Characteristics of Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a theoretical paradigm and social thinking that arose and became popular in the Western world. It has subverted the traditional order of values and discourse in the West, and has led to a new theoretical thinking and cultural world. As a theory and social and cultural trend, postmodernism not only appears in architecture, literature, music, painting and other literary and artistic fields, but also influences the philosophical concepts, thinking contexts and the change of social value orientation. With the introduction of cultural exchanges into China, it has also become an important topic in Chinese academic and social thinking. Postmodernism permeates and exerts an important influence on various disciplines, and its impact on social values is also inevitable and obvious. The value of postmodernism is the core of the whole postmodern trend of thought, and should also be the issue that must be clearly studied and grasped in the construction of the core value system and the popularization of theories in contemporary China.

I. The theoretical paradigm and characteristics of postmodernism

Postmodernism is difficult to generalize because of its all-encompassing content and complexity, so much so that some scholars have said that it is impossible for us to say what "postmodern" is. Heidegger therefore says that "postmodern" is not "what". Postmodernism does not have a clear theoretical program, but we can from its diverse and mixed ideas and viewpoints, to sort out the relative **** have theoretical characteristics.

1. "Deconstruction": Negation of the traditional concept of "universal foundation"

The "deconstruction" of "universal foundation" is the most common feature of almost all postmodernism. The "deconstruction" of "universal foundations" is the same theme of almost all postmodernists. Foundationalism is a traditional Western mode of thinking that establishes that there is some kind of objective essential foundation in the world upon which human reason can ultimately be based. In the postmodernist view, there are no universal truths that reflect the nature of the world. Rorty says, "There is no eternal, neutral, transhistorical framework that guides us." [The logic of its deconstruction is that the "reality" to which all theories refer is established only in language and text. Derrida says that "the text is everything, and there is nothing else outside the text". Any theory or value is the meaning of "intersubjectivity" or "context". Postmodernism reverses the traditional theory of reflection and believes that any understanding is an activity of the human mind. Rorty said that the mind is like a "magic mirror, full of superstitions and deceptions", and that true philosophy must be "mirrorless philosophy", in which the truth is not "discovered" but "invented" in human thought and text. Truth is not "discovered", but "invented" in the minds and texts of men. It should be clear that the absence of an eternal foundation or universal conceptual premise does not mean that there is no objective basis for relative universality. People's knowledge of the world is not the absolute truth, but the relative cognition exists, the meaning of the world can be constructed by the universal subject of the value of **** knowledge, so the relative universal value or **** the same value also exists.

2. "Fragmentation": deconstructing ontology and theoretical systems

Postmodernism emphasizes pluralism, individualization, and "fragmentation", and thus opposes systematic theory. Anti-universal basis, in the logic of theory is bound to deconstruct the ontology. The deconstruction of ontology and theory system means that the phenomenon is more important than the essence, and the edge is more important than the center. It criticizes all attempts to establish an overall understanding and theoretical system, emphasizes differences, plurality, fragmentation, and heterogeneous division, and rejects the concepts of reason, *** knowledge, totality, and system. It is believed that what people grasp is only a "fragment" of the phenomenon of things, and the essence of things is "ineffable". Rorty points out that people no longer believe in essentialist capitalist philosophy. The emphasis on the complex study of phenomena, on divergent thinking over solipsism, and on realization through "intertextual" interpretation, all of these ideas have some validity. However, the anti-ontology and anti-foundational theory premise tends to make the meaning of the theoretical discourse trapped in uncertainty, and fall into the relativism of knowledge and value.

3. "Decentering": Toward Pluralism and Uncertainty

Postmodernism emphasizes the diversity and fragmentation of the world, and believes that the "center" and authority are the products of traditional rationality. While the search for a universal unity that removes differences and seeks commonalities has existed throughout the history of Western thought, the postmodern theoretical paradigm has seen the end of the "first principles" philosophy of eternal questions or universal foundations. Rorty thus emphasizes the need to reject the old notion of reducing everything to some universal essence and to move towards a postmodern philosophy. Foucault, in The Spirit of the Postmoderns, proposed a rejection of the unconditional acceptance of the centralized norms of traditional external authority. Postmodernism abandons the emphasis on central authority, homogeneity, and certainty, and pursues plurality, difference, and uncertainty. It advocates a natural and tolerant view of various value standards and theoretical debates, and no value standard who can have a central position. This theory denies the absolute idea, a priori setting, ultimate value, emphasizes towards specific history, and promotes individuality and subjective thinking, which has positive significance in emancipating the mind and emphasizing the equality of all people. However, the pursuit of plurality, freedom of individuality and uncertainty, and the thought of opposing the existence of the central authority will also lead to value relativism, extreme individualism and even anarchism.

4. "Flatness": the dissolution of meaning and depth mode

One of the characteristics of postmodern culture is "flatness or lack of depth". "Depth mode" is a mode of thinking that recognizes the existence of essence and meaning behind the phenomenon of things. Postmodernism believes that the so-called essence can not be recognized, the so-called value and meaning is only people's subjective construction and text interpretation, there is no objective universal essence and universal value. As a result, the depth of meaning of traditional truth, goodness and beauty has been dissolved in postmodern culture. In the theory of "flatness" that dissolves depth, postmodernism no longer provides the profound meaning found in traditional classics, and is even more opposed to the worship of and trust in traditional values and meanings. Associated with decentering and de-essentialization, "depth of dissolution" advocates a move from the essential to the phenomenal, from universal truths to "intertextual" individual experiences. Derrida simply says, "Abandon all depth, appearance is everything". Derrida simply said, "Abandon all depth, appearance is everything." [②]. Postmodernists have also deconstructed human depth. The elimination of human depth leads to the banishment of humanism and the pursuit of materialism.

In short, both deconstruction and reconstruction characterize postmodernism, which is divided into "positive" and "negative". Positive postmodernists are also constructing when they revalue traditional values, and there are many positive ideas such as the construction of the concept of responsibility based on "intersubjectivity". However, in postmodern culture, the sense of history, the meaning of value, and the reflection of universal essence are fundamentally deconstructed. Dissolving the sense of history and leveling the depth of meaning essentially eliminates the spiritual character of culture. Jameson analyzes that postmodernism "has also seen a new sense of flatness, a sense of depthlessness, in theory. ...... Old-time philosophy believed in meaning, in referent, that there was 'truth,' and contemporary theory no longer believe in any truth." . [iii] Postmodernism, especially the negative postmoderns, deconstructs the universal foundations, deconstructs the belief in knowledge, values, and also deconstructs away the relative *** knowledge standards and relative certainty of the values of human society.