The Intellectual Origins of Postmodernism

Abstract

Postmodernism is today one of the most powerful intellectual and social forces in Western society. Within postmodernist canon there is, however, considerable division. Jacques Derrida and his intellectual heirs among “deconstructionists” believe that texts can be reinterpreted to give voice to the excluded; a view that Michel Foucault viewed with disdain, arguing instead that knowledge comes from the “discourses” of various social groups. Given these fundamental divisions, what gives postmodernism both an internal unity and intellectual strength is the long traditions of critical thought that it draws upon. Some of these relate to the nature of knowledge. Others traditions of thought – most notably those associated with Friedrich Nietzsche – give a primacy to spirit, consciousness, and individual will over matters relating to material progress. Postmodernism also draws on a deep suspicion of the process of mechanization and industrialization that was heralded by the Industrial Revolution. The purpose of this introductory chapter, therefore, is one of tracing the diverse strands of thought that gave rise to postmodernism; an analysis that necessitates an estimation of the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the intellectual traditions that inform postmodernism.