Name of the presentators

Faraz Usmani

Syed Sanan Ali

Maira Fatima

Wajiha Naqvi

Zahra Mohsin
 Table of Contents

What is Post Modernism

Death of Meta Narratives
Views of Jean Francois
Lyotard
Criticism on Post Modernism
 What is postmodernism?
Postmodernism is basically a reaction against modernism and modernism is
reaction against medievalism. Medievalism prevail in the 13th 14th and 15th
century. Medievalism says that human beings should take everything on believe
or faith and should use their brains as less as they could. Medievalism was
dominated by religion and religious institutes. It says humans have very less
capability of finding universal truths and universal truths are told by God to very
few people who were supreme at that time in terms of religion and they were
dominant as well that time.

Modernism is a reaction against this medievalism. It started from the 17 th century.

It rejected almost all the ideas of medievalism. It said human beings are rational
and they are a lot capable. They have the capabilities of finding universal truths
and to bring change in them as well. It celebrated human beings and their
independent thinking. Modernism (17th – 20th) was a time of enlightenment,
freedom, human rights, scientific development, technologies which tried to
simplify the life. It was the time in which world biggest scientists came for e.g.
NEWTON, EINSTEIN, THOMAS EDISON. IMMANUEL KANT was a supporter of
modernism as he talked about enlightenment he said “human being capabilities
to thing freely should not be affected by any external factor”

Postmodernism started from the 1950’s. it is a reaction against modernism it

challenged enlightenment, science, Marxism and liberalism. It claims “human
being should think independently is a myth” and it is impossible for a person to
attain objective i.e. knowledge based on facts. It says we people are refined by
historical conditions. Postmodernism gives 3 main arguments

1)There is no such thing as the truth.

2)Power is subjective based instead of objective based.

3)It says humans should stay away from essentialism.

Whereas essentialism is the base of philosophy. Postmodernism opposed role of

state, globalization and universalization of values. Its impacts are that agreement
to control pollution is still not done, trade war between China and America.
Foucault was a supporter of postmodernism

Lyotard says that the significant analysis for postmodern social orders is that
nobody can choose what information is true and who comprehends what should
be chosen and decided in fact nobody knows what is actually right.
Postmodernism states that science is restraining. In Areo magazine author Lucas
Bergkamp, Ph.D. is a partner at Hunton & Williams, Brussels, and is emeritus
Professor of Environmental Liability Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the
article written by him acknowledges that the postmodernism movement is an
anti-intellectualism movement because it rejects science. Science is admitted to
an unusually expanded and unlimited force that science can substantiate anything
with calculations and facts but postmodernists highlighted the science limitation.
One of postmodernism's extraordinary experts, Friedrich Nietzsche, analyzed the
job of both science and religion as purveyors of essential facts of the matter and
stressed the strength of the "will to power" as the main impetus in human issues.
The postmodern point of view on science was formed further by the hypothesis of
Thomas Kuhn. He dismissed ideas of science as an uninvolved quest for target
information, or as an autonomous, non-factional investigation of truth
represented by a particular ethos. Postmodernist reached at two conclusion 1)
Initially, science can't create any true statements about the physical reality, and in
this manner can't guarantee all-inclusive materialism. 2) Second, the logical
inquiry isn't a worth or intrigue free quest for truth that is autonomous of nearby
social imperatives; relatively, it is driven or propelled by concealed ideology. So,
the postmodern idea not just underscores the constraints of science, it
additionally made us aware of the chance of maltreatment of science for
purposes disconnected to discover the truth. It raised the phantom of science as
methods for practicing social control and political force. In QUARTZ publishing,
according to the given article published by a senior reporter, law and politics, DC
name Ephrat Livni, postmodernism states that truth is subjective and we couldn't
be aware of reality so it's impossible to confess it to the truth. The enlightenment-
era notion that we all approved the same truths and agreed on the facts. Instead,
postmodernism acknowledged that reality is complicated. Pioneers of the
nineteenth century of enlightenment time and into the mid-twentieth century
accepted that science and innovation would encourage mankind's certain
advancement. Information was acceptable, after two universal wars and the
breakdown of imperialism, maturing postmodernists saw that the presumption of
human advancement was false. In the article, the informative proclamations of
researchers, on a basic level, be equitably valid or bogus. The postmodern
disavowal of this perspective—which follows from the dismissal of a target
normal the truth—is in some cases communicated by saying there is nothing of
the sort as Truth. Postmodernists believe that there is no scientific or historical
truth (objective truth) and reason and rationale are not generally substantial.
According to postmodernists, democracy, liberalism, feminism, socialism, science,
religion, are different, opposing ways of thinking are all valuable in their own
ways This is why Postmodernists also deny or discourage Marxism as it revolves
around the working-class revolting or taking over the upper-class, denying
capitalism. Lyotard disagrees with a universal form of a government such as
Communism, Democracy. No narrative is closer to the truth than another. What
led to postmodernism 1). The emergence of educated society The emergence of
education encourages a postmodernist way of thinking as education is critical
thinking, production of knowledge, development of individuals and promoting
social identity and postmodernism education emphasis on “thinking outside the
box” and try to think in a critical way. 2) Importance of international development
When education emerges and the enlightenment era has arrived, the people start
thinking in broad terms and the nation becomes broad-minded and starts thinking
outside the national boundaries. One of the products of thinking outside the box
is industrialization that the countries took industrialization as a competitive edge.
3) The decline of the nationalism and opposition of enlightenment ideas The
above two points are interconnected which describes that when society started
criticizing enlightenment and stood against enlightenment because of its scientific
and rational thinking ideology. People started challenging nationalism through
which individual ways of thinking emerge. Nationalism is basically a common
thinking that everyone has common thought and because of nationalism, people
cannot explore their imagination and then artists and thinkers start challenging
these ideologies after which emerge a new idea which is called postmodernism.

What are Metanarratives?

The term metanarrative was brought forward by Jean-François Lyotard in 1979. It

is a major concept discussed in post modernity. Metanarratives are grand
theories that provide a worldview of explaining everything. They can be regarded
as guiding beliefs and consensus. They offer larger explanations of reality. It is
basically a theory which has a master key related to how everything works. It is a
way of determining the truth. Introducers of various metanarratives hold the idea
that everyone should believe in their theory as it is the only basis of truth. There is
no other possibility. According to John Stephens and Robyn McCallum, a
metanarrative refers to a narrative schema which explains knowledge and
experience. It is a story that explains smaller stories. There are several examples
of metanarratives. Some of them are explained below.

Scientific method is a metanarrative for experimentation in the field of sciences.

Such methods provide a general overview and direction of specialized techniques
on how to conduct experiments. Scientists agree on a shared procedure of
carrying out the experiments. These experiments are based on objectivity.

Similarly, religions are also seen as metanarratives. Followers of any particular

religion have this concept that they understand how everything happens in the
world because there is a Supreme Being who is in control. Everyone who belongs
to that religion will have the same view. Richard Middleton and Brian Walsh,
have allocated two chapters of their book, “Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be”,
to the question of how biblical faith, is considered to be a metanarrative. In the
Bible, we have a grand narrative that provides meaning to our lives. Jesus is God
who came in the human race to pay the penalty of human sins. Jesus will return
one day and guide his followers. In the meantime, it is the responsibility of the
followers of the religion to make people aware of this. Therefore, this is
something that tells individuals about their purpose in life. It gives them a sense
of direction.
Additionally, Lyotard states that Marxism is also a metanarrative because it is a
system which states that everything works on the basis of class structure.
Marxism also suggests that the uprising of the proletariat is the only way of
ending injustice in the world. There will come a time when the existing system of
capitalism will end. The ruling class (land owners) will be taken over by the
proletariat (who earn a living by selling their labour). The proletariat will continue
to be exploited by the bourgeoisie till this revolution does not take place. This is a
grand narrative.

Furthermore, many feminists hold a grand narrative that society has been
oppressive towards women throughout history. They believe that patriarchy is
responsible for the inequality in society. Similarly, the functionalist theory
proposed by Emile Durkhiem states society consists of interrelated parts which
are said to provide stability. The various institutions in society such as education,
media, and religion all exist and work together as a collective unit to establish
social order. This social order leads to the functioning of society without any
hindrance. Durkhiem also discusses the idea of collective conscience which refers
to shared beliefs, norms and values. According to postmodernists, this is also a
meta-narrative

The Death of Metanarratives

Lyotard argues that in the post modern era, the explanation of metanarratives as
the notion of one possible truth is open to question. Traditional belief system are
rejected as postmodernism unfolds. Individuals think subjectively and rationally.
Personal opinions, though processes direct human actions and behavior.
Individuals form their own versions of what they consider as valid. One can no
longer believe in an objective truth.

Metanarrative were only valid in the modern era. This is because post modernists
believe that truth is relative and subject to change. It depends on each and every
individual to decide what the truth is. Hence, the concept of one static truth that
is believed by all is not applicable. Contemporary world is characterized by
pluralism and fragmentation. Pluralism suggests that there many diverse views
held by individuals. There can be political pluralism which means that there are
different political systems that exist. Furthermore, religious pluralism also seeks
to explain the acceptance of various religions having equal validity.

Fragmentation states that many elements combine to form once general idea.
Hence, the concept of one fixed truth proposed by metanarratives is inaccurate
according to postmodernism. Fragmentation can be experienced everywhere
around us. It is mostly present in the mass media. There is a diverse and wide of
media channels available for individuals to choose from. This is known as the
‘cultural supermarket effect’ according to post modernism. All channels that we
see show their programs in way that are different from one another and at the
same time provide a great deal of entertainment to the viewers. Everyone has the
opportunity to interpret whatever they see in the media according to their own
thinking. Gitlin (1989), states that things no longer belong in a single context.

Views of Jean Francis Lyotard

Jean-François Lyotard works were mostly about post structuralism and post
modernism. How do we define knowledge or intellect in a postmodern society
equipped with new media, instantaneous communication technologies and
universal access to information? Who controls its transmission? How can scientific
knowledge be legitimated. These are the questions Lyotard asks in The
Postmodern Condition. He believes that the method of legitimation traditionally
used by science, is just a game of language according to philosophy references to
a metanarrative, which becomes redundant in a postmodern society. Instead, he
explores whether ambiguity or trickery may be the new path to legitimation.
Lyotard says that the important analysis for postmodern social system is that
nobody can choose what information is true and who comprehends what should
be chosen and decided in fact nobody knows what is actually right. Lyotard
believes scientific knowledge is characterized by the ability to provide proof
supporting a statement, and ability to refute opposing statements. The
combination of these two conditions do not prove a statement ‘true,’ but rather
as being likely to be true based on our understanding of reality. Basically post-
modernist says science is just another game of language with nothing to prove
the truth besides mathematical approaches which are rarely conceivable. Lyotard
says that to comprehend the nature of knowledge in modern times, one must be
able to understand how the society works. In this case, postmodern society it is
either a whole, or split in two. It is a very optimistic model that views society as a
globalized, unified whole, or a model based on many conflicts, where the needs of
the people and functions of the system are incompatible. Either way, society is a
machine, and knowledge is just a commodity to keep the system running. These
are things which according to lyotard prove that the meta narrative of
enlightenment has failed.

Criticism on Post-Modernism
 Postmodernism ,hence, represented a loss in faith in human reason.
 Postmodernism provides a bleak prognosis of the human condition and
offers no real solution.
 Postmodernists like Heidegger, Derrida and Lyotard attacked the modernist
belief in rationality, objectivity and universalism in favor of relativism (the
view that there is no objective truth) as well as identity.
 The criticism of postmodernism is that you can apply the concept of
postmodernism on postmodernism itself.
 For instance Plato’s criticized the concept of Lyotard’s postmodernist view
accordingly:
 If you are saying that there is no such reality as the truth than u r explaining
the truth itself. You are saying that there is no such thing as the truth but if
there is no such thing as the truth than that cannot be the truth that there
is no such thing as the truth.
 Postmodernism is not an ideal philosophy because than a person won’t
have any sense of direction and life will automatically become
 According to the postmodernist theory there is no end goal to it.

 Lyotard’s concept:
 Lyotard believed that science is not justifyable on non-scientific
assumptions.
 He rejected metanarratives that it has no logical impact.
 He gave the narration that society and knowledge is changing greatly.
 The views of Lyotard on science are merely improbable.
 He called out the fact of incredulity towards metanarratives but was unable
to define it in terms of sociopolitical direction.

 Opprobrium:

 He rejected metanarratives but in real if he is rejecting metanarratives than

this is also a metanarrative and it could not be accepted as well because it
is an implausible fact as well.
 He was unable to define his philosophical concept in terms of
epistemological matters and socio-political domain.
 He was unable to justify legitimately the incredulity towards metanarratives
and thus his way of justifying postmodernism concept failed and was a
drawback.
 In relation to it another article of focault and lyotard’s view attack modern
political ideologies.
 Their views are contradictory to the modernity because they consider it as
an attacking mechanism to justice and equality.
 Both writers are abolishing the epitome of modernity by persuading a new
political and socio-cultural ideology where freedom is charged with the real
meaning to it.
 But the concept of both the writers about the theory of knowledge, with
regards to its structure, system, potency and legality had a fine difference
between justified belief and viewpoint.

 Denouement:
 Postmodenists view the past as inchoate, rudimentary, incipient and
embryonic reality in contrast to history.
 They focus on the viewpoint that history is more of a fiction than based on
facts.
 Contradicting, this opinion the historians emphasize on the fact that they
try to reveal the submerged information into masses and it is factual in
some cases and fictional depending upon the historians themselves.
 But the only way to find the truth is history rather than the postmodernism
concept that is pre-posterous to human knowledge because it revolves
back to the fact that if what the postmodernists term as the falsified
argument then this itself is fictious and fabricated.
 Bibliography

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state-as-a-metanarrative/
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/qz.com/1388555/everyone-hates-
postmodernism-but-that-doesn t-make-it-false/amp/ Publisher name
Ephrat Livni Published in magazine September 16, 2018
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