Why I Am Not A Post-Modernist

I am not a post-modernist. I am a positivist.

Epistemologically speaking, the opposite of post-modernism is positivism: the position that objective truth exists, is accessible through reason and evidence, and holds regardless of the observer’s culture, language, or power position. Postmodernism thinks truth claims are contingent, socially constructed, and entangled with power (Foucault’s knowledge/power); its inverse (positivism) says facts are facts whether or not they serve anyone’s interests.

I support modernism philosophically and positivism epistemologically. But it’s worth noting that postmodernism’s sharpest critics, meaning analytic philosophers, scientists, and empiricists, usually don’t identify as “modernists”; they’d just say they defend objectivity, and that postmodernism’s opposite is simply the claim that some descriptions of the world are true and others aren’t, regardless of who’s observing.

References

Ayer, A. J. (1936). Language, truth and logic. Victor Gollancz.

Boghossian, P. (2006). Fear of knowledge: Against relativism and constructivism. Oxford University Press.

Carnap, R. (1959). The elimination of metaphysics through logical analysis of language (A. Pap, Trans.). In A. J. Ayer (Ed.), Logical positivism (pp. 60–81). Free Press. (Original work published 1932)

Comte, A. (1988). Introduction to positive philosophy (F. Ferré, Trans.). Hackett. (Original work published 1830–1842)

Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison (A. Sheridan, Trans.). Pantheon Books. (Original work published 1975)

Foucault, M. (1980). Power/knowledge: Selected interviews and other writings, 1972–1977 (C. Gordon, Ed.). Pantheon Books.

Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press.

Lyotard, J.-F. (1984). The postmodern condition: A report on knowledge (G. Bennington & B. Massumi, Trans.). University of Minnesota Press. (Original work published 1979)

Nagel, T. (1997). The last word. Oxford University Press.

Passmore, J. (1967). Logical positivism. In P. Edwards (Ed.), The encyclopedia of philosophy (Vol. 5, pp. 52–57). Macmillan.

Popper, K. R. (1959). The logic of scientific discovery. Hutchinson. (Original work published 1934)

Popper, K. R. (1976). Unended quest: An intellectual autobiography. Fontana.

Psillos, S. (1999). Scientific realism: How science tracks truth. Routledge.

Quine, W. V. O. (1951). Two dogmas of empiricism. The Philosophical Review, 60(1), 20–43.

Sokal, A., & Bricmont, J. (1998). Fashionable nonsense: Postmodern intellectuals’ abuse of science. Picador.

The Pseudoscience of White Supremacy

Introduction The term "white supremacy" is used in two distinct senses in this article of mine, and it helps to keep them separate. First, in the narrow, everyday sense, it refers to the ideology and movements that explicitly assert white people are a superior race and should dominate

Ivonics, Not Ebonics

I disagree with the notion that American Blacks like me speak and write a separate, different language from English, historically called “Black English,” and also called “Ebonics,” “Black Vernacular English,” and “African American Vernacular English (AAVE).” I disagree with the notion that the speech differences found among some American Blacks

Alternatives to the Cliché "I'm Not Racist"

Below are suggestions to capture the intended meaning of "I'm not racist" without triggering defensiveness or sounding like self-exoneration. The phrase "I'm not racist" often shuts down conversation rather than demonstrating accountability or a willingness to engage. "I work to

Why I Am Not Religious

I am not religious. I am secular. I use the same epistemic standard for religious claims that I use for claims in history, medicine, psychology, biology, other sciences, and everyday life. Extraordinary claims require evidence proportional to their improbability. Throughout this essay I examine whether religious claims meet that standard.

Read more

The Pseudoscience of White Supremacy

Ivonics, Not Ebonics

Alternatives to the Cliché "I'm Not Racist"

Why I Am Not Religious