Pre-class 9/26 blog Renee Sang Lyotard

Theorist Jean-François Lyotard states in Answering the Question What is Postmodernism? that "Modernity, in whatever age it appears, cannot exist without a shattering belief and without discovery of the 'lack of reality' of reality, together with the invention of other realities" (p. 43).

This quote was a particularly interesting and in some ways enlightening to the postmodern discussion we have focused on over the last few weeks. I think Lyotard is stating matter-of-factly that modernity exists and comes to life in an era when there is a shift in human thought. Particularly, this human thought is changing in relation to views on reality and what is real.

I think he is also stating that modernity comes to light when something changes that shakes the world view and way in which humans perceive and understand the world is completely challenged. A simple change in though can lead to larger changes in structure, politics, culture, value, tradition, etc. in a ripple effect. Humans are constantly finding ways to make sense of the world they live in. A shattering or shift in this process or a crack in the foundation of one of these methods has the potential to largely question their grasp on reality. These can often be followed by radical movements or attitudes toward the world.

This quote was a sort of point for me to latch onto and help me better classify and understanding modernity. I can agree with Lyotard on this statement and better visualize it and connect it historical occurrences in my mind (e.g. The Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, Digital Age, etc.). I think these attempts to evolve and become the most current, upstanding, and 'real' are ideas that classify the term modernity. Understanding reality and trying to become the best/most real version of culture is a limitless objective. However, as a society and civilization we can not help but do it, and when we realize one attempt fails and has its flaws, we move to another. This may take the form of a gradually occurring shift towards a 'perfect' or idealized goal or come in the form of a drastic turn away from an idea and exploring or re-xploring another alley.


On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work.
Renee Sang