Speculating on The Cultural Phenomenon of Postmodernity

Postmodernity Reflection

In class thus far we have discussed two entirely different schools of thought. One: modernity, which contained a society of new and enlightening individuals. On the other hand is the second school of thought: postmodernity. Postmodernity is a cultural phenomenon that is the rejection of modernist principles.

Postmodernity challenges the society we have, and it challenges our way of thinking as well. It brings about the theory that knowledge comes from darkness. One can only assume that this has a deeper meaning than someone stumbling around a dark room looking for a textbook or an open Google page. What this phrase means is that in order for progression and advancement of society, bad things must happen. In some cases, this does not come voluntarily. In the film Fight Club, the main character’s true enlightenment came only after his materialism was forcedly destroyed by a fire. His knowledge came from darkness.

Some describe the time we currently live in as the postmodern era. The time when modernism ended it contested, some believing it ended before the turn of the 20th century, and some believing it ended after World War II. From this era has arisen the philosophical theory of nihilism. This can be viewed in today’s society mainly by young people, who have secularized their lives. Whereas the traditional view of humans contains the body and the spirit (or soul), the postmodern human contains the body and the mind. Michel Foucault, a French philosopher and postmodernist, described these different aspects of humans. Foucault describes these forces as the modes which act on the human body.

Those who hold a nihilistic way of thinking reject all morals because to them, life is meaningless, so why follow the rules? These people question why the rules exist. The in class discussion concerning nihilism reminded me a lot of anarchy, where not only are people’s morals no longer holding them back from committing crimes, but they are no longer crimes.

Postmodernism is the dark and sinister child of modernism. It brings about a complete rejection of society and its teachings. It focuses on the power of the individual, and a rejection of forces which causes the individual to live by a certain moral or social code. Postmodernity brings about great debate about our own society and the societies of the past. It is hard to describe, and even harder to understand, yet, according to some, we are living in a society of postmodernism.