Postmodernism, when done well, is about undermining illegitimate epistemology. Using the extreme of a technique as the centre is like saying all evolution proponents are Eugenics supporters (one of the many illegitimate scientific ideologies Postmodern critique helped undermine)
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eg, how do they argue that the eradication of many diseases, vastly improved life expectancy, reduced infant mortality, vastly increased rights for women & ethnic & sexual minorities is the dominance of an ideology rather than legitimate progress. What would progress look like?
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These first 3 aren't the things that get critiqued. The critique would sit at the junction where these improvements are not spread evenly due to structural prejudices. That form of critique is actually partly responsible for the second lot of progress examples.
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They are things which are posited as 'progress' tho and undermining science probably won't help that. Also, no, The Civil Rights Movement, Gay Pride & 2nd Wave Liberal Feminism happened before postmodernism & were driven by universal liberalism which PoMo rejects.
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I actually have to go and work but you're making a lot of the same defences of PoMo as a piece I recently edited for Areo. I also responded to it in Areo:https://areomagazine.com/2018/04/28/skepticism-is-necessary-in-our-post-truth-age-postmodernism-is-not/ …
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No worries. Thanks for directing me to the article, I'll take a read and get back to you. I'm not adverse to thoughtful discussion on the topic. My issue lies with the current characterisations of Po Mo which are resulting in hyperbole and misunderstandings about the ideas.
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Thanks. Yes, mine too. I will soon writing something to address the 'postmodernism is neo-Marxism' nonsense. There are valid & invalid, informed & uninformed criticisms of postmodernism as a set of skeptical approaches to grand narratives. I ultimately think there are better ones
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Hehe, yeah I got involved in one of those conversations the other day, the idea makes no sense when the ideas are actually considered. For sure! I'm not actually a postmodernist. But I study atheists and I've seen a fall towards very uninformed arguments about Po Mo recently.
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Well, I am one who is trying to fix this. I have already written three long essays about it, taken part in some talks and debates and have just begun a book on the topic so if anyone remains uninformed, it will not be through my lack of effort.
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