Well, it's been so long since I've updated my blog that I forgot my blogger password. I know, pretty pathetic!
I just finished Explaining Postmodernism by Stephen R. C. Hicks. (I know, I've gotten behind in updating my reading list, too!) This book was a great overview of postmodernism, and helped me to understand a lot about its roots. I had no idea it was so entrenched in socialist philosophy, and so political in general. Some key points I learned from reading this book:
Leftist thinking came to be taken on by intellectuals and shifted to the academy largely because of the failure of socialist revolutions and uprisings. Tied in with this was the belief that the common man did not possess the mental capacity to understand how he had bought into capitalist schemes, nor did he (or would he ever, perhaps) realize his need for a socialist revolution.
Modern socialism, being threatened by the relatively comfortable living conditions of even the poorer classes of society, had to shift its focus from actual need to the idea of relative need and equality (i.e. the poor are oppressed because they do not live as comfortably as the rich). All sorts of "oppression" became apparent: sexual, racial, environmental. This concept helped to clarify for me a lot of the tendencies of the academy which I came to notice particularly when I worked at and did my masters degree at a public university.
The socialist roots of nihilism and deconstruction were also particularly well clarified for me. The failure of socialism led to such a disillusionment that "from the postmodern perspective the universe has been metaphysically and epistemologically shattered." The fact that ethical and political ideals had come to nothing contributed to the the resignation, "all is nothing." (197) The art of Duchamp is a great example of deconstruction. It stems from a deep hatred and jealousy of those who have more (in this case, creative genius) and says: "I cannot be special unless I destroy your achievement first." (199) Overall, both nihilism and deconstruction represent a leveling of the playing field, in the sense that the oppressed party seeks to bring those more fortunate down to their own level.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in postmodernism!
