Philosophy Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [postmodernism]

138 questions
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Why so much hate for postmodernism?

There is a lot of hate for postmodernism on YouTube. Is this hate justified? Or is it just becuase postmodernism makes people uncomfortable. I guess what I am asking is "does postmodernism have any powerful critiques against it?"
Scott Simmons
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Self refuting pillar of postmodernism

One of the defining tenets of posmodernism is "incredulity towards meta narratives". However, with its ubiquitous emphasis on the oppression of power structures and the consequent victim mentality along every line of discrimination imaginable (and…
amphibient
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Is postmodernism pessimistic or optimistic?

The way I understand it: Modernism has been associated with optimism, with belief in possibility of progress and improvement, using logic and rationality, for instance. It notices fragmentation but tries to make sense of it according to narratives…
Elton John
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Is the "blind men and an elephant" illustration self-refuting?

I have periodically encountered the illustration of a group of blind men and an elephant - basically, each man feels a different part of the elephant and concludes that the elephant is a different item than it is. For example, the person who feels…
EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine
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What are the benefits of Jean-François Lyotard's "little narratives"?

Jean-François Lyotard's "little narratives", which he explains in The Postmodern Condition, are often criticized for being relative, for destabilizing truth and authority etc. But what are the benefits of his "little narratives"? I guess what I am…
strixstrix
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What is a good introduction to structuralism and related fields?

I'm having a hard time to find good learning material for the structuralist school of thought. I try to understand what it is "all" about and how it relates to other schools of thought and scientific terms (i.e.: postmodernism, poststructuralism,…
openmedi
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What happend to the embracing of a particular schools of philosophy in Universities?

When one always reads the history of philosophy, you really see how different Universities always had a tendency towards a particular school. So my question is, why do you think this sort of past phenomena is gone? Is this the rise of relativism or…
Gaetano Cajetan
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Postmodernism and Reason

The French postmodernists of the 1960’s, seeking emancipation, questioned Reason. What did they propose in place of reason, in their quest of emancipation? I mean, romanticists proposed emotion and intuition in place of Reason, for instance, in…
Starckman
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In Postmodernism, why is irony "the only option"?

Understand Postmodernism: A Teach Yourself Guide. Glenn Ward BA in fine art (painting), University of Plymouth, 1990; MA in Visual Culture, Bath Spa University, 1992; PhD in film studies, University of Sussex, 2011. p. XI. Knowingness …
user8572
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Are obscurantists unethically self-indulgent, uncharitable in not writing more readably?

Is it rational or levelheaded to regard obscurantists as brash, unprincipled, and self-centered? That's how I feel when I try to read their writing. I refer only to those obscurantists who can, but have forsaken to, write plainly. I'm not chiding…
user8572
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Why is Las Meninas is the representation of classical representation?

In the first chapter of The Order of Things "Las Meninas" Focault wrote Perhaps there exists, in this painting by Velazquez, the representation as it were, of Classical representation, and the definition of the space it opens up to us. And, indeed,…
Gabriel
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Should the phrase "postmodern era" be avoided?

This answer (https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/117364) to a question on Graphic Design contains the phrase "postmodern era". I guessed that it meant "postmodernist era" and thought that therefore the latter phrase would have been more…
Matthew Christopher Bartsh
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Unconventional/underground philosophy

Are there any modern concepts of unconventional philosophy? I endeavour to keep up with all modern books and scholars, yet I have no idea about "underground philosophy"? Do you know something about it? Maybe, are there any websites where people…
inthenickoftime
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Is Baudrillard able to communicate an inability to meaningfully communicate?

Someone suggested to me (not an academic) Baudrillard is saying: the means of communication and meaning become increasing self centred, i.e. communication about communication, simulation, hyper reality, all... become so saturated with images…
user38026
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What does a postmodernist mean by us having "no ‘essence’" and being ‘in process’?

Understand Postmodernism: A Teach Yourself Guide. Glenn Ward BA in fine art (painting), University of Plymouth, 1990; MA in Visual Culture, Bath Spa University, 1992; PhD in film studies, University of Sussex, 2011. p. 287 subject/subjectivity …
user8572
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