What Is Postmodernism?

Research record

The term ‘postmodernity/postmodernism’ is used in a different sense in philosophy, literature, art, architecture, history, sociology, media studies and politics—all fields. For this reason, the question ‘What is postmodernity?’ cannot be answered with a one-line definition. A popular simplification states—postmodernism assumes that there is no truth, that all explanations are equal, that history is only fiction, that science is only entity, that tradition is meaningless, and that morality is arbitrary. This description destroys both the diversity and internal differences of postmodern thinkers. An important source of postmodern questions is the skepticism of modernity's claim that conscience, science, progress, nation, development, revolution or any one epic of history can determine the universal direction of humanity. The basic assertion of this chapter is that postmodernism is not a singular theory; There is a family of miscellaneous doubts raised over modern universalism, progress narratives, centers, static identities, single interpretations and transparency of representation. Jean-François Lyotard’s famous post-modern formula ‘distrust of epics’ (incredulity toward metanarratives) gives by. The question is not whether all stories are false; The question is how a great story claims the ultimate legitimacy of all knowledge, history and liberation. Baudrillard questions a world of mediums, signs, consumption and counterparts where representation is no longer just a mirror of external reality, but can change the structure of experience itself.

Structured debate

Pūrvapakṣa

The first form of the former is realistic—postmodernism raises unnecessary doubts; It undermines trust in truth, reason, facts and scientific knowledge. The second antecedent is political—without epic narratives, a common language for collective justice, equality, human rights, climate policy or democratic movements can be difficult. The third premise is Marxist—excessive emphasis on culture, signs, and discourse can secondary economic structure, class, labor, and material inequality. The fourth antecedent is identity politics—an emphasis on universal dignity can abstract real historical oppression and group-specific injustice. The fifth precedent is from the Indian comparison—to call the tradition of monotheism, emptiness, illusion, neti-neti, apoh or multiple philosophies ‘Indian postmodernism’ is a historical/philosophical equation.

Uttarapakṣa

The answer to the first premise—postmodern questions should not be used to destroy truth, but to make the conditions of truth-claims more explicit. Parallel philosophy restores reality, evidence and error correction. Answer to the second precedent—shared moral/political principles may be necessary; But it should not be made into a criticism-free epic. Dignity, rights, justice itself should accept review on application, exclusion and institutional form. Answer to the third precedent—culture/language/media and economy/labour/materiality are interrelated. The sign economy is not an alternative to the material economy. Answer to the fourth premise—equal dignity is not identity-blindness. group-specific evidence, historical repair, representation and protection may be necessary; The moral boundary is that the value of the individual is not determined by identity. Answer to the fifth precedent—Indian theory should be read with its philosophical history/goals/arguments. There may be problem-dialogue; ‘Preform’ or ‘same doctrine (same doctrine)’ not claim.

Parallel conclusion

Postmodernism is not a singular theory; The modern epic is a family of diverse critical trends on the centre, stable identity, transparency of representation, and universal legitimacy. It is inappropriate to summarize Lyotard's epic criticism, Baudrillard's model/medium question, Derrida's fragmentation and Foucault's power–knowledge analysis into one doctrine. Postmodernity would not necessarily state the end of truth; But hyper-relativistic readings can go in that direction. Parallel philosophy prevents this excess. Plurality is important; But ‘multiperspective truth ≠ arbitrary truth.’ History is selective; But not fabricated. Science Institutional; but experiment-relative. identity historical; But dignity is not arbitrary.

Section index

1. Problem and scope · 6 source passages
2. Central thesis · 5 source passages
3. Major arguments · 15 source passages
4. Pūrvapakṣa · 5 source passages
5. Uttarapakṣa · 5 source passages
6. Indian philosophical dialogue · 8 source passages
7. Mithila’s parallel perspective · 8 source passages
8. Contemporary applications · 8 source passages
9. Chapter conclusion · 6 source passages
10. Chapter bibliography · 18 source passages

Cite this record

Gajendra Thakur. “What Is Postmodernism?.” Videha Digital Research Archive: Mithila–Vajji–Anga. Videha — https://www.videha.co.in/ · ISSN 2229-547X · GitHub mirror: https://videha-ejournal.github.io/videha/ · Digital Research Archives on GitHub: https://github.com/videha-ejournal. https://videha-ejournal.github.io/mithila-vajji-anga/records/idea/philosophy-v2-42/