post modernism
Post-Modernism can be described as a particular style of thought. It is a concept that correlates the emergence of new features and types of social life and economic order in a culture; often called modernization, post-industrial, consumer, media, or multinational capitalistic societies. ... I will first describe how "Modernity" came about, and then to indicate some of the features for which "Post-Modernity" is meant to be a reaction, response or addition to modernization. ... The origin of Modernity may have its roots in several periods: the year 1436, with Gutenbergs adoption of moveable type; or in 1520, and Luthers rebellion against Church authority; or 1648, and the end of the Thirty Years War; while even still, it could have begun during the American or French Revolutions of 1776 or 1789; or even the rise of "Modernism" in fine arts and literature. ... This now leads us through our previous history to the concepts, reasoning, and experiences of Post-Modern thought. The Post-Modern Condition: The cultural traits of a Post-Modern society can be characterized simply as an information-based society. ... The benefits of Modernity or of Post-Modern structures can be questionable; many individuals of this new electronic age do not completely embrace consumerism, and in some cases are critical of technology, but nevertheless embrace its potential. ... What the transformations of contemporary social life has been, however, and the relative significance of these changes with respect to one another is a matter that can be highly varied, and I don’t presume to know everything about Post-Modern thought or philosophy, because it can take on many aspects, and I/we could be entirely fooling ourselves if we try to express it. Post-Modernity does seem to represent some kind of a break with the past, in fact Post-Modernity may simply be an extension of Modernity. However, Post-Modernity in this age seems to be characterized by new societal forms, and relationships between the cultural, economic, political and social realms, and a return to traditional values. There is a new kind of enmeshing of the cultural, economic and political spheres in Post-Modernity, combining the Modernist with Marxian ideals creating together our Post-Modern Age. ... ; a radical shift from colonialist to post-colonialist perspectives on modernization, and questions of "Third World" and community development which produces problems of coping with the plurality of perspectives on the world without any credible source; the loss of relative autonomy of the cultural sphere (as distinct from the economic and political spheres) with the recognition that culture and communications are an industry and that they are politicized, not "objective, "neutral" or necessarily critical. ... Conclusion: The break away from 19th-century values and traditions is often classified as Modernism and carries the connotations of transgression, rebellion, and a loss of soul and humanity. ... Rather than challenging and destroying cultural definitions, as does Modernism, Post-Modernism resists the very idea of boundaries. ... It must be realized though, that Post-Modernism has many interpretations and that no single definition is adequate. Different disciplines have participated in the Post-Modernist movement in varying ways, for example, in architecture traditional limits have become indistinguishable, so that what is commonly on the outside of a building is placed within, and vice versa. In commercial terms Post-Modernism may be seen as part of the growth of consumer capitalism into multinational and technological identities.