Against Postmodernism

Jim heartfield Jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk
Mon May 25 04:36:13 PDT 1998


In message <2.2.32.19980525033711.00b84b94 at ariel.macarthur.uws.edu.au>, Trond Andresen <t.andresen at uws.edu.au> writes
>>>Doug, what examples can you point to of non-vulgar antipostmodernism?

John Gillott and Manjit Kumar, Science and the Retreat from Reason, Monthly Review Press, 1998;

First publication in the US press of this defence of scientific method against pomo sceptics

Georg Lukacs, Destruction of Reason, Merlin, 1980;

Lukacs' anticipation of pomo in the critique of German irrationalist philosophy from Nietzche to Heidegger

Frank Furedi, Mythical Past Elusive Future, Pluto, 1992;

Furedi's explication of the common thinking between Allan Bloom and his critics

Istvan Meszaros, Power of Ideology, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1989;

Introductory essay on Lyotard and Habermas 'abstract universal and abstract particular' is a masterpiece

Peter Dews, Logics of Disintegration: Post-structuralist thought and the claims of critical theory, Verso 1987; Peter Dews, Limits of Disenchantment, Verso 1995;

Brilliant critique from an insider who knows his Derrida inside-out

Christopher Norris, Uncritical Theory: Postmodernism, Intellectuals and the Gulf War, Lawreence and Wishart, 1992; Christopher Norris, Reclaiming Truth: Contribution to a critique of Cultural Relativism, Lawrence and Wishart, 1996;

The man who introduced Derrida to England recoiled when Baudrillard described the impneding Gulf War as a media constrution, and wrote these sharp critiques

Renault, Alain, and Ferry, Luc, Heidegger and Modernity, U of Chicago Press;

Witty explication of the radical turn towards the Nazi philosopher Heidegger in disappointment at the failed reputation of Marx

Paul Mattick Jr, Social Knowledge, Hutchison, 1988;

The younger Mattick's PhD on relativistic anthropolgy (Winch, Geertz) anticipates th main strands of post-modernism, though usefully, he is critiquing the anglo-American thought that will become 'post-analytic philosophy' in the hands of West, Rajchman and Rorty.

Also, my own writing on the subject:

'Marxism and Social construction', in Suke Wolton, Marxism, Mysticism and Modern Theory, Macmillan, 1996; 'Limits of Social Construction theory', Confrontation, Junius, 1996; 'The Heidegger Affair', Living Marxism 42 http://www.informinc.co.uk/LM/LM42/LM42_Books.html; 'Post Modern, Ante-enlightenment', Living Marxism, June 1990; 'Staring into the post-modern abyss', Living Marxism, September 1990; 'Vive la differance?', Living Marxism, March 1991; 'From relativism to reaction', Living Marxism, April 1991; 'The Battle of the books', Living Marxism, June 1991;

Finally, can I recommend the passages in Lenin's 'What is to Be Done?' on 'Freedom of Criticism' and 'The Swamp', as a near perfect anticipation of the arguments of pomo. -- Jim heartfield



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