Post-modernism Is Dead

Post-modernism is dead!  Or at least it is dying.  What is post-modernism?  Well, first, what is modernism?  Modernism was the philosophy that emerged from the Enlightenment, suggesting that humanity could discover truth through scientific and rational means. 

Post-modernism started ironically through a philosopher named Nietzsche. He was influenced by the prediction of a Christian writer named Dostoevsky in his book “The Possessed” concerning where especially Russian society was headed.  Unfortunately Nietzsche ran with this prediction. He later declared “God is dead” along with the suggestion that there was no such thing as truth that could be discovered. 

This happened in American society starting in the 1970’s as well.  It was as if the culmination of Modernism came in the 1960’s when young people believed that a new truth could be arrived at through social activism, through science, in some cases even through medications that became the drug culture.  But when that culture fell apart it was replaced by an apathy that just wanted affluence. 

That affluence was realized in the 1980’s in America and relativism fully flowered in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.  That is, it no longer mattered if there was such a thing as truth.  If it worked for folks then it was great.  Truth was simply relative to people’s perspectives. 

At that time if someone shared the Christian message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for instance, folks would respond, “Hey, if that works for you great!  It’s all how you look at it.  But that’s not for me.  Just keep it in your private life, don’t impose it on me.”

But starting in about 2015 moral relativism began to give way to a new moral revolution.  That’s because folks can’t live with ambiguity for very long.  We’re not wired that way.  Post-modernism and moral relativism gives humanity nowhere to stand.  (More next time…)