Postmodernism (Derrida, Foucault, Rorty)

The article is aimed at introducing the fundamentals of the postmodernism as an idea from
the theories of Michel Foucault, Richard Rorty and Jacques Derrida. The idea discusses
individual philosophical and sociological aspects in the second half of the twentieth century.
It will also explain the influence of Postmodernism on modern theoretical discussion, literary
criticism and social issues.
Postmodernism will be present within the radical views of Foucault, Derrida and Rorty as
an ideal, descriptive interpretation and thinking methods regarding oneself, society and
history.
The Postmodernism theory generated on the grounds of philosophical concept of eminent
thinkers Michel Foucault, Richard Rorty and Jacques Derrida. According to Postmodernism
concept, the world is the text and the unique possible model of it is text-reality.
Since the beginning of the second half of twentieth century, the developing countries have
experienced the transition from modernism to Postmodernism. In the modern times
Postmodernism is manifested in the spheres of politics, philosophy and culture, moreover, all
borders are taken centrally by Postmodernism. For the Postmodernism concept, the essence of
existence and substances do not come to end, everything is comprehended without importance
of its depth and subtleties. Modernism has replaced the old vision with the new concept,
however, for Postmodernism, pointing out this innovation is simple and clear.
Foucault’s work has been extremely influential in all fields of contemporary criticism,
inspiring not only the "new historicism," but also innovative research in the areas of the
family, sexuality, social regulation, education, prisons, law, and the state1.
Within the cycle of historical studies such as the human sciences, prisons and punishment,
and ethics Foucalt specifies the nature of social theory, therefore he put the questions
regarding predictions about enlightenment, marxism, rationality, subjectivity, power, truth,
history, and an intellectual’s political role in the society. Foucalt accepted the nominalist
standpoint, thus, he softened mental concentration as a reason, trust or rights within the
plurality of specific socio-historical structures.
Foucalt confronted traditional margins among the philosophy, psychology, and socio-
political theory, also conservative ways to these disciplines. The point is that for the Foucalt's
view he attempted to initiate the modernistic approaches to intellectual and political trails,
therefore, he leaves the concepts of liberalism and Marxism and pursues a new type of critical
theory or political hypothesis.
By way of the theory construction, the meanings of truth and power generated from the
sphere of human sciences and existing composition of individuals. Furthermore, Foucault
altered the historical science to a political view of modernity and different patterns of power
and to a certain extent it named the "objectification" form. The essential project of Foucault is
that he endeavours to create a history of the various modes by Western culture.

Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations, co-authored with Steven Best. London and New York: Macmillan and
1

Guilford Press, 1991.

Firstly, Foucault had targeted to determine the movement of domains of contemporary
knowledge and practice and how it constrain human action. On the other hand, he attempts to
define that how the alternative models of modern practice and knowledge transformed the
human freedom and its service.
Foucault disagrees the statements that there is not any grounds for explanatory social reality
or universal normative statements which are not socially acclimatised or locally bound,
however, he endeavours to indicate that all moral values, thoughts and real claims possess the
relations controversial construction which surrounded by its origin.
According to Postmodernists, a universal nature of man and a universal self-perception
there are; individuals' thoughts, emotions, their outward expression, the way of expression, It
is cultural due to the fact information and values, shared paradigm and culture from culture
varies. As Rorty stipulates, a universal criterion for describing self which goes further, the
ethnicity, the class, the self-realization, self-perception, past national background, personality
of religious beliefs2. However, this determination influences the creation or creation of the
individual by a person with a deterministic way3.
There seems to be no doubt that culture and personality formation of self-awareness which
is impossible to deny that the influence of paradigms and personality is a building process.
Despite the fact that you will not be able to put forward some universal proposals about
human beings which mean to deny both educational science and all other social sciences.
Excessive emphasis and differentiation of postmodernists to diversity, generalizations,
excitement, anger, worship, hunger, thirst, learning, mating, seeking confidence, producing
knowledge and arts universally ignore behaviours observed in all human cultures has led them
to distort the paradigms of difference
Rorty denies that the theorist can definitively criticize, argue, evaluate, or even
"deconstruct," since there is no fulcrum from which to push one claim as "right," "correct," or
"better" than another. The theorist is replaced by the ironist, one who is aware of the
ineliminable contingency of selfhood and discourse4.
As I understand that the fundamental view of Derrida may be expressed by the
comprehensible way. Some of Western philosophers and thinkers have confused in their claim
regarding becoming existence. Furthermore, the point is that understanding of presence is the
notion along the substance lines, identity, essence, clear and distinct ideas and so on.
Jacques Derrida has tried to solve the problem of both criticizing modernist science
understanding and creating a postmodern social knowledge by making a kind of hermeneutic
work in the field of information about people and people. According to Derrida, the purpose
of science is rightly represented and the scientific propositions are the means of this right
representation.

2
Rotry, R.. Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberalism, Hermeneutics and Praxis. Indiana: Univerisity of Notre Dame
Pres, 1991.
3
Rosenau. P.Post-modernism and the social sciences. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991
4
The Postmodern turn in philosophy: theorethical provocations and normative deficits By Steven Best and Douglas
Kellner. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/kellner.html
The role of J. Derrida in the establishment of the postmodern point of view is enormous
when criticism against modernism is gaining great momentum.
Likewise, the perversion that Derrida experienced as an action or strategy, focuses on the
marginalities that the text excludes, it reverses the hierarchies by reversing the antagonisms.
Another narrative, deconstruction, the idea of the centre based on Western thought, and thus
the excluded or hidden is a reading strategy for discovering differences. However, reading has
made no "socio-institutional", as Derrida calls it which does not exclude. Because Derrida
opposed any central idea, it is also possible to make any identity privileged as a logical result.
Indeed, the deconstruction strategy, not only discourse, philosophical expressions or concepts.
In this context Derrida, the concept of différance, which means that the meaning is not single
and final but multiple, does not recognize any privileged identity and gives the current
identity to different identities readable as a principle.
As a consequence, Postmodernism briefly refers to the overall uncertainty, the discussions
on that are not over yet which is the same within political Postmodernism. Ethnicity in
backward or third world countries is perceived as disintegration process; advanced or
industrialized countries it is observed that they are going towards unification such as EU
which are the member state based domain as well. EU experience is that the member states
reveals the effort to protect their identities. Finally, Postmodernism is a life issue and that
supports the idea of ending such situations.

Bibliography
1. Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations, co-authored with Steven Best. London and New
York: Macmillan and Guilford Press, 1991.
2. Rosenau. Post-modernism and the social sciences. Princeton: Princeton University Press,
1991.
3.Rotry, R.Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberalism, Hermeneutics and Praxis. Indiana:
Univerisity of Notre Dame Pres.Rosenau, P, 1991.
4.The Postmodern turn in philosophy: theorethical provocations and normative deficits By
Steven Best and Douglas Kellner. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/kellner.html