We are in the age of post-modernism. The modernist era which begin around the time of the enlightenment was all about certainty, scientific and industrial progress, the putting away of old fashioned myths and stories, and the eroding of faith. This was the era of proof. And what couldn’t be proven would almost certainly be at some point in the future. Truth was out there, and it could be found, but most probably not in the church.
By the time we got to the final third of the 20th century, things weren’t all that certain. Yes, there had been huge strides in medicine, healthcare, poverty, democracy, civil rights, and welfare, but we were coming to the realisation that some problems would always be around, and some questions were not answerable by scientific method and social progress. This, combined with increased multiculturalism and globalisation opened us up to alternative perspectives from all around the world. Suddenly, your solution or opinion was deemed as good as mine and equally valid. There was now no absolute truth and no way of discerning one truth from another. Everything was subjective.
We are in the age of post-modernism. Or are we?
I’m not so sure.
The rise of twitter has made it abundantly clear that there are still many, many opinions out there. But a number of recent events have led me to question whether society in general really does still hold to the postmodern mantra of no absolute truth, with all opinions equally valid.
First we had the Luis Suarez racism debate. What was said, what what meant, and how was the translation? Was he a racist, or was something else meant by the remarks? I the midst of that we had Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole embroiled in a twitter row over the term ‘choc-ice’. For example, what constitutes racism? Simply inserting the word ‘black’ in front of an insult?
Second, the failure of the Church of England to pass the legislation to allow women to become bishops. The three chambers of the house. made up of bishops, clergy, and laity (non-clergy) were overwhelmingly in favour, with just the house of laity narrowly failing to get the two thirds majority required. The Twitterverse couldn’t believe it and there was very little attempt to understand the reasons why it might have failed.
Third, the debate and passing of the first reading of the equal (same-sex) marriage bill in parliament yesterday.
In all of these cases, the general feeling of society perceives that there is a ‘correct’ answer. In a true postmodernist society, both those speaking for and against the issues would have their voices heard, and their arguments engaged with. Sadly this no longer seems to be happening. There is a conformity to which we are expected to adhere. The debate on these subjects is shut down, often with the throwing around of insults, such as ‘racist’, ‘sexist’, and the catch-all, ‘bigot’. Tosh is last term in particular has been bandied around a lot this week during the same-sex marriage debate.
I heard someone today call this new way of thinking a ‘militant liberalism’, to go alongside the new or militant atheism that has risen up with the loss of religion, but is it not liberalism in the truest sense, neither is it tolerance. It is simple the expectation that everyone should conform in belief and practice, or else stay out of the debate and keep their opinions private. The views and morals to which we are to conform are vastly different to what they were a hundred years ago, but the expectation is that these views are the norm and there is an intolerance for anything else.
Some time ago, Ed West, in The Telegraph echoed this as he was commenting on the suggestions of some contemporary philosophers that atheists take the best, but non-spiritual, parts of religion.
The real problem is that religion is always replaced by something else. The rise of fads such as homoeopathy is well documented, but more commonly people’s religious desires for certainty, morality and community are transferred to their politics; that is why there is this sense that those outside the communion of correct beliefs today are morally unclean, and new sins such as “racist” and “sexist” replace “heretic” and “sinner”. That is the real “religion for atheists”.
Post-modernism was always difficult to define. What was agreed was that it was the time after modernism, but there was no consensus on what would take it’s place. I think it is emerging. We could call it ‘neo-orthodoxy’ or ‘neo-conformity’, but what seems to be clear is this: there is a new set of right beliefs not based on any faith position. What worries me is, without a theological foundation, where might these lead us?
how about this for a thought – post-modernism is the breaking apart of modernism, like degradation, more and more things that held society together have been broken and their energy released/lost. i think we’re still on the slide down, but there are signs that new bonds are being formed and old values being realised to be ‘good’, to give stability in an every changing and fast degrading culture. SO i don’t think post-modernism is dead, but it has always, since its creation, been dying (by its very nature)
That’s an interesting thought Laurence. I guess we were always waiting to see what modernism would turn into and now we are starting to see the new bonds being formed. But as with all these things, the whole thing is a process so perhaps it is a bit pre-emptive to say that post-modernism is dead.
not dead – in a state of dying, by it’s very nature of being a deconstruction of went before… I don’t want to sound too ponsy about it though!
Perhaps we could define ‘post-modernism’ as the narrative that acknowledges all other narratives are dead? The story that we have lost all those other stories that made us ‘who we are.’ (Who we were?)
i like it, but (again, i hate myself for being so pedantic) i would say dying rather than dead. it’s more about the process or journey then, which seems to be very po-mo.
Yes, journey is a very post-modern term. But where are we going? And does it matter?
Essentially, nirvana; the absence of _____ . At least, i think that’s what people think, but i believe we’ll find the dark silence of God there and realise – as the quantum physicists are finding – that emptiness is full of all kinds of wonderful things.
Finding God in the emptiness sounds good.
p.s. sorry – i don’t mean to hog the conversation, but does it matter? I think that is a very modern/rational question, and wouldn’t even register with a real po-mo, soi’d probably say no.