consensus achieved through dialogue (Habermas) violence to the heterogeneity of languages. Indeed, all dialogue implies a dominant on a domain.
Such a proposal would have a similarity with the nominalism (Tendency to deny the objective existence of universals, regarding them as mere conventions or names, as opposed to realism and idealism) of William of Ockham (7) for which there was the essence but the fiction of them as part of a whole. Moreover there are strong links with the doctrine of monads of Leibniz (8) in ways that cause impressions to be substantial man looks like a sublime reality.
postmodern capitalism
face of such hopelessness, pessimism deepens Lyotard and record the characteristics of postmodern capitalism:
- Fits republican institution.
- tolerates evil terrorism (because it destroys the market).
good - ago crumbs with despotism.
- The decline of the great stories (including the decline of the liberal narrative of the enrichment of humanity) are not disturbed.
- No need for legitimation.
-
not prescribe anything - is present everywhere, but more as a necessity than an end
So, if modernism suggested by the secular saint like figure of the common man, for the postmodern this character would be Friedrich Nietzsche (9) and the same basic attitude would hermeneutics (interpretation). But a hermeneutics that is far from the depth and greatness of the classics of this discipline. No choice but to adapt and survive.
In summary, one can interpret anything in its way. Everything is interpretation. Anything goes. In reality, there would be no reality. Or put more cultured, there is now no longer syntax and semantics. Everything is purely pragmatic. "The artist, gallerist, critic and the public are happy together in the" what-more-da ", and now is the relaxation (...) But this realism of" what-more-da "is the realism of money: a lack of aesthetic criteria is still possible and useful to measure the value of the works by the gain that can be drawn from them. This realism accommodates all trends, such as adjusting the capital to all the "needs", provided that the trends and needs have purchasing power " (10).
While modernity to European society, has been" impossible love 'own first-world countries, for many societies around the world would live in a pre-modern, or type "medieval" or almost "primitive." Nevertheless, the third world countries keep an enviable position compared to the first because they would have achieved what the Europeans want, it is to live a day as they live, without any concern for the future, and smooth reflective or theoretical. Would have come sooner, rather than being moved from its site, given that culture would actually turned around on itself in pursuit of the modern utopia.
What was bad in the project of modernity? Apparently the man's self and denial of the divine. The denial of God is not the best values \u200b\u200bof life of modern man.
relativism as the basis for postmodern politics
Jean Baudrillard (11) explains that postmodernism in terms of time without historical horizon. There is no "telos" (goal, purpose) and vision of the whole. Itself is not a project but a reaction.
Postmodernism allows the reception of categories such as "fiction", the mere appearance of reality and a new logic: the logic of seduction represented in the culture of welfare and hedonism. Besides
Boudrillard Lyotard and Gianni Vattimo (12) says that postmodernism is a thought of the enjoyment of pure joy about the present, without past or future, no history, as each person is his own historian. Pollution is a thought, open, where anything goes, is a weak thought, not because I have a weakness, but because it seeks the "weakening of Being, leaving attribute characteristics strong, time-bound to admit, life and death. Such weakening of the self is the human emancipation will enable the progressive reduction of violence and dogmatism (13).
These are some of the paintings with which we are introduced to the authors postmodern postmodernism: the crisis of values, weak thinking, logic of seduction, no past and no future, fragmentation, multiplicity. In the brush strokes that give shape to postmodernism, we acknowledge the influence of authors, among others, as Friedriech Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger (14).
Main influences on the postmodern condition
The most significant influence of postmodern authors receive Nietzsche. On the one hand, his "death of God", has several implications, among others, ending with the real world with the metaphysical, you know it's no compass, no values. Moreover, what he calls positive aspects of nihilism, is a strong attacking those values \u200b\u200bto make a "transvaluation" the devaluation of the highest values, lack of goals, the lack of answers to why?, Is become the most important driving force to develop the postmodern project.
Another influence is Heidegger, who take their critical metaphysics and modernity, the modern subject as a renderer, the corrosive effects of the technique, rationalization and the result of forgetfulness of being.
are added, as other influences and precedents, these two authors Germans, Americans, William James (15) for its pragmatism and pluralism, and John Dewey (16) for his attack on the assumptions of traditional philosophy and social theory, which, in his view, must be thoroughly amended and renewed.
The postmodern man
For the postmodern man is thrown into the world. He's lost the transcendental self (unit truth, good, beauty). Humanity is disarmed and dispersed, and therefore has no image of unity, is itself is a multiplicity.
Life would be an experimental style, characterized by sacrificing moral values, considering them hypocritical. In the experimental life of postmodern man's contemplation of emptiness of self, of nirvana.
The dignity is attributed solely to their individuality, that is untouchable: "... autonomy, the irreducibility of each principle that can not be violated in the construction of any relationship. Principle that not only alludes to possessive individualism, self-centeredness, egotism, narcissism, but because the person is free of principle and in that sense, must be free feeling, thinking, in all their actions. Should not yield to no one's ever won that right is individual freedom " (17). And from that individuality has the right to define their own ethics.
Ethics which, incidentally, is not based on an objective distinction between good and evil, no fixed rules, is a subjective ethic which advocates tolerance and moral pluralism. proposes a moral nihilism, where forms are kept for aesthetic reasons, any distinction of acting is a matter of labels, the only criteria to approve or disapprove action is the common aesthetic sense.
The total "beautification" of life manifests itself in a meaningless existence, a dynamic without purpose, creativity without principles, which will illustrate the lifestyle: alternative marriages, families without stability, art and free fashion styles, philosophy without reason, without a past history, religion without faith.
Moreover, the postmodern man looking for that tolerance and pluralism are guaranteed by positive law. This guarantee is what explains the combination of postmodern relativism and legalism. Requires state laws to expand their spaces positive forms of behavior, in other historical moments or conceptions of life, are reprehensible. In these laws calls postmodernism experimental alternatives, since they do not reflect values, but arrangements for coexistence. Thus, the relationship between law and justice disappears.
If Habermas stresses the dialogue - and practice - as a lifeline to continue with the modern project in a new direction, Lyotard emphasizes the dissension of views. I mean, for any of these contemporary thinkers consensus is the goal and both share a strong linguistic root. If Habermas's proposal is first to reach consensus through dialogue, this would mean that has violated the plurality of meanings since we are all radically different in our speech and, therefore, in our opinion. It is then that the recognition of the "other" as different but there is no dialogue of tolerance and respect for all diverse, since the concepts of goodness, evil, true or false are constructions from the meta narratives: false.
Policy
postmodern considerations we have noted so far allow us to enter the political vision of postmodern authors have, and once, see how they interpret to be taken forward in political life.
For the postmodern thinking there is no policy as such, there is no politics understood as a coordinated set of measures aimed at achieving the common good, so there are "policy ..." whose construction allows postmodern adage "everything is political. "
This understanding of politics leads to the postmodern authors argue that politics is everything to where it can expand, "... policy," meaning that it is not to define policy, but to point out the processes of politicization. The complement of the name determines the area in which policy moves. Thus, there is a policy of trans-humanism, design, privacy, consumer, anti conception of what a transsexual, data protection, rock, etc.., and thereby make it possible to multiply by hundreds and hundreds of fields in which there phenomena and objects that are politicized, many of them conflicting and when not competing with each other. For postmodernism the enumeration of certain objects politicized is a project of political construction.
Diana Fuss points out the fact that the multiplicity of "the politics of ..." has not really know what is politics (18). The "panpolitismo" which boast postmodernity is but the consequence of this inability to articulate a form of identity politics.
Thus, we fully support the additional of relativism from the point of view of politics. Postmodernism is lost in understanding and appreciation of the property to be loved and pursued in common. You lose the search for the common good, good, service and defense of the whole society. You lose what constitutes political activity in the classical sense of the term universal.
In return, as Thomas Aquinas (19) had established the connection that "who wants to find what the best life in the city must first of all, consider what life worthy of man. In fact living a good social life, we must achieve a fully human life " (20).
degradation that makes politics postmodernism is in interpreting it as an exaggeration of gestures-parody-which must be ironic , expropriating their meaning and significance forcing its re through its deconstruction.
Through undergo degradation to which the postmodern social reality, politics, thought, religion, no longer necessary forms and Beautiful human activity. The man is condemned to live in solitude, seeking a balance between order and freedom, to become in struggles for power, modes of action in which we own areas outside of "politics" and without distinction between public and private, assuming, for both the constant multiplication of the "policy of ..." more multiplicities.
Notes:
(1) 1924 - 1998. French philosopher.
(2) Jürgen Habermas. 1929. German philosopher and social theorist.
(3) Interview with Jean François Lyotard. Review "A party Rei." No. 49. January 2007. Translation: Teresa Oñate.
(4) Lyotard, Jean François. The postmodern condition. Planeta-Agostini, Barcelona, \u200b\u200b1992.
(5) Roger not "forget" but as maintaining a "something" incomprehensible, indescribable and ever: a practice to reach "nirvana" or completely separated from reality.
(6) Lyotard, Jean Francois. The postmodern explained to children. Gedisa, Barcelona, \u200b\u200b1992.
(7) 1280 / 1288 - 1349. It was a Franciscan friar and English scholastic philosopher.
(8) from 1646 to 1716. He was a philosopher, mathematician, lawyer, librarian and German political.
(9) 1844 - 1900. He was a philosopher, poet and philologist German.
(10) Idem note 6.
(11) 1929 -2007. He was a philosopher and sociologist, critic of French culture. His work relates to the analysis of postmodernism and the philosophy of post-structuralism.
(12) Turin, January 4, 1936. It is an important political philosopher and part Italian.
(13) Vattimo, Gianni. Weak Thought. Cátedra, Madrid, 1983.
(14) 1889 -1976. Father was a German philosopher of "existentialism" philosophical movement which seeks to establish the knowledge of all facts about the immediate experience of life own.
(15) from 1842 to 1910, American philosopher with a long and illustrious career at Harvard University, where he taught psychology. Founder of the psychology of religion.
(16) 1859 -1952, was a philosopher, American psychologist and educator. Founder of progressive psychology.
(17) Ferman, Claudia. Politics and Postmodernism. Almagest, Buenos Aires, 1994.
(18) Fuss, Diana. Essentially Speaking. Feminism, Nature and Difference. Routledge, London, 1989.
(19) 1225 -1274, was a renowned Italian theologian and is the most representative scholastic tradition and the father of the Thomistic school of theology and philosophy.
(20) Commentary on Aristotle's Politics, VII, 1.
0 comments:
Post a Comment