Postmodern intellectuals believe they have seen through the arrogant or naive efforts of earlier generations of intellectuals. Now we see the folly of foundationalism, now we see that all knowledge is intertwined with regimes of power-knowledge, now we know that all thought arises from knotty aporias. We see that their meta-narratives of scientific progress were illusions, if not unConstitutional.
As Featherstone says, “the focus on the apparent naivete of the intellectuals of yesteryear, with their universalistic schemes, bring in a back doo sense of our own progress in knowledge over theirs with which to castigate their own false belief in progress.” And totalization is condemned from the perspective of a (totalizing) claim that contemporary culture is postmodern.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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