The Postmodernism

Introduction

As various arguments are being posed towards postmodernism, what forms the primary basis of such arguments is an illustrative definition of the postmodernism and its impact on the social, economic, and cultural diversity in the society. According to Cazeaux (2006), as modernism engages art and architecture in the rejection of the old traditions thereby creating forms of individualism, the postmodernism identifies the reality of such efforts. He points out that postmodernism is the recognition of constructive personal mind that enables an individual to understand his or her own particular needs and related personal reality in establishing individualism. He notes that postmodernism distinctly captures the individual’s interpretation of the relative truths that are eminent and posed by the world as there is no single scientific, philosophical or religious truth that effectively explains everything for every individual.

Jameson (2006) points out that the increasing dominance of intellectual moods and cultural expressions in the societies envisage postmodernism. They have enabled each member of the society to be able to question and define moral and cultural values. It has helped a man in creating self-cognition in the society. He notes that each individual and each society tend to establish a reasonable understanding on their cultural standards which have ever since relied on ancient and traditional practices that range from religious morals, nationalism, capitalism to political systems  in the age of modernism. All these work to transform the social, economic, and cultural diversity in the society thereby promoting individualism. However, he points out that individualism has changed how the society consumes its social, economic, and cultural obligation. This has been possible through creation of an integrated consumer society that is characterized by relative larger consumption compared to production. The write up highlights various arguments that have been posed towards the impact of postmodernism in influencing the social, economic and cultural practices in the society.

Arguments in Support of Postmodernism

Various arguments in support of postmodernism outline its importance in enhancing the social, economic, and cultural diversity in the society. According to Mats (2011), postmodernism presents a clear concepts of the scientific structural bodies of the knowledge that is essential in creating modest individualism that enhances the cultural outstanding of the society. He points out that since postmodernism is a high epoch of modernism, it exploits the modern ideologies by developing new ethical and cultural outstanding that are essential for the integration of the cultural, economic, and social practices in the society. For instance, postmodernism enhances educational philosophy especially in illustrating and averting the theoretical cultural myths and rituals into effective ideological perspective. Such perspectives do not only integrate the cultural belief of individuals in the society, but they also improve an individual’s understanding towards the society’s cultural obligations (Mats, 2011). He notes that postmodernism enables the advancement of individual’s wisdom in identifying and exposing falsified cultural, social, and economic beliefs that have undermined the well being of the society since that time.

As pointed out by Mats (2011), postmodernist normally believe that there is no absolute truth to social and cultural belief that are expressed in the society as such practices are only envisaged to raise the interest of special groups in the society in gaining powers and undermining the role of others in the society.  He points out that postmodernist normally sees the potential in enhancing self-conceptualization and rationalization, thereby enabling members of the society to analyze the traditional logic and objectivity that are associated with such beliefs so as to obtain distinct facts. In establishing such facts, he notes that postmodernism normally examines the truth that is presented by science, technology, and religion in enhancing the social, economic, and cultural practices in the society. For instance, a clear understanding on the impact of hyper-mediation caused by advanced technology in the society enables each member of the society to be cautious, and use advanced media technology effectively in promoting their moral values and their economic well being.

 Mats (2011) points out postmodernists normally believe that personal morality is dependent on individualism which encompasses private code of ethics. This is especially so in preventing an individual from following ineffective society’s traditional beliefs that do not primarily stipulate his or her role in the society by undermining his or her rights.

Docx (2011) argues that postmodernism have resulted into the evolution of digitized technology which enhances mass media broadcastings.  According to him, mass broadcasting does not only create visualized symbols and coherent mass action, but it also encompasses liberating force that addresses the human activities in the society. He points out that digitized technologies help in the fragmentation of the cultural understanding of the modern society. The members of the society normally use digital internetworking in search of positive artistic and cultural practices that effectively suit their primary ethical code and role. He notes that such cultural and artistic fragmentation normally enables an individual to be more autonomous in initiating his or her own moral and cultural outstanding that best suits him or her intermediate environment.

On the other hand, McGregor (2006) argues that postmodernism has helped in the shaping of language, thereby enhancing effective communication in the society. He points out that, even though postmodern philosophical works have often been regarded as difficult to be read or interpret, at times with  ridiculed contents, they have played an important role in language development. This has been achieved through either illustrating the meaning and forms of words being used, or demonstrating the structural power of words that should be applied and used in initiating communication in the society. For instance, postmodernism simplified the structural power of using the word “Man” with capital “M” as a generalization of humanity to the use of words such as “he” in bringing out the distinct gender identification. This continues to help the society in using correct words and language forms explicitly to enhance communication among people.

Moreover, McGregor (2006) argues that the element of constructive postmodernism is essential not only to outweigh modernism, but also to enhance an individual’s knowledge by unifying various interdisciplinary institutions ranging from scientific and ethical to religious based institutions. He points out that postmodernists normally believe that incorporating society structure in the learning institutions is an ideal way of advancing and expanding the individual’s knowledge. According to him, constructive postmodernism normally disregards the concept of isolated individual or culture and hence promotes a unified cultural standard that initiates fundamentally openness among people that are able to develop advanced moral and educational understanding.  Moreover, he points out that constructive postmodernism normally encourages the gain of knowledge through non-sensory perception, such as dreams and memory in enhancing interdependency rather than solemnly depending on the general five senses for knowledge development.     

Arguments against Postmodernism

Mats (2011) argues that postmodernism has altered the general sense of moral cultural understanding. He points outs out that the advancement of technology in the post-modernity has created a conceptual sense among individuals, especially through the surveillance technology. He notes that the evolution of advance technology has incorporated visual mediation which has broken down the content of most artistic genre, thereby resulting into individual’s lose of connectivity to reality or history. According to him, mass media and other technological forms of mass production continue to re-appropriate and re-conceptualize the general cultural practices, symbols, and images, thereby drifting people away from the reality to illusive hyper reality which does not only affect their moral outstanding, but also affects their role in branding their true cultural identities.

Powell & Owen (2007) argue that postmodernism have created a consumer society where each member of the society continuously consume rather than produce goods and services. They note that the evolution of postmodernism in 1800s enabled the societies to believe in social progress, the potential of human reasoning, scientific rationality, and technology, as essential in initiating society’s economy. In the essence, however, such progress was primarily characterized by capitalism and consumptions. They point out that the society’s social progress resulted in the massive production of goods and services, the exploitation of the mankind, and especially workers, the overuse of the natural environment and the invention of massive scientific technologies which have initiated high consumption in the society rather than improving productivity.

It is argued that consumerism is one of the negative factors that have been created by postmodernism.  According to Stearns (2006), consumerism is the continued desire of buying and taking more goods and services. As McGregor (2006) puts it, the increased humans desire of accessing and consuming more goods and services is adamantly built on the process of self identification. He points out that the creation of individualism in defining self-conceptualization and self-rationalization in the society has created an image of increased self reliance. Today the consumption of goods and services is playing a major role in defining individual’s identity and society.

He notes that people have developed into dependents and consumers of goods and services to illustrate their self identity without looking at the impact of such overconsumption on the environment and the entire ecological system. According to him, individualism is related to distinct individual desire for more goods and services. With each day industries initiate manufacturing processes that pollute environment in their quest to satisfy the consumers’ demands. He notes that postmodernism continues setting individuals against themselves.

Additionally, Powell & Owen (2007) point out that postmodernism has whitnessed societies and communities losing their strength, directions, and connectivity as they use the advance technologies in defining their ownership capacity rather than initiating their productivity values in the society. They note that unlike modernism where state’s or society’s economy revolved around productivity, postmodernism have initiated relativistic consumer society. For instance, the international market is characterized by the emergence of identical goods and services that are primarily dictated upon by the increased consumer monoculture. This has averted the principality of production of quality products in suiting the high consumer demands (Powell & Owen, 2007).

 As argued by McGregor (2006), postmodernism has resulted to the fragmentation of popular culture. According to him, popular culture in the postmodern era is defined as the eruption of new ideas due to the invention of the latest fascinating contemporary technologies. He points out that the emergence of new contemporary innovation has resulted to consumer culture characterized by high consumption power and technological complexities. This has made it difficult to conceptualize the true identities and realities. He notes that postmodernism is characterized by relentless technological change which have continuously created distrustful and disrespectful attitude towards various societal authorities.

For instance, Docx (2011) emphasizes that the emergence of postmodernism incorporates high and massive cultures that have resulted in fading of normal writing theory in the philosophical literature. He notes that postmodernism has come along with massive digitized advertising which has made it difficult in drawing a clear line between high and popular culture especially in the philosophical work. According to him, postmodernism has removed older categories of literature set ups, and the content of the contemporary theory which illustratively gave an individual opportunity to distinguish technical professional philosophy from the general academic literature. For example, the massive advertisement at the Las Vegas Strip, as posed by postmodernism, distinctively makes it difficult for an individual to identify various professional philosophies related to political science, sociology and literacy critic (McGregor, 2006).

According to McGregor (2006), even though postmodernism is based on enhancing individualism by creating self actualization and rationalization, it is the main proponent of individualism fading in the society. He points out that postmodernism is too outrageous, and thus, rejects beliefs that are associated with absolute objectivity in finding the absolute truth towards any cultural and religious outstanding. He notes that by rejecting any absolute truth concerning any idea or practice, people are hindered from gaining access to historical knowledge. This is limiting their historical and cultural background towards any social, cultural, and religious beliefs. For instance, postmodernist normally denounce the religious faith outstanding among the Christians that Jesus Christ is the only way to God (McGregor, 2006). He points out that such religious denouncing normally hinders Christians in establishing background information about Jesus Christ in strengthening their religious faiths.

As argued by McGregor (2006), postmodernism forms a distinct element of deconstructive postmodernism that generally undermines the historical world views. The views were essential in integration of knowledge and communication language during the modern era. According to him, postmodernism is not enforced by the innovation of new systems in replacing the modern systems. It rather concentrates on undermining the principle operation of the historical concepts that are important in knowledge and language development. They can either overturn or completely remove these old concepts. He points out that the basic concept of deconstructive postmodernism is to reject the distinct notion of absolute truth and the high valued doctrine of authoritarian reasoning. It accomplishes this by initiating belief that personal individualism is the only way that can best suit the mankind. However, the notion that there is no absolute truth results in varied speculations based on expressed opinions that can neither be taken seriously nor be fully implemented. For instance, speculating on the identity and structural component of the traditional authorities does not help in initiating systems or programs that can help in addressing pediment factors such as societal vices, e.g. corruption (McGregor, 2006).

Conclusion

The write up has pointed out that the notion created by postmodernism is absence of absolute truth in general society understanding. It encourages individuals to interpret the reality on various concepts.  There has also been various arguments on the impact of individualism in the cultural, economic, and social beliefs in the societies. Those who argue in favor of postmodernism have established its importance in developing moral understanding on the cultural, social, and economic beliefs which has helped in the development of society’s moral standards. The paper has also highlighted the role of postmodernism in initiating effective communication processes through the development of distinct language structures.

On the other hand, the write up has illustrated the disadvantages of postmodernism. It has emphasized that the innovation of contemporary technologies in the post-modernity is enhancing individual interpretation. It has not only fragmented the cultural and social practices in the society, but it has also resulted into the fading of individualism. In this new arrangement, the society has actively been characterized by high consumption power on contrary to production. Moreover, the paper has pointed out the need for people to support individual desire enhancing production rather than consumption.