What is Post-Modernism? (Part One)

“My point, and the point of the post-modern philosophers, was to demonstrate that even a simple word like apple can beget numerous interpretations, let alone words like justice, equality and so on.”

Post-modernism is among the most contentious labels of our time, especially for many on the political right. Many associate it with relativism, identity politics, a renewed Marxism, and a host of other dangerous tendencies. In an earlier article for Merion West, I focused primarily on debunking the last association: that post-modernism is just academic Marxism with a new coat of paint.

More than ever, it is important to push against this narrative, as we gradually see the intellectual influence of post-modernism wane and concern about social and economic inequalities retake center stage. With the ascendency of post-modern conservatism’s reaction to traditional neoliberal policies, from its protectionism to its ugly identity politics and dismissal of all sources of rationality, many progressives have been forced into rethinking their tactics and outlook. Some have even started drawing insights from critics like Jordan Peterson.

In my next two articles, I want to shift gears and spend a bit more time analyzing post-modernism head on, rather than simply contrasting it to another socio-cultural tradition or discussing how it has been realized in the form of various political movements. I will build upon the distinction I made in the earlier article by characterizing post-modernism in two interrelated ways: as a skeptical philosophical position and as an epoch or culture within developed countries. It is interesting to note that as the intellectual influence of post-modern philosophy fades, its epochal or cultural currency has been amplified many fold.  This demonstrates the possibility that we may be witnessing the zenith of post-modern culture’s reach, which like all waves must ultimately crest and retreat.