Jean-François Lyotard: A Unique Postmodern Theorist

Author: Qin Xiqing (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: Lyotard's postmodern theory expresses the hesitation and despair of Western intellectuals. Facing the challenges of social reality to theory, they no longer trust the power of active critique but seek to find possibilities for breaking free from the constraints of capital within (negative) and passive deconstructive thinking. Although postmodernism initiates a rethinking of the modern tradition constituted by reason and enlightenment, and reconsiders the direction of human civilization's development, it attempts to exclude comprehensive social ideals by arguing the illusory nature of totality and maintaining the ambiguity of "language," reflecting from one side the intellectual dilemmas of the developed capitalist period.