Week 5

Question 1

modernity vs postmodernity

Answer 1

Modernity (1650 to 1950) involved industrialisation, capitalism, urbanization, nation state building, and a belief in progress through science. Postmodernity (1950 to today) is global, media saturated and hyperreal, consumerist, culturally diverse, skeptical and uncertain about politics, science and the truth.

Question 2

Epistemological insecurity

Answer 2

science is just an opinion

Question 3

New age

Answer 3

different new version of religion

Question 4

Bricolage

Answer 4

a concept borrowed from the field of anthropology, and in the context of postmodernism, it means the act of creating or constructing something from a diverse range of existing materials, ideas, or fragments. In postmodernism, bricolage emphasizes the importance of using a mix of different, often contradictory sources and perspectives to construct meaning and knowledge.

–> it is not one thing but a mix of traditions creating your version of reality/religion

Question 5

4 punten van postmodern politics, science/religion

Answer 5

1. ‘Imagination’ over ‘truth’ (Canovan, 1999) – you value imagination more than truth. –> Postmodernism questions the existence of absolute, universal truths, arguing that truth is often influenced by cultural, historical, and individual perspectives.
2. ‘Redemption’ over ‘pragmatism’ (Canovan,1999) Redemption may be pursued through self-discovery, personal growth, or social change. In postmodernism, pragmatism is often critiqued for its potential to suppress alternative narratives and cultural diversity by promoting a one-size-fits-all approach.
3. ‘Experience’ over ‘authority’ (Campbell,2006) Postmodernism values individual and collective experiences as sources of knowledge and meaning. Traditional sources of authority, such as experts, institutions, and established hierarchies, have been criticized within postmodern thought.
4. ‘Bricolage’ over ‘grand narrative’ (Campbell,2006) –> In postmodernism, bricolage emphasizes the importance of using a mix of different, often contradictory sources and perspectives to construct meaning and knowledge.

Question 6

Epistemische autoriteit

Answer 6

Epistemische autoriteit verwijst naar wie de macht en het recht heeft om te bepalen wat als kennis geldt in de maatschappij. In de moderne samenleving worden wetenschappers vaak als dé autoriteiten beschouwd op het gebied van kennis en waarheid.