10 characteristics of POSTMODERN philosophy

In today's class we are going to study one of the main current philosophical currents, postmodern philosophy. Which, born as a response to traditional philosophy (modern philosophy), is interested in social issues/welfare and tries to give answers to questions about man, the world or life today.

Postmodern philosophy is located within the so-called contemporary philosophy (S.XX-XXI) .Specifically, it was born during the 60s in France by the hand of Jean-Francois Lyotard and his work the postmodern condition, and later, it spread throughout Europe and the US during the 70s and 80s with authors such as M.Foucaut and R.Rortry.

If you want to know more about characteristics of postmodern philosophy, keep reading this lesson from a PROFESSOR. Let's start!

Postmodern philosophy was born in the 1960s in France and spread to the rest of Europe from the 70s as a result of the publications of the philosopher Jean-Francois Lyortad. Standing out among the philosopher representatives of him as M.Foucault and R. Rorty.

Likewise, it originates within a society in crisis, in full conflict (Cold War, Vietnam War...), in full ideological disputes and where the individual calls for greater freedom, peace and a secure society.

Therefore, from this current it breaks with the currents developed in the Enlightenment/Modernism, with the primacy of subject / reason and the idea that the structure is the center of everything is discarded (structuralism). Thus, what is intended is to give a new approach based in the analysis of the power relations and organization political/economic.

Likewise, it is also characterized because does not believe in ideas and absolute truths (each individual has the truth of him), for the defense of diversity and the freedom to think / express himself as each one considers appropriate.

To end this lesson from a PROFESSOR we explain the top 10 features of postmodern philosophy:

1. Postmodern philosophy is the result of the influence of various philosophical currents, such as: the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, the structuralism of Levi Strauss, the post-structuralism of Michel Foucault, the perspectivism of nietzsche and the psychoanalism of Jacques Lacan.
2. criticizes ethnocentrism so internalized in the forms of western thought and it is defended that there is not only a single culture, but a cultural plurality. From this perspective, it is also established that there should not be a dominant culture that imposes itself on the rest.
3. Absolute ideologies and truths are discarded: Each individual has his TRUE that may be true in one context or community and not in another = what may be true for me may not be true for someone else. Therefore, we cannot give something as truthful in a permanent or absolute way, since, it can be refute. Well, the truth is linked to a specific culture/time and is subject to various interpretations.
4. The idea of ​​linearity of history is not believed and criticized based on the concepts of evolution and progress, through which it is established that the further back we are in time we will be facing less advanced societies and cultures. Thus, for postmodernism this concept of history obeys a creation of the individual and it lacks veracity (it is not real), since history is not a linear process in which societies progress towards more advanced and better cultures.
5. Postmodern philosophy leaves aside the great philosophical dilemmas and focuses on trying to understand and explain what happens in contemporary society. For example: the economic and social crisis, the loss of humanity or the weariness of society. Coming to the conclusion that the capitalism He is largely responsible for the problems of today's world, since he has created a society in which everything can be commodified and that is at the service of personal economic interests.
6. ideologically breaks radically with modernity that begins with the Enlightenment and where everything revolves around the reason. Thus, the very prefix (post) of the name of this current marks a clear differentiation with the previous one and establishes that the theses of the Illustration they were not actually put into practice and did not change the world or society for the better.
7. postmodernity put aside thought grounded in reason and in the concepts of progress/evolution, the basis of modernity. In this way, rationalism is criticized and focuses on promoting the intuition of each individual, self-satisfaction and individualism as key elements to obtain social well-being.
8. The concept of national identity is discarded and defends the idea of ​​a Global world without borders, free movement of people and information. Thus, the existence of borders is an element that threatens the freedom of the individual.
9. The metanarrative is criticized promoted from some philosophies linked to Marxism, Christianity or capitalism. Which are based on creating a narrative about the world and the history of totalizing character.
10. From postmodernism defends itself freedom of expression: Being able to express oneself as each one sees fit, in different ways and from diversity.

And so we end with this lesson on the characteristics of postmodern philosophy. We hope it has been helpful to you when studying!

Hirschberger Johannes: History of Philosophy (TIII: 20th century philosophy): Barcelona: Herder, 2017