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Principled Positions is a new collection of essays taking us back to the question of value, which has often been derided by postmodern theorists. It aims to retain the insights of postmodern theory, but to recover modernism's sense of value. Postmodernism has often been celebrated as liberating, even democratising, in its refusal to acknowledge the dictates of hierarchy and certainty. In cultural terms this has allowed outmoded canons of taste and conservative categories of high and low culture to be challenged and abolished; but it has also banished the vocabulary of evaluation, distinction and merit. In the postmodern cultural continuum, there is no such thing as good (or bad) art or politics. The deconstruction of all 'principled positions' creates a value vacuum which, in turn, leads to a state of ethical and political paralysis. The contributors to Principled Positions ponder these dilemmas and try to build bridges between the modernist absolutes of truth, value and justice and the anti-totalising spirit of postmodernism.
This collection of essays interrogates the concept of value, a notion often dismissed by postmodern theory, seeking to reconcile postmodern insights with modernism's emphasis on evaluation. The book addresses the liberation and democratization offered by postmodernism's rejection of hierarchy and certainty, which has challenged traditional canons and categories of culture. However, this also results in the loss of a vocabulary for evaluation, distinction, and merit, leading to a state where 'good' or 'bad' art and politics cease to exist. The contributors explore this value vacuum and the resulting ethical and political paralysis, aiming to construct a connection between modernist ideals of truth, value, and justice and the anti-totalizing spirit of postmodernism.
The collection engages with the complex philosophical landscape where postmodernism's deconstruction of value is critically examined. Contributors aim to navigate the tension between postmodern skepticism and the modernist pursuit of objective truth and justice. The essays collectively seek to re-establish a framework for evaluation in cultural and political discourse. This work is positioned as a significant contribution to ongoing debates in critical theory and philosophy.
Page Count:
211
Publication Date:
1993-01-01
ISBN-10:
0853157804
ISBN-13:
9780853157809
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