Q&A: Introduction to Postmodernism
Introduction to Postmodernism
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I recently finished your book “Two Wagons and a Hot-Air Balloon” about the confrontation between postmodernism and Judaism.
The book is excellent, and I personally enjoyed reading it מאוד much and learned a great deal from it. But I feel that something is missing for me.
As someone living in the postmodern era, I experience postmodernism in many different ways, and from there comes the contrast with Judaism (or with synthetic thinking in general, which a religious person is accustomed to), and also the motivation to make order out of things—which the book does very successfully. What is still missing for me, however (and in my view this is an issue that perhaps was not treated sufficiently in the book), is a deep understanding of postmodernism itself—something that leaves me unable to formulate this worldview clearly even for myself, and generally leaves all the associations connected to this concept in disarray.
My question is whether there is a book (or any other medium) through which one can learn in a systematic and detailed way about the philosophical and historical development of postmodernism, different methods and understandings within postmodernism, analysis of the positions of various postmodern thinkers, etc.?
Answer
There are quite a few such books, and by their very nature they spout nonsense exactly like the subject they describe. A lot of words without saying anything. There are no different approaches in postmodernism, because there is no such thing. It is a cultural phenomenon, not a philosophical one. If this interests you, there is a short lecture of mine here:
Discussion on Answer
I can’t recommend any, because I myself haven’t really read them. I started a few of them until I realized it was all nonsense. There is a book by David Gurvitz, and books and articles by Adi Ophir and others. Search online and you’ll find dozens like these. I only suggest that you watch the lecture I sent you, and try to test my claims as you read those works. It’s a recommended vaccination shot that gives you some directions for examining what you’re reading.
The point is that I don’t feel sufficiently confident in making a total rejection of postmodernism, precisely because I don’t understand it well enough. And I don’t think you can reject something like that before you know it thoroughly and have a real command of it.
Granted, even if it is a cultural phenomenon (which, by the way, is itself an analysis that requires knowledge of postmodernism in order to say it), it still has certain roots, and it has certainly had quite a significant impact on the thought and intellectual character of many people.
I assume (mainly intuitively) that in the end postmodernism has a single root, and that the differences are semantic or stem from mistakes in analyzing concepts, but I don’t know that, and I’m not able to argue convincingly (even to myself) against it. Most likely, in the end, books like these do not say very much, but still I think that after reading them I’ll be wiser about this whole topic.
The only text I found in this context is the first part of the book “Religion Without Illusion.” I’d be glad if you could shed some light for me and direct me to additional books.