POSTMODERNISMPOSTMODERNISM

AN OVERVIEWAN OVERVIEW

POSTMODERN WAS FIRST USED TO POSTMODERN WAS FIRST USED TO DESCRIBE A STYLE OF ARCHITECTUREDESCRIBE A STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE

ART AND SCULPTUREART AND SCULPTURE

Oklahoma City Bombing Oklahoma City Bombing MemorialMemorial

POSTMODERN IS A POSTMODERN IS A GENERAL TERM TO GENERAL TERM TO DESCRIBE CERTAIN DESCRIBE CERTAIN PHILOSOPHICAL PHILOSOPHICAL

INTELLECTURALINTELLECTURAL AND AND CULTURAL CULTURAL

PERSEPCTIVESPERSEPCTIVES

POSTPOSTMODERNISM IS A MODERNISM IS A REACTIONREACTION AGAINST AGAINST

THE THE RATIONALITYRATIONALITY OF OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT THE ENLIGHTENMENT

(Modern)(Modern)

LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN ACCEPTED LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN ACCEPTED TRUTH CLAIMS AND RATIONAL AND TRUTH CLAIMS AND RATIONAL AND

SCIENTIFIC MODELSSCIENTIFIC MODELS

IT IS SKEPTICAL OF IT IS SKEPTICAL OF REASON REASON

LOGICLOGICEMPIRICISM EMPIRICISM

SCIENCE SCIENCE REASON IS A “MYTH”REASON IS A “MYTH”

““EXISTENTIALISMEXISTENTIALISM IS IS THE PHILOSOPHICAL THE PHILOSOPHICAL

BASE OF BASE OF POSTMODERNISM.” POSTMODERNISM.”

James SireJames Sire

It questions It questions rationality rationality

ItIt challenges traditional challenges traditional ways of knowing ways of knowing (epistemology) (epistemology)

It is It is relativisticrelativistic

Its main focus is on the Its main focus is on the SUBJECTIVESUBJECTIVE

rather than the objectiverather than the objective

BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF POSTMODERNISM POSTMODERNISM

THERE IS THERE IS NONO UNDERLYING UNDERLYING OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE REALITY (no prime objective reality- REALITY (no prime objective reality- either physical or spiritual) either physical or spiritual)

EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING IS SUBJECTIVE SUBJECTIVE

EVERYTHING ISEVERYTHING IS RELATIVERELATIVE TO TO INDIVIDUAL VIEWS, PERCEPTIONS, INDIVIDUAL VIEWS, PERCEPTIONS, AND VALUESAND VALUES

THERE IS THERE IS NO ABSOLUTENO ABSOLUTE REFERENCE POINT TO JUDGE REFERENCE POINT TO JUDGE BETWEENBETWEEN– TRUE AND FALSETRUE AND FALSE– RIGHT AND WRONGRIGHT AND WRONG– REAL AND UNREAL (Illusion)REAL AND UNREAL (Illusion)– GOOD AND EVILGOOD AND EVIL– BEAUTIFUL AND BASEBEAUTIFUL AND BASE– Etc. Etc.

POSTMODERNISM POSTMODERNISM PROPOSES THAT THERE PROPOSES THAT THERE IS NO ULTIMATE ORDER IS NO ULTIMATE ORDER

TO THE UNIVERSETO THE UNIVERSE

Reality and time are not Reality and time are not fixed realities fixed realities

Natural laws are not Natural laws are not fixedfixed

Universe is an Universe is an OPENOPEN systemsystem

The MatrixThe Matrix

KEY VOCABULARY ASSOCIATED KEY VOCABULARY ASSOCIATED WITH POSTMODERNISM WITH POSTMODERNISM

META-NARRATIVEMETA-NARRATIVE– A “BIG” A “BIG” STORYSTORY THAT HOLDS HUMAN THAT HOLDS HUMAN

CULTURE TOGETHERCULTURE TOGETHER– UNIVERSAL STORYUNIVERSAL STORY THAT IS TRUE FOR THAT IS TRUE FOR

ALL PEOPLE, CULTURES, AND TIME ALL PEOPLE, CULTURES, AND TIME PERIODSPERIODS

POSTMODERNISM POSTMODERNISM REJECTSREJECTS THE NOTION THE NOTION OF A META-NARRATIVEOF A META-NARRATIVE

IN POSTMODERNISM THERE IS IN POSTMODERNISM THERE IS NO NO UNIVERSAL STORY UNIVERSAL STORY – SUCH AS THE BIBLE OR THE IDEAS AND SUCH AS THE BIBLE OR THE IDEAS AND

CONCEPTS EXPRESSED IN THE SCRIPTURES CONCEPTS EXPRESSED IN THE SCRIPTURES

EACH GROUP OR CULTURE HAS ITS OWN EACH GROUP OR CULTURE HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE STORYUNIQUE STORY– ALL STORIES (narratives) ARE VALIDALL STORIES (narratives) ARE VALID

RELATIVISMRELATIVISM THERE IS NO THERE IS NO SINGLE SINGLE

– TRUTHTRUTH– KNOWLEDGEKNOWLEDGE– MORALITY (ethics)MORALITY (ethics)– VALUESVALUES– REALITYREALITY– BELIEFBELIEF– RELIGIONRELIGION– ALL ARE ALL ARE RELATIVERELATIVE TO THE INDIVIDUAL OR TO THE INDIVIDUAL OR

GROUP GROUP – FOCUS IS ON THE SUBJECTIVE FOCUS IS ON THE SUBJECTIVE OVER THE OVER THE

OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE

DECONSTRUCTIONDECONSTRUCTION

THE THE REINTERPRETATIONREINTERPRETATION OF OF LITERATURE AND ARTLITERATURE AND ART

THE AUTHOR’S OR ARTIST’S THE AUTHOR’S OR ARTIST’S INTENDED MEANING AND PURPOSE INTENDED MEANING AND PURPOSE ARE IRRELEVANTARE IRRELEVANT

EACH INDIVIDUAL BRINGS HIS/HER EACH INDIVIDUAL BRINGS HIS/HER OWN MEANING TO THE TEXT – STORYOWN MEANING TO THE TEXT – STORY

SUBJECTIVE SUBJECTIVE OVER OBJECTIVE OVER OBJECTIVE

REVISIONISTREVISIONIST

RELATES TO THE RE-EVALUATION AND RELATES TO THE RE-EVALUATION AND REWRITING OF REWRITING OF HISTORYHISTORY

HISTORY IS SEEN AS THE HISTORY OF HISTORY IS SEEN AS THE HISTORY OF ONE GROUP ONE GROUP OPPRESSINGOPPRESSING ANOTHER ANOTHER

HISTORY IS ABOUT HISTORY IS ABOUT OPPRESSION OPPRESSION AND AND THE QUEST FOR THE QUEST FOR POWERPOWER

EACH GROUP HAS A UNIQUE HISTORY EACH GROUP HAS A UNIQUE HISTORY AND MUST TELL ITS OWN STORYAND MUST TELL ITS OWN STORY

POSTMODERNISM’S POSTMODERNISM’S VIEW OF EPISTEMOLOGYVIEW OF EPISTEMOLOGY

HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT WE HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW? KNOW?

HUMAN BEINGS HUMAN BEINGS CONSTRUCTCONSTRUCT MEANING THROUGH MEANING THROUGH LANGUAGELANGUAGE– THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE APART FROM THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE APART FROM

LANGUAGELANGUAGE

HUMAN BEINGS MUST HUMAN BEINGS MUST CONSTRUCT CONSTRUCT THEMSELVES THROUGH LANGUAGE THEMSELVES THROUGH LANGUAGE (STORIES)(STORIES)– ““WE ARE ONLY WHAT WE DESCRIBE WE ARE ONLY WHAT WE DESCRIBE

OURSELVES TO BE.”OURSELVES TO BE.”

MORAL ETHICSMORAL ETHICSRight and WrongRight and Wrong

MORALITY IS WHATEVER A GROUP MORALITY IS WHATEVER A GROUP OR SOCIETY AGREES UPONOR SOCIETY AGREES UPON

NO ABSOLUTE OR UNIVERSAL NO ABSOLUTE OR UNIVERSAL MORALITY OR MEASURE OF RIGHT MORALITY OR MEASURE OF RIGHT AND WRONGAND WRONG

IT IS A HUMAN CONSTRUCT BASED IT IS A HUMAN CONSTRUCT BASED ON NEEDS AND DESIRED OUTCOMESON NEEDS AND DESIRED OUTCOMES

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERNISM IN CULTUREPOSTMODERNISM IN CULTURE

imageimage has become more important has become more important than the written word than the written word

-- loss of universal stories loss of universal stories that relate that relate

universal themes and truths universal themes and truths

emphasis on theemphasis on the present present not the past not the past– ((history is not importanthistory is not important) )

- - disembodied communication – internet (cyberspace)internet (cyberspace)– TextingTexting– Instant messaging Instant messaging – FacebookFacebook– ““Twitter”Twitter”

- - uncertainty uncertainty about the individual about the individual person person – ( what is a human being?) ( what is a human being?) – Is an embryo a human being?Is an embryo a human being?– Is cloning right?Is cloning right?– What is it that makes us human? What is it that makes us human? – Questions human life and value Questions human life and value

everythingeverything is open to interpretation is open to interpretation – each person brings his/her own meaning each person brings his/her own meaning

to something to something – Truth is what “I” say it is. Truth is what “I” say it is.

glorification of glorification of personal rightspersonal rights

Lady Gaga in her own wordsLady Gaga in her own words "I struggle with my feelings about the church in "I struggle with my feelings about the church in

particular, but I guess it's quite honestly completely particular, but I guess it's quite honestly completely separate, isn't it? Religion and the church are two separate, isn't it? Religion and the church are two completely separate things. In terms of religion, I'm completely separate things. In terms of religion, I'm very religious. I was raised Catholic I believe in Jesus, I very religious. I was raised Catholic I believe in Jesus, I believe in God, I'm very spiritual -- I pray very much. believe in God, I'm very spiritual -- I pray very much. But at the same time there's no one religion that But at the same time there's no one religion that doesn't hate or speak against or be prejudiced against doesn't hate or speak against or be prejudiced against another racial group or religious group or sexual another racial group or religious group or sexual group and for that I think religion is also bogus. So I group and for that I think religion is also bogus. So I suppose you could say I'm a quite religious woman suppose you could say I'm a quite religious woman that is very confused about religion. I dream of and that is very confused about religion. I dream of and envision a future where we have a more peaceful envision a future where we have a more peaceful religion or a more peaceful world a more peaceful religion or a more peaceful world a more peaceful state of mind for the younger generation."state of mind for the younger generation."

Larry King LiveLarry King Live, June 1, 2010 , June 1, 2010

Time and space are not clearly definedTime and space are not clearly defined virtual realityvirtual reality

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