Daniel Globig

PHI210 Postmodernism

Dr. Brewer

Postmodernism is largely a reaction to the assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality postmodernism is highly skeptical of explanations which claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truths of each person. In the postmodern understanding, interpretation is everything; reality only comes into being through our interpretations of what the world means to us individually. Postmodernism relies on concrete experience over abstract principles, knowing always that the outcome of one's own experience will necessarily be fallible and relative, rather than certain and universal. (pbs.org) There are many in the 21st century who follow under the previous presuppositions which has changed the idea of truth from concrete-literal to relative. I do not believe the view of relativistic truth is true at all. This quality of postmodernism is not compatible with Christian theism. Some Christians do follow certain postmodern aspects in order to attain as much truth as they can in this postmodern time. This postmodern view is not necessarily true just because the current culture screams its validity. Culture certainly attempts to validate such postmodern claims through the works of suc h scholars as Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Jean-Francois Lyotard. (Sire, p. 213) Postmodernism is "post" because it is denies the existence of any ultimate principles, and it lacks the optimism of there being a scientific, philosophical, or religious truth which will explain everything for everybody - a characteristic of the so-called "modern" mind. (pbs.org) Postmodern-skepticism deteriorates, in the eyes of many Christians, the truth of the scriptures and thus, is not compatible with Christian Theism.

3.30.09

Postmodernism

Essay #6

Daniel Globig

PHI210

Dr. Brewer

James Sire makes note of Mark Lilla in, The Universe Next Door, describing postmodernism as having common elements: fragments, hybridity, relativism, play, parody an ironic anti-ideological stance (Sire, p. 213) This shows once again how the mind might play a game with truth creating a relativism by which any individual may have another truth in store for them. There is no clear distinction, then, between the natural and the artificial in experience. (stanford.edu) This quote resembles the transition by which anyone can slip from one realm of truth to another. Kierkegaard would disagree with the strength of the written page saying, The modern public, in contrast to ancient and medieval communities, is a creation of the press, which is the only instrument capable of holding together the mass of unreal individuals who never are and never can be united in an actual situation or organization (stanford.edu). Many would classify postmodernism as being the post of modern thought but in the final analysis, postmodernism is not post anything; it is the last move of the modern, the result of the modern taking its own commitments seriously and seeing that they fail to stand the test of analysis. (Sire, p. 212) To argue on the behalf of liter al and basic truth I point my eyes toward the scriptures which seem to show how scripture is God breathed, which paints a picture of God speaking the very words on the written pages of the Bible. Is truth relative? No, truth is only explained in the scriptures by God (2Timothy 3:16).

3.30.09

Postmodernism

Essay #6

Daniel Globig Sources:

PHI210

Dr. Brewer

James W. Sire. The Universe Next Door. Copyright 2004. http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/postm-body.html http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/

3.30.09

Postmodernism

Essay #6