Considering Postmodernism (02:53)

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Postmodernism has two sides—the aesthetic and cultural, and the philosophical and sociopolitical. Modernist art denotes a particular style and time period in history. Characteristics of postmodernist art are specific to the area.

Postmodernist Aesthetics (04:55)

Postmodernism is concerned with surface and irony. Postmodernist architecture is a pastiche of different styles compared to modernist functionalist style. Cultural and artistic components of the postmodern era are dominated by signification and simulation, and provide a radical commentary on knowledge, perception, and reality.

Postmodernist Genealogy (05:08)

Prominent intellectual precursors to postmodernism include: Saussure, Wittgenstein, Niche, and Marx. Postmodernism was born of political disappointment and disillusionment with the radical left. According to Jean Lyotard, society no longer believes in grand narratives such as Marxism.

Lyotard and Postmodernism (03:53)

Humanity is progressively evolving through stages of development that correspond to different modes of production. Lyotard argues that we no longer believe in meta-narratives; science needs a grand narrative. Lyotard's postmodernism suggests social science is only a manifestation of the Enlightenment myth.

Reality, Images, and Simulation (08:21)

Jean Baudrillard was a Marxist whose later work focused on images and simulation. Explore the successive stages of image perception as it applies to simulacrums, Disneyland, American, hyperreality, and culture.

Watergate (02:18)

Baudrillard asserted that Watergate was not a political scandal. He uses Pierre Bourdieu interpretation of the event to demonstrate that hyperreality is the correct way to interpret events such as these.

Credits: Postmodernism: Lyotard and Baudrillard (00:29)

Credits: Postmodernism: Lyotard and Baudrillard