Last time I posted, I brought up a subject that’s been percolating in my mind for some time and now I’m pouring it out for you to drink. Crème and sugar anyone? Welcome to Part 2 of my little miniseries on reality, Ontological Distortion. We’re in deep water here philosophically, but I think we can get through it if we work together.
It’s funny too, as I was going about my business this week, I heard a well-known and popular philosopher/thought leader make the case the idea of “self” is not real. He argued further that any idea of personal identity is an illusion, a biological fantasy. He was discussing human consciousness, and his words revealed a great deal of ontological confusion about the topic, masked by very big words.
I almost broke my hand patting myself on the back. His comments are yet another example of what I’m talking about. But let’s pull back a bit and not race ahead while I bandage my hand.
I’m making the case there is distortion and confusion about what is real and how we know what is real in our current culture. I’m also arguing this struggle is only getting harder, and it traces back two things- Postmodern thought and the rise of Artificial Intelligence. Eventually it leads to a blurring of truth and whether truth can be known.
One of these factors, Postmodern thought, is entrenched in our culture and has established itself as a normal part of daily life. It’s everywhere around us. It’s part and parcel of modern American culture and informs our experience in ways that create lots of ontological distortion.
Postmodernism
Let’s take a deeper look at Postmodernism to get started. Postmodernism is a late 20th-century movement that started after World War II. It is characterized by skepticism and rejection of absolute truth.
It is mirrored in existential philosophy that became popular in the 60’s, 70’s and onward. Existential philosophers like Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre also rejected absolute truth and were skeptical of reality and traditional forms of reason. These philosophers were harbingers of postmodern thought.
Similarly, postmodernism questions objective reality and favors relativism instead. Truth, if it exists at all, is relative, not fixed. Postmodern thought is reflected in “Situational Ethics”– what is right for one person or group may not be right for another. Truth is a moving target, it may change according to the circumstances.
I was taught postmodernism in elementary school. As a pre-teen child I was taught the classic example of situational ethics- the lifeboat story. We students were faced with a situation that required an immediate decision.
Several people were in a lifeboat, and the boat was full. Someone needed to get thrown overboard or the boat would sink and all would perish (looking back, this was a morbid topic for kids, I have to say). Typically, the boat had a young person, an old person, maybe a teacher or doctor, a sailor, a nun or priest, an artist or musician, someone with cancer, etc.,
The decision needed to be made, who would die so the others could live? Think carefully before you answer, you’ll have to defend that answer to the class and discuss why you tossed that nun overboard. Situational ethics.
Postmodernism favors a relativistic view of reality and questions traditional views of authority. While I don’t consider myself a postmodern thinker, I don’t completely throw it overboard either (that was a joke). There are times when a situation requires adaptation. And there are certainly times authority should be questioned or challenged. I agree, but postmodernism can be a slippery slope.
Postmodernism can erode standards of truth and replace them with chaos and confusion if taken too far. This is our current problem. Truth be told, postmodernism is not far from nihilism.
Nihilism is form of fatalism that is characterized by hopelessness and despair. This is why nihilist philosophers like Friedrich Nietzche wrote, “The earth has come unchained from the sun.” Post modernism can lead to a sense of meaninglessness in the same way.
There is a burn it all down sense for some postmodernists. Anyone else hearing the clamor to burn it all down right now? It’s out there and the threat is real. Further, some seek to ride postmodern conclusions to power by dividing the country and using the power of postmodern ideas to control and manipulate others.
Postmodern thought is present in our art, music, culture, worldviews, politics, it’s everywhere. I have many examples to share, but I’m going to pause for now. Next week we’ll pick up Part 3 of our series and I’ll lay out for you how the Artificial Intelligence plays a role in creating Ontological Distortion.
Thanks, and have a great week!
Ernie