School of thought

Postmodernism

Intellectual current

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Classification

Period
c. 1979 CE onward
Regions
europe
Domains
Epistemology , Philosophy of Language

Overview

Postmodernism is a contested umbrella for diverse critical, strategic, and rhetorical practices rather than a unified movement with one doctrine. Authors grouped under the term have challenged fixed identity, linear historical progress, epistemic certainty, and unified meaning, although their projects differ and some resisted the label. Lyotard defined the postmodern as "incredulity toward metanarratives," while Baudrillard developed a distinct account of simulacra and hyperreality.

Key ideas

  • Incredulity toward Metanarratives: Lyotard used this formulation for skepticism toward the large narratives that legitimate knowledge and institutions, including stories of progress and emancipation.
  • Simulacra and Hyperreality: Baudrillard: in consumer society, copies without originals (simulacra) replace reality. Disneyland, media, advertising — the simulation becomes more real than the real.
  • High and Popular Culture: In postmodern aesthetics, distinctions between high art and popular culture, original and copy, or depth and surface are often blurred or critically reworked.

Key figures

Jean-Francois Lyotard · Jean Baudrillard · Linda Hutcheon · Gianni Vattimo

Influenced by

References