What Is Post Modernism?

Accounting Theory

Lyotardian Post Modernism

Jean-Francois Lyotard's "What is Post Modernism?" begins like a Homeric, epic poem -- in medias res. The piece commences with descriptions of the times in which Lyotard lives, works, and the times on which he reflects and bases his assertions. Lyotard projects the reader into his critical, philosophical, and artistic context with descriptions of the practices and attitudes within the thinking and creative communities. He expresses exasperation and a rejuvenation to critical perspective. Enter post modernism and Habermas.

Lyotard's aim is to locate and interpret changes in perception and experience as described by Habermas regarding aesthetics, experience, quantifiable reality, and the value of reality. Specifically, what concerns Lyotard is Habermas' contention that the unity of the sociocultural experience of life wherein various elements of thought and life integrate organically as a whole. This unity would bridge gaps among cognitive, ethical, and political discourses and this unity would come to pass because of the arts and our experiences of them. Lyotard seeks to understand and command this unity with examination and application of post modernism.

The article proceeds with analysis of realism. Lyotard describes the definition of reality in relation to the reality questioned and/or implied in art. He claims that realism's definition intentionally avoids artistic reality. He furthermore claims that realism is somewhere "between academicism and kitsch." That phrase implies a performative or constructivist aspect to reality. It has been written and prepared like an academic proposal or lecture; or it is campy and thus performative and not indicatively real. For Lyotard, realism serves as part of a political apparatus whose aim is to destroy the inquisitive and experimental nature of the artistic process and subsequently art. He aligns such a political agenda with academia, an institution he claims systematically overnames and overcategorizes thus restraining beauty and more over, art in general. Lyotard perceives the excessive adaptation and attachment to realism as part of a capitalist, consumer market agenda. Realism makes easily the process of commodification of everything. Consider reality-based television programming. Though Lyotard has not expressively or directly articulated post modernist ideas or theories, he is in the subtext of his writing. He talks of the modernist and realist affects upon the conditions of existence so as to set up and contextual his more directly post modern ideas later.

Approximately halfway into the piece, Lyotard shifts his focus more narrowly to the arts, though he brings readers into this topic with discussion of science, technology, and mechanical industry. He begins in such a way so as to present the argument that with time, the boundaries among these categories dissipate primarily due to technology. His greatest point is that while science, technology, and industry do impact and change life significantly, when the mechanical, industrial, scientific, and technological enter realms traditionally held for art and producers of art, the consequences are far more powerful and severe because of the power of art over or in human perception and constitution of reality. This is part of, and perhaps the beginning of the post modern condition.