Postmodernism is destroying our brains, culture and civilization

[Monoriu]

I tried to read the wiki article on postmodernism but failed to understand it.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Same. I got really confused when it started citing itself and discussing the difficulties of writing a Wikipedia article.

[Admiral Yi]

Isn't the whole point of postmodernism that everyone lies to make themselves look good?

[Monoriu]

Isn't the whole point of postmodernism that everyone lies to make themselves look good?

I don't have the slightest idea.  I just sweep it under list of "things I do not understand and probably won't affect me" and move on. 

[Drakken]

The basic premise of postmodernism is that ideas do not exist in and by themselves. Because they are defined and conceived on an abstract level by human beings, they are concepts both which are created, influenced, and amended by our personal or collective evolutions, biases, backgrounds, or interests.

To give a very crude example, there is no such thing as a "State" in the real, knock-knock world. Nothing exists that is physically a "State" in and by iself in the world. A State exists because our senses and intelligence has framed the idea of a State, with its borders, symbols, national flags, miliary, etc. Early modern western male-centric 'patriarchal' societies have created and developed the idea of "State" to suit their personal interest, and since they became the dominant social force the idea has spreaded to become the main definition of a political unit rather than some deep-in-the jungle, obscure definition that never took root.

Of course, this opens to all sorts of crazy and not-so-crazy analyses of observable phenomena (for instance a Marxist analysis of the State, a Feminist analysis of the State, a Libertarian analysis of the State, a Scientologist analysis of the State, yada yada, yada), and due to vested interests it opens the door wide open to normative judgments -  it won't surprise you that it is mostly the dominant, Western ideas that get 'observed' by these kinds of approaches.

Furthermore, its basic postulate renders impossible any observations and descriptions of human concepts through the scientific method, because they are not rooted in the realistic universe but in the collective minds of human beings. And I won't surprise you that most College social 'science' departments are dominated by postmodernism-inspired teachers, especially anthropology, ethnology, and Liberal arts.

I call postmodernism - or more preciselt Constructivism - social science for the lazy. It takes much more work and intellectual reflection to seek hypotheses and quantify data, rather than lace a nice story laced with right and wrong around the analysis of an "object". And yes, there no such thing as "a" State you can feel and touch, but it takes a special kind of dishonesty to deny there aren't States in the world, right now.

[Jacob]

But it can still be interesting to examine the many component parts that make up a state, and determining which and what combinations of them make something count as a state and why.

Yes, it's not difficult to descend into pointless wank or esoteric details but useful stuff can still be gleaned - at least IMO.

[Drakken]

But it can still be interesting to examine the many component parts that make up a state, and determining which and what combinations of them make something count as a state and why.

Yes, it's not difficult to descend into pointless wank or esoteric details but useful stuff can still be gleaned - at least IMO.

Of course, however there is a whole field of science doing just that : epistemology.

Science requires a wide consensus over the definition of  the object being studied. Otherwise, anyone and everyone can define the object moving the goalpost to suit their own conclusion.

[Drakken]

I don't have the slightest idea.  I just sweep it under list of "things I do not understand and probably won't affect me" and move on.

It does affect you, because any Maoist or post-Maoist conception of social science in your university departments would be postmodernism.

[Oexmelin]

And I won't surprise you that most College social 'science' departments are dominated by postmodernism-inspired teachers, especially anthropology, ethnology, and Liberal arts.

It would surprise me, for I very much doubt this.

It clearly has entered the scholarship; it is difficult to ignore the impact, say, Foucault, has had. Whether taking what he wrote into account makes one "postmodernism-inspired" I will leave to your judgement. Perhaps as much as these departments are "Aristotle-inspired", or "Marx-inspired", or "Rawls-inspired".

But I am sorry, I realize I am intruding in your circle-jerk.

[Hamilcar]

Well I'm getting good laughs out of the Twitter account. Thanks, Hami!

It's great and terrifying at the same time. Just think of the people who actually write this shit.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Ah well, if there is no state then I think I will stop paying taxes.

[garbon]

And I won't surprise you that most College social 'science' departments are dominated by postmodernism-inspired teachers, especially anthropology, ethnology, and Liberal arts.

It would surprise me, for I very much doubt this.

It clearly has entered the scholarship; it is difficult to ignore the impact, say, Foucault, has had. Whether taking what he wrote into account makes one "postmodernism-inspired" I will leave to your judgement. Perhaps as much as these departments are "Aristotle-inspired", or "Marx-inspired", or "Rawls-inspired".

But I am sorry, I realize I am intruding in your circle-jerk.

[The Brain]

Postmodernism is garbage thought up by morans.

[celedhring]

Same. I got really confused when it started citing itself and discussing the difficulties of writing a Wikipedia article.

[Savonarola]

I tried to read the wiki article on postmodernism but failed to understand it.

You've seen "Serial Experiments Lain", right?  The director, (Ryūtarō Nakamura) wanted to create a work that Japanese and Americans would interpret differently based on their different cultures.  That (in a simplified form) is the essence of post-modernism; people will view things differently based on their different experiences, or cultures or other similar distinctions.