Postmodernism Introduction: Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

First, like Existentialism, "Postmodernism" does not refer to a single philosophy or dogma; it is more a general set of questions or perspectives or related ideas.

Second, for many Nietzsche begins the philosophical movement we now call "Postmodern", and he does so in three movements:

a) God is dead.  "Where is God?" asks Nietzsche in The Gay Science (1882).  "We have killed him -- you and I! We are all his murderers" (Norton 1397).  By this he simply means that Enlightenment, scientific rationality has both transcended ancient and medieval faith as a means of understanding the world, and rationality has taken the place of religion as a means of building societies (as in the secular, constitutional democratic republics like the USA etc.).

This frees and condemns us to think of new means of predicating morality (note the strong influence of this on Existentialism).

b) However, the pursuit of scientific truth will not necessarily lead to happiness (in the traditional, Greek sense of the word: Eudaimonia, or in the constitutional, Jeffersonian sense: true happiness and well being).  There is no rational reason for simply believing that rationality will improve our lives -- it may help develop technology, but why assume technology will actually make us happier? Writing on the heals of Darwin, his larger point is likely that science reveals a world of natural laws and essentially a-moral chaos;  assuming that they are factually on the mark, it is still folly to assume that Newtonian physics or Darwinian theory will lead us toward a better world.  (Note: Nietzsche argues that instinct and a "will to life", not reason, will lead to human "happiness";  we're less interested in that, though, and mainly interested in the fact that he turns philosophy away from the Enlightenment assumption that reason will lead to morality, happiness and "good").

c) We mediate our perception of the world and existence itself, including our own, via language/symbols, and therefore we do not purely perceive objective reality (in the Lockean sense of sensation and reflection forming accurate knowledge) .  See link below for more on this.

In short, Nietzsche begins moving philosophy away from the basic "modern" assumptions of the Enlightenment (scientific, rational thinking will lead both toward truth and "happiness").  Allllll the basic assumptions of the Enlightenment, and in so doing he essentially undermines all basic the assumptions all humans have ever had. 

And of course, ironically, his philosophy is the result of Enlightenment philosophy.

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