Postmodern Thought

The way of thought that emerged in response to Modernism and the events of the 1960’s and beyond Key Concepts The real and unreal Constructedness of meaning, truth, history Subjectivity and Identity Antifoundationalism or at least a skepticism towards Foundationalism

The Real and Unreal Philosophers start to question what is “real” and “unreal” – what is “reality” Not so much “There is no spoon” Instead is your Facebook profile real? Or…

Hannah Montana vs Miley Cyrus Cyrus is “real” but to millions of ‘tweens (or whoever listens/listened to her), Montana was all they knew and therefore more ‘real’ to them then Cyrus

Constructedness of Meaning, History, Truth Language is seen as fallible or inaccurate because it is based on signs which are inexact Language comes from humans, who are not only inexact but also biased (whether intentionally or not) Given that humans use language to convey Meaning, History and Truth, we can say that all of this is ‘constructed’ or made by us as representations of those things – but not the actual things themselves

An Example You see this picture and think “dog” but why? The answer according to this philosophy would be because we have assigned the sign “dog” to this image, not “cat” or “goat” or “log” or etc. Conceivably, I could raise a group of children, show them this image and tell them “log” and to them this image would forever be “log” not “dog”

Subjectivity and Identity Fancy way for talking about who we are Identity = Modernist Concept Subject/Subjectivity = Post-Modern

Identity (Modernism) Core of an individual is stable (exists on a foundation) Individual has a purpose at creation Changes occur from our individual psychology and interactions Subjectivity (Postmodern) Individual is always changing, growing, developing No core or foundation (initially) Starts without purpose, but may develop one

Foundationalism / Antifoundationalism Postmodern thought centers around the beliefs of Antifoundationalism (AF) Big three Antifoundationalists:  Nietzsche  Foucault  Hegel

Antifoundationalism The belief that there is no fundamental belief or principle which is the basic ground or foundation of inquiry and knowledge.

AF and Postmodernism Classic postmodernism is not typically entirely AF Challenges any belief system that claims universality/superiority as a means of examining and possibly incorporating them

Simplified example The evolution of War in the eyes of society via Hollywood Pre-postmodernism the classic War film portrays a heroic soldier valiantly defending his country or its ideals without fear or worry of death Presumably because they accepted the foundational belief of the nobility of sacrificing oneself for one’s country

Cont’d Today, War films tend to examine war War is now scary, scarring, bloody, unhappy, confusing, etc.  Hurt Locker  Saving Private Ryan  Platoon  Full Metal Jacket

Questions: 1. What makes something real to you? Why? 2. Is what you’re taught in history class real? Is it true? Why or why not? 3. Do you see your own identity based on larger concepts? If yes, which ones? If not, what are the major influences in your life that have made you the subject you are today?