What Is Postmodernism and How Does It Affect Our Culture Today? | Dr. Jamie Dew
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores the concept of post-modernism, tracing its origins and influence on culture. It highlights how post-modernism, although fading in academic circles, still deeply impacts society, especially through media and cultural movements. Post-modernism rejects modern assumptions about objectivity, universal rationality, and inevitable progress, instead promoting a more subjective approach to truth. The script discusses how post-modern ideas have reshaped perspectives on identity, morality, and truth, notably in areas like the sexual revolution and gender identity. Understanding post-modernism is crucial as it continues to shape cultural and societal norms.
Takeaways
- 🎓 Post-modernism was once prevalent in academic settings but has declined in certain departments like natural sciences and philosophy.
- 🌐 Despite its reduced presence in academia, post-modernism continues to significantly influence contemporary culture, including TV shows, movies, and legal systems.
- 🤔 Defining post-modernism is complex due to its varied starting points and the difficulty in pinpointing when it began.
- 📚 Modernism, which post-modernism reacts against, originated in the 17th century with thinkers like Descartes and Bacon, moving away from religious perspectives on knowledge.
- 🔍 Modernism was characterized by the pursuit of objectivity, universal rationality, and the belief in inevitable progress.
- 🚫 Post-modernism rejects the modern assumptions, including the concepts of universal objectivity and rationality, arguing that these are culturally contingent.
- 🌟 Post-modernists challenge the idea of a single, overarching 'Truth', suggesting that truth is relative and constructed.
- 🏳️🌈 Post-modern thought is evident in contemporary movements like transgenderism, where individuals define their own identities beyond traditional categories.
- 🧠 The rejection of a universal truth by post-modernism has led to a cultural shift where individuals are free to define themselves and their realities.
- 📉 While post-modernism's influence in academia may be waning, its impact on cultural narratives and individual self-perception remains strong.
Q & A
What is post-modernism?
-Post-modernism is a cultural and intellectual movement that emerged as a reaction against the grand narratives of the Enlightenment and modernity. It questions the notions of universal truth, objective reality, and rationality, suggesting that these concepts are relative and constructed by social and cultural contexts.
Why should we care about post-modernism?
-We should care about post-modernism because it has significantly influenced contemporary culture, including literature, media, and social issues. Understanding post-modernism helps us comprehend the cultural shifts and debates happening in society today.
Where is post-modernism prevalent today?
-While post-modernism's influence has waned in academic fields like natural sciences and philosophy, it remains prevalent in culture, particularly in media such as TV shows and movies, as well as in societal issues like gender identity and sexuality.
How does post-modernism relate to modernism?
-Post-modernism is a reaction against modernism. Modernism, which began in the 17th century with thinkers like Descartes and Bacon, emphasized objectivity, universal rationality, and inevitable progress. Post-modernism challenges these assumptions by rejecting the idea of a single, objective truth and emphasizing the constructed nature of knowledge.
What is the correspondence theory of truth mentioned in the script?
-The correspondence theory of truth is the idea that a statement is true if it corresponds to the way things really are. This theory has been the basis for understanding truth in pre-modern and modern periods, but post-modernists reject this notion in favor of a more relative and constructed view of truth.
How does post-modernism view the concept of truth?
-Post-modernism views truth not as an absolute or objective reality, but as something that is relative, constructed, and dependent on individual perspectives and cultural contexts. Truth, for post-modernists, is what works for us or is consistent with our narratives.
What is the impact of post-modernism on our understanding of human identity?
-Post-modernism challenges traditional and classical definitions of human identity, including gender and sexuality. It encourages a more fluid and individualistic understanding of these aspects, allowing for personal definitions that may not align with historical or societal norms.
How does post-modernism affect the way we approach knowledge and learning?
-Post-modernism affects our approach to knowledge and learning by emphasizing the importance of context, perspective, and cultural background. It suggests that knowledge is not absolute but is shaped by the individual's social and cultural environment.
What are some examples of post-modernist thought in contemporary culture?
-Examples of post-modernist thought in contemporary culture include the acceptance of diverse gender identities, the questioning of traditional narratives in literature and media, and the emphasis on individual perspectives over objective facts in discussions of history and society.
How does post-modernism differ from the pre-modern worldview?
-The pre-modern worldview was grounded in religious perspectives, with knowledge often derived from religious texts and authorities. Post-modernism, in contrast, rejects the idea of a single, overarching truth and emphasizes the multiplicity of narratives and perspectives.
What role does post-modernism play in the current discussions around transgenderism?
-Post-modernism plays a significant role in discussions around transgenderism by challenging traditional definitions of gender and encouraging a more fluid understanding of identity. It supports the idea that individuals can define their own gender identity, separate from biological sex.
Outlines
📚 What is Post-Modernism and Why Does it Matter?
Post-modernism, once a prominent concept in academic circles, especially in literary and theological departments, has declined in relevance in fields like natural sciences and philosophy. However, it still significantly influences our culture, including TV, movies, and the justice system. Post-modernism is complex, with its roots traced back to different thinkers depending on the field. Its main challenge is pinpointing a clear starting point, as it spans diverse ideas from epistemology (e.g., Kant) to anthropology (e.g., Freud). To grasp post-modernism, it's crucial to first understand modernism, which began in the 17th century with figures like Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon, who sought to move away from religious knowledge as the foundation of truth.
🔍 Modernism: The Foundations of Knowledge
Modernism, born in the 17th century, marked a shift away from religious explanations of the world. Thinkers like Descartes and Bacon sought to rebuild knowledge on a foundation independent of religious assumptions. This era introduced several key ideas, including objective knowledge, universal rationality, and inevitable progress. For instance, modern thinkers believed that objective truth could be achieved by removing personal biases and seeing the world through a 'God's eye view.' The idea of inevitable progress was bolstered by the success of scientific discoveries and political advances like democracy. However, many of these assumptions, such as universal rationality, were later questioned as societies and cultures demonstrated different ways of thinking.
🚨 The Rejection of Modernism by Post-Modernism
Post-modernism explicitly rejects the core assumptions of modernism, including the concept of objective truth. Where modernism sought objective truths and rational progress, post-modernism argues that truth is subjective and dependent on individual perspectives or societal constructs. It dismisses the traditional idea of 'truth with a capital T' (meta-narrative), embracing a more fragmented view where overarching explanations no longer exist. This has had a profound impact on our culture, with post-modern ideals questioning long-held beliefs about truth and reality.
🌍 Cultural Impact of Post-Modernism: Truth and Identity
In today's culture, post-modernism manifests most visibly in movements like transgenderism and the broader sexual revolution. This philosophy challenges classical definitions of identity, allowing individuals to redefine themselves in ways that transcend traditional notions of gender and self. Post-modernism has contributed to the erosion of long-standing philosophical and religious ideas, allowing for a fluid understanding of human identity. By rejecting traditional truths, post-modernism has paved the way for more subjective interpretations of key aspects of human life, such as gender and self-perception.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Post-modernism
💡Modernism
💡Epistemology
💡Objectivity
💡Universal Rationality
💡Inevitable Progress
💡Correspondence Theory of Truth
💡Meta Narrative
💡Transgenderism
💡Cultural Influence
Highlights
Post-modernism was once prevalent in academic settings but has waned in certain fields.
Post-modernism remains influential in culture, including TV shows and movies.
Defining post-modernism is complex due to its varied starting points and interpretations.
Modernism began in the 17th century with a move away from religious perspectives.
Modern thinkers like Descartes and Bacon sought to establish knowledge on new foundations.
Modernism assumed universal objectivity and rationality.
The idea of inevitable progress was a key assumption of modernity.
Post-modernism rejects the modern assumptions, including the concept of objective truth.
Post-moderns believe truth is relative and situational, not absolute.
Post-modernism denies the existence of overarching narratives or truths.
Post-modern culture seeks to redefine traditional concepts of identity and gender.
The sexual revolution and transgender movement exemplify post-modern ideals in culture.
Post-modern thought allows individuals to define themselves in any way they choose.
Post-modernism challenges classical and traditional definitions of humanity and gender.
Understanding post-modernism is crucial for grasping contemporary cultural shifts.
Transcripts
so what exactly is post-modernism and
should we even care about it anymore
indeed in the previous decades before us
post-modernism was in vogue in the
academic settings of our country and in
the Western world it's not necessarily
that way today you still find it in
literary departments you still find it
unfortunately sometimes in theology
departments but in the natural sciences
and philosophy departments and in other
departments history departments you
really don't have an obsession with this
thing called post-modernism anymore
it is however still very much alive in
our culture for example the TV shows
that you're watching probably right now
the movies that you're watching probably
right now the things that we're watching
play out in our courts right now all
have been deeply affected by this thing
called post-modernism so while it may be
waning in the Academy it is still very
much got its grip on us in our culture
so we do need to understand what it is
and what it's about
now it's complex and nailing down
exactly what postmodern is people have
said it's like trying to nail down jello
and so that's true in many ways part of
the difficulty is is we have a difficult
time saying exactly when post-modernism
starts so for example on questions about
epistemology that is the the
philosophical questions about our
knowledge well you could trace it all
the way back to people like Immanuel
Kant but if you're looking for our views
about what human beings are our
anthropology man you'd have to come all
the way up past Freud and so depending
on the topic in question post-modernism
seems to have these different starting
points and so it's very very difficult
for a lot of reasons I think the best
way to understand post-modernism is to
say something about modernism just very
quickly
modernism starts in the 17th century
with people like Rene Descartes and
Francis Bacon this is the move away from
religious perspectives that sort of
ground our knowledge in the past in the
pre-modern world if you wanted to know
something you look to the church if you
wanted explain something you explained
it with God this was the judeo-christian
worldview prior to the 17th century
well Descartes was a good Catholic and
Bacon was a good Protestant but what
they felt was wrong with the Western
world was that ultimately we had some
assumptions in the going about of our
knowledge that were ineffective and so
they wanted to start
clean they wanted to step for themselves
xiu'er in certain foundations that they
could build our knowledge upon and so
they cast aside religious perspectives
as many of these modern thinkers did
there's several themes that come up in
the modern period so for example the
idea that we can be completely objective
in our perspectives we can sort of strip
away our biases our dispositions our
backgrounds our education and we can see
it from quote a God's eye perspective
that means a view from nowhere we won't
be we won't be filtered by our
perspectives or our assumptions or any
of those things we'll just see things as
it really is just the facts and in many
ways you see that in the modern sciences
and so this idea of objectivity
Universal objectivity was an assumption
of modernity they also had this idea of
universal rationality they thought that
there was one right way to think and
everybody if we just educate them the
right way would think that way
everywhere in the world and we would
find as we go around from society to
society culture to culture we would find
them using the same rationality well as
modern anthropology and modern sociology
emerged in the Western world actually
what we found was just the opposite
there isn't a universal rationality
shared by all people everywhere and so
that modern assumption gets blown up
there's also the idea in modernity of in
the idea that comes about called
inevitable progress the idea that is we
were going to get better and better and
better and better sure our knowledge was
getting better this is the age of modern
science where our scientific discoveries
and knowledge just explodes this is the
age where we set aside the feudal system
politically speaking and we move into
democracies and things like that and so
you can understand why people think that
we're just getting better and better and
better in theological circles we begin
to think things like postmillennialism
where we think we're going to usher in
the kingdom of God and so those types of
things are what you see there well all
of that stuff may sound benign but
understand this the moderns were
explicitly rejecting these religious
ideas as the bedrock of our knowledge
that's what moved our knees doing post
modernity is now going to reject all of
those modern assumptions and ideals and
to us that might sound like it's not
that big a deal but here's the catch the
way they reject
was by getting rid of concepts of truth
now postmodern certainly have ideas of
truth but they don't believe by truth
the same thing you and I believe so for
example here's a statement we all think
to be true
I'm wearing a gray suit you think that's
true because the statement itself
corresponds to the way things really are
that's got a correspondence theory of
truth that had been the pre-modern and
the modern assumption postmoderns reject
that truth now is simply what works for
us or truth is simply which is
consistent with other things and so they
have ways of defining truth but there is
no longer anything like truth with a big
t know what we call matter narrative
that is meta meaning overarching
narrative meaning story there are no
overarching explanations around there's
no truths so you shouldn't pretend to
have one I shouldn't pretend to have one
that's at least what they say but notice
in our culture these people that dubbed
themselves as postmodern what they're
really after and what they're really
against is our truth they want to
substitute it with a different truth
with their own morality and things like
that so what one example of where you're
gonna see postmodern ideals flesh out in
our culture's really what you're seeing
happening in this this sort of
culmination of the sexual revolution and
the the movement into transgenderism and
other things like that we're now in a
place where people will say things like
I know I'm in a boy's body but I'm not a
boy I'm something else underneath that
and we're left to define not just truth
out there anyway we want to we're now
able to define ourselves in any
particular way we want to and there's
this getting rid of these classical
traditional ideas that go well back
before Christianity they would go back
to the to the Classical period of the
philosophers we Plato and Aristotle it
would come up through the Christian
tradition it would come up through the
medieval traditions it would come up all
the way through modernity it would even
come up pretty far into the 20 and 21st
century but now you're seeing it come to
full fruition where we're going to
redefine or get rid of definitions of
what it means to be a human what it
means to be a male what it means to be a
female and we're free now to just define
that any way we want to this is very
much a good example of the way
postmodern thought has infected our
culture and shape the way we think about
very very important things so in short
that's a crash course on post-modernism
it is still very much a lot
our culture and we do need to know what
it is
you
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