- Joined
- Nov 18, 2016
- Messages
- 61,192
- Reaction score
- 38,348
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Liberal
Postmodernism is a branch of philosophy that arose in the mid-20th century out of a strand of thought from the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche (who was writing toward the end of the 19th). Perhaps this sentiment is best captured and summarized in his phrase: "Against that positivism which stops before phenomena, saying "there are only facts," I should say: no, it is precisely facts that do not exist, only interpretations". What is more fundamental than truth is "the will to power". That comes first. The interpretations (IOW, facts) follow from that.
So postmodernism sees even something as pragmatically and uncannily successful and useful as science as just one more narrative among many; or perhaps just another locus of power, as Foucault would put it; or perhaps a narrative that is just sociologically arising out of particular agendas- not something that has any meaning or value in and of itself.
So in this world view, might makes right, not truth. Power is primary. It's a one-way street from power to declaring knowledge, not the other way around. It's not even a two-say street. If you have the power, you can create and dictate the truths, including scientific ones. This about what Nietzsche calls "the will to power" (though some may argue it might be a disorted understanding of what Nietzsche really meant- but many have done that, including the Nazis).
This may then explain how science comes under such intense assault under this world view: whether in climate change science, or the success of vaccines, or the biomedical research being done at the NIH, etc.... the scientific "facts" being discovered in these places are not valuable for their own sake; they are not even things to be respected or valued in and of themselves. Power comes first, and can then it dictates those facts. And Donald Trump now has the power. Science comes second and follows.
Even beyond science, it explains some of his declarations like that he knows more than the generals, the judges, the economists, and etc, etc.... Power is what it is all about. Once you have that, everything else follows. Facts that do not exist, only interpretations.
What do you think? Is Donald Trump the quintessential embodiment of postmodern philosophy?
So postmodernism sees even something as pragmatically and uncannily successful and useful as science as just one more narrative among many; or perhaps just another locus of power, as Foucault would put it; or perhaps a narrative that is just sociologically arising out of particular agendas- not something that has any meaning or value in and of itself.
So in this world view, might makes right, not truth. Power is primary. It's a one-way street from power to declaring knowledge, not the other way around. It's not even a two-say street. If you have the power, you can create and dictate the truths, including scientific ones. This about what Nietzsche calls "the will to power" (though some may argue it might be a disorted understanding of what Nietzsche really meant- but many have done that, including the Nazis).
This may then explain how science comes under such intense assault under this world view: whether in climate change science, or the success of vaccines, or the biomedical research being done at the NIH, etc.... the scientific "facts" being discovered in these places are not valuable for their own sake; they are not even things to be respected or valued in and of themselves. Power comes first, and can then it dictates those facts. And Donald Trump now has the power. Science comes second and follows.
Even beyond science, it explains some of his declarations like that he knows more than the generals, the judges, the economists, and etc, etc.... Power is what it is all about. Once you have that, everything else follows. Facts that do not exist, only interpretations.
What do you think? Is Donald Trump the quintessential embodiment of postmodern philosophy?
