The Seven Self-Contradictions of Postmodernism

[The One and Only...]

1. Postmodernism espouses anti-theory which is essentially a theoretical stand.
2. Postmodernism stresses the irrational, yet instruments of reason are freely employed within the perspective.
3. Postmodern prescription to focus on the marginal is a evaluative emphasis.
4. Postmodernist stress intertextuality but often treat text in isolation.
5. By rejecting modern criteria for assessing theory, Postmodernist cannot argue that there are no valid criteria for judging.
6. Postmodernist criticize the inconsistency of modernism, but refuse to be held in consistency norms themselves.
7. Postmodernist contradict themselves by relinquishing truth claims in their own writing.

Thank you, Rosenau.

[MLE]

seeing your post count rise about 1000 made me sad.

[theapportioner]

*yawn*

[theapportioner]

How about some -primary- citations bitch? Let's see you cull through the texts of major postmodern theorists and pull out statements that would support -any- of those positions.

[The One and Only...]

Hello? Do you even know what postmodernism -is-?

Read some fricken Rorty.

[theapportioner]

Like Rorty is the only postmodern theorist around. Whut? The other folks are too difficult for you?

There -are- serious criticisms to be made of postmodernism - it's just that -you- are not in any position to argue.

[The One and Only...]

Read some Derrida, then. It all comes down to the same conclusions.

You still have not shown to me that you have even a basic working conception of postmodernism. It is you, not I, who is not in any position to criticize.

[theapportioner]

I listed some of the characteristics in another thread. I think it was started a few months ago by Miss Modular. Dig for it yourself.

I REFUSE to answer the question "what is postmodernism?" because its meaning cannot be captured in a few well-put sentences. Even what I had written about it is misleading. The intended methodology, application, epistemology, etc. of representative writers are often misunderstood. But if you MUST insist, I will start by echoing Lyotard's contention that postmodernism is a rejection of the metanarrative.

[The One and Only...]

Postmodernism is a rejection of objectivity.

Postmodernism is a rejection of science.

Postmodernism is a rejection of foundationalism.

Postmodernism is a rejection of independant truth.

Postmodernism is a rejection of independant logic.

Postmodernism is an embrace of historicism.

Postmodernism is an embrace of irrationality.

Postmodernism is an embrace of incoherance.

And so the list goes on...

[theapportioner]

Well, yes, but you have misunderstood everything.

I won't speak for everyone, but Richard Rorty (the only one you've read, it seems, and probably only from some encyclopedia) DOES NOT reject concepts like truth, science, objectivity, and so on. They have their uses, but their use is dependent on certain precise contexts. The problem is when these concepts are generalized, abstracted away from the context. Rorty (and many others) criticize the ways in which we LEGITIMATE something, say the primacy of science, based on the overgeneralization of these ideas. It is the basis for legitimation that is all wrong. You have to remember that, although Rorty is sympathetic to the ideas of folks like Derrida, that he's also very much part of the analytic philosophy tradition.

[The One and Only...]

Rorty denies necessary truths. Truth, to him, is relative to the historical context in which it was placed.

Thus, those Nazis who denied the holocaust were actually doing a good thing, as they were trying to bring it about that the holocaust had never happened.

This is not that far from the theories of self-legitimizing societal narratives that Lyotard proposed, or really any of the other postmodern theories.

Really, though, postmodernism appears to be self-contradicting on grand scale.

[theapportioner]

You seem to have no idea what the word "context" means.

But hey, it's been said that postmodernists are the neocon's best friends. You should be encouraging it.

My problem with postmodernism is less a philosophical one, more a moral one.

[The One and Only...]

con·text
n.
1. The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.
2. The circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting.

Postmodernism leans toward Marxism.

[theapportioner]

On certain terms, yes. But here's the major difference - Marxism holds on to that whole 'metanarrative' bit in order to justify revolutionary change. Postmodernism rejects that, so it can't do very much to justify social action. Keep them all cynical and nihilistic; neocons couldn't be happier.

[Abcdxxxx]

Holy shit. The academy has ruined another generation. Being "intellectual" just makes you really fucking stupid.

[theapportioner]

But not when they agree with you!!!!!!

[AChimp]

This thread needs a bucket of shrimp.



SAVED.

[Brandon]

WHEW! THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE, CHIMPY!

[Dole]

Thank fuck there are people like OAO in this world, because no matter how bad things are or how bad you feel you can always say 'At least I'm not him'.

[Cosmo Electrolux]

I wonder if he'll still be a complete asswipe after his first sexual encounter....outside of a rest stop mens room....

[Dole]

he has youth on his side I guess.....hopefully someone will love or beat all the bullshit out of him.

[Protoclown]

I just wanted to say that I don't know thing fucking one about postmodernism, nor do I care to. It smells like a whole bunch of bullshit to me.

[mburbank]

THE SEVEN SELF CONTRADICTIONS OF OAO


1. OAO pimps a compulsive familiarity with buzzwords as intelligence.
2. OAO stresses his boy-geniusness, yet freely employs a level of weinerosity only attainable through years of sustained annoyingness.
3. OAO prescription to sometimes make a sentence no have a meaning with while abstating positionableosity.
4. OAO stress poindexterism but often treat text solely as form of namedroppage.
5. By rejecting modern criteria for assessing theory, OAO blah blah blah until you stop reading and so don't know he's just regurgitating bookjacket copy that he east by the shovelfull
6. OAO criticizes the inconsistency of you, but refuse to seek treatment for an event horizon of narcissism so extreme no redeeming characteristics can escape it's pull.
7. OAO contradicts himself by insisting a survey knowledge of economics and philosophy is actually an expertise on anything

[Cosmo Electrolux]

"MOM!!!!!!!!! I was discussing post-modernism with grandpa and he put his daddy stick up my poopoo hole!!!!!!

[The One and Only...]

Originally Posted by theapportioner

On certain terms, yes. But here's the major difference - Marxism holds on to that whole 'metanarrative' bit in order to justify revolutionary change. Postmodernism rejects that, so it can't do very much to justify social action. Keep them all cynical and nihilistic; neocons couldn't be happier.

If that is the case, then postmodernists are hypocrits. Why do they all oppose the WTO, etc?