Modernism’s predecessor

Enlightenment thinking was based on the belief that there was a rational, scientific explanation for
everything that existed, in a universe that had been created by a divine being called God. In other words,
there were certain absolute truths, a reliable language with which to express them and a secure set of
rules for an ordered life.

Of course, faith and science did not always coexist in harmony and there were disputes and tensions,
but there was an overall sense of order and confidence and a certainty about the meaning of life.
Humankind had an existence and a purpose, both of which could be explained.

A breakdown of certainty

As the twentieth century started, however, that sense of certainty began to disappear, as the values and
norms that had shaped the Western world for so long began to be challenged:

Religious certainty began to diminish and the consensus of faith began to break down after the horrors
of the Great War (1914-18)

Class divisions, extreme poverty and social unrest led to increased political activism and (in Russia) to
bloody revolution in 1917

Economic collapse in Europe and the United States during the mid-1920s and early 1930s increased the
gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’.

The respect for authority and the established methods of dealing with things disappeared to be replaced
by the assumption that there had to be a new and better way.

The Modernist perspective

The concept of Modernism challenged previous assumptions against exposure to modern, urban,
industrialised life. Whilst a belief in scientific rationalism was retained, many Modernists felt religion
held back understanding, whilst realism was an inadequate way to make sense of the world.

The carnage of the First World war and the exposure of corrupt imperial leadership (as in Germany and
Russia) shattered the idea that there was a coherent way of apprehending the world and paved the way
for all sorts of experiments in the arts:

 Modernist buildings did not seek to replicate the architecture of the past – the art deco style
tried to create sleek exteriors and interiors which utilised ‘industrial’ materials

 Modern novels dispensed with the omniscient narrator and explored stream of consciousness
styles and unreliable narrative viewpoint

 Modern paintings shattered established notions of perspective and beauty. Abstract art
abandoned accurate representations of objects either slightly, partially or completely. It is
associated with movements such as cubism, expressionism, surrealism, expressionism and
futurism.

 Modern music broke with traditional expectations of harmony.

There was a greater consciousness of the individual within the group, who was expected to question
previously unchallenged assumptions as they tried to establish meaning for their lives. The focus in
modernity was ‘newness’ and a belief in the possibility of progress.

Challenges to scientific rationalism

However, as the twentieth century developed, the scientific bias of Modernism itself was challenged.
Many of the new rulers who had overthrown dynastic empires were no better:

 The rise of nationalism in Germany led to the barbarism, mass murder and genocide during
Hitler’s brief rule in Europe during the Second World War (1939-45)

 Disillusionment grew within – and with - the Soviet Union after Stalin had turned Russia into a
totalitarian tyranny

 The outwardly prosperous and affluent societies of Western Europe and the USA in the 1950s
and 60s actually masked the spread of spiritual emptiness.

Eschewing the sense of social consensus resulted in a greater fracturing of society. Racial and ethnic
tensions, together with struggles for sexual and gender equality, caused at best social unrest and at
worst war, famine or genocide in many parts of the world.

Meanwhile, rapid advances in science and technology, together with the development of cinema,
television, computer technology and mass communication systems, did not equate to social ‘progress’.

Post-Modernism

In the last quarter of the twentieth century political, sexual, social and artistic ideologies began to be
questioned, particularly the Modernism faith in the benefits of scientific progress and mass culture. This
led to a series of shifts in Western philosophical thinking that came to be defined as Post-Modernism.

The key ideas in Post-Modernist thinking are:

 The only ‘truth’ is what you feel and experience, rather than any set of external ‘truth
statements’

 There is no ‘big story’ (also called a Meta-Narrative) that explains existence or gives it a purpose

 The competing claims of different belief systems, if affirmed, are not accorded the status of
absolute truth – they are only ‘true’ for the person who believes them

 Therefore, there is nothing outside of human life that provides a set of values by which to live,
no set of rules for living, no framework of ‘good’ or ‘bad’

 We live in a world of images created by ourselves and those images do not provide any external
explanation of what life is all about – they may well be dislocated from any context in ‘reality’

 The world is a place in which humans are largely engaged in the business of exercising power
over one another

 The world is a violent place concerned with oppression and preservation of the self.
Individualism

Post-Modernism is, in essence, an individualist philosophy. Individualists encourage the exercise of an

individual's goals and desires and therefore value independence and self-reliance. They also argue that
the interests of the individual are more important than those of the state or of any social group. They
therefore oppose external nterference by society or the government on the interests of the individual.

Post-Modernism has tended to be associated with unconventional artistic lifestyles where the emphasis
is on self-creation and experimentation, as opposed to tradition or popular mass opinions and
behaviour. It is also linked to a secular, humanist (as opposed to a faith-based) outlook on life.

The impact of Post-Modernism and individualism

During the last quarter of the twentieth century, Post-Modernist and individualist thinking had a
profound impact on people who often had never heard of the terms or, if they had, could not define
them. There was a growing reluctance to make a commitment to organisations and movements which
might get in the way of the priorities of the individual:

 Membership of mainstream political parties fell sharply

o At the same time, the number of uncommitted voters, whose allegiance fluctuated from
one election to another according to their individual preferences, grew.

 Mainstream religious observance declined

o For people of faith, allegiance to traditional Christian denominations became looser, as

believers sought out groups who provided a best fit with their own individual beliefs

o Others favoured exploring their own interpretation of ‘spirituality’ as opposed to

accepting the truth claims of orthodox religion.